Warren Calls for Comprehensive GAO Review of U.S. Foreign Investment Safeguards
Warren urges review of whether CFIUS and FOCI programs have enough rigor to protect national security
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee sent a letter to Gene Dodaro, Comptroller General of the United States, calling on the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct a comprehensive review of two critical U.S. national security programs: the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) and the Department of Defense’s Foreign Ownership, Control, or Influence (FOCI) program.
These programs serve as frontline defenses against foreign efforts to gain control of U.S. companies in sensitive sectors—including critical technology, infrastructure, and defense. While GAO has previously examined aspects of CFIUS and FOCI, Senator Warren is requesting a broader evaluation of how well these safeguards work in practice.
“Congress would benefit from a more comprehensive study on potential redundancies or shortcomings – as well as the efficacy of the mechanisms in place to ensure compliance with agreed upon mitigations,” wrote the Senator.
In particular, Senator Warren requests GAO to evaluate:
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Whether individuals responsible for compliance possess appropriate national security experience, or are selected for commercial ties;
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The adequacy of staffing, oversight structures, and conflict-of-interest screening;
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The concentration of mitigation work among a narrow set of firms or individuals;
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Whether current FOCI and CFIUS practices represent a rigorous, security-first approach—or have been compromised by other considerations.
She emphasized the need to assess “whether the current ecosystem of mitigation agreements represents a truly rigorous system of oversight focused primarily on national security outcomes, or whether other considerations have come to influence the implementation of these critical safeguards.”
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