Origin Stories: Foreign Corrupt Practices Act

In the 1970s, America had a corruption problem — and it wasn’t just at home.

After Watergate, investigators uncovered something deeper: more than 400 U.S. companies had secretly paid hundreds of millions in bribes to foreign officials.
These weren’t isolated incidents — they were business as usual, often with top executives turning a blind eye.

The fallout was global. Allies were outraged. Trust in American leadership plummeted.

So in 1977, Congress passed the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) — a landmark law that made it illegal for U.S. companies to bribe foreign officials and required transparent financial records.

The message was simple but groundbreaking:
🌐 If you're doing business in the name of America, you’d better act with integrity.

Why it still matters:

• The FCPA became the model for global anti-corruption laws.

• It’s a tool for holding power accountable when profit threatens principle.

• And in a world where autocrats and backroom deals undermine democracy, it helps push back against abuse.

But what the FCPA was meant to stop abroad is now happening right here — in plain sight.

Our current president has openly solicited campaign donations from corporate CEOs while hinting at favorable treatment in return.
And just weeks ago, he accepted a brand-new Boeing 757 jet, partially funded by a Saudi firm tied to his business empire.

That’s not just unethical — it’s corruption: using public power for personal gain while blurring the line between office and enrichment.

🗳️ We have a choice.
We can normalize it — or we can name it.
We can shrug — or we can show up and vote.

The FCPA wasn’t just about foreign bribes. It was about the soul of American democracy.

Transparency is patriotic. Democracy depends on it.