Foreign Service officers join STOCK Act resistance

The American Foreign Service Association has joined the barrage of opposition to the disclosure requirements included in the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act, according to a statement from the group.

The Foreign Service members pointed to security risks, including kidnappings and the building of information databases by foreign adversaries, as a reason to modify the language of the financial disclosure law.

“AFSA respects the intent of the STOCK Act, and Foreign Service employees have long complied with existing financial disclosure requirements,” the union wrote in its statement. “Publically posting a vast database of personal information of Foreign Service personnel endangers both individuals and American national security.”

The STOCK Act, which President Obama signed in April, includes a provision requiring high-ranking government employees to file financial disclosure forms that are then posted into a searchable, online database.

In addition to AFSA, the Senior Executives Association and the Assembly of Scientists have spoken out against the disclosure provisions of the STOCK Act.

Recently, Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., became the first member of Congress to call for changes to the law.

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