Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
US Prioritizing Anti-Corruption Efforts in Foreign Policy
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 4 years ago on
June 3, 2021

Share

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Thursday instructed the federal government to elevate anti-corruption measures as a central U.S. foreign policy and national security issue.

A report expected in about six months from an interagency review will recommend ways to strengthen corruption-fighting efforts.

A presidential memo directs agencies to identify how they can improve intelligence-gathering and combat illicit financial activities. It reaffirms Washington’s commitment to sanction or pursue legal action against those involved in corruption, instructs agencies to work with international organizations to tackle the problem and emphasizes enforcement measures in foreign assistance programs.

Anti-Corruption Efforts ‘Essential to Our Democracy and Our Future’

In a statement, Biden said fighting corruption is a “mission for the entire world.”

He said it was “not just good governance. It is self-defense. It is patriotism, and it’s essential to the preservation of our democracy and our future.”

The memo is aimed at delivering on a campaign promise. In a Foreign Policy essay written during the 2020 campaign, Biden pledged to “lead efforts internationally to bring transparency to the global financial system, go after illicit tax havens, seize stolen assets, and make it more difficult for leaders who steal from their people to hide behind anonymous front companies.”

On Wednesday, the Treasury Department announced sanctions against a number of Bulgarian officials and businessmen and their related entities, in what was said to be the department’s single biggest action targeting corruption to date.

During Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Central America this week, corruption in the region was a major focus of his private conversations with foreign leaders. During her trip to the region next week, Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to raise the issue when she meets with the presidents of Guatemala and Mexico.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Tulare County Man Convicted of Child Molestation During Burglary Faces Life Without Parole

DON'T MISS

What Local Politicians, LGBT Community Say About Trans Track Star

DON'T MISS

Fresno Man Arrested After Stolen City Vehicle Pursuit, Fires in Madera County

DON'T MISS

Former MLB All-Star Breaks Ground on BMW/Porsche/Audi Dealership in Clovis

DON'T MISS

Fresno, Clovis to Open Cooling Centers as Temperatures Expected to Soar

DON'T MISS

Costco Misses Quarterly Revenue Expectations Amid Reduced Consumer Spending

DON'T MISS

Tulare County Authorities Respond to Double Shooting in Goshen

DON'T MISS

US Appeals Court Reinstates Trump Tariffs, Sowing Market Confusion

DON'T MISS

A Program Paying CA Jurors $100 a Day Would End Due to Newsom’s Budget Cuts

DON'T MISS

Some Glaciers Will Vanish No Matter What, Study Finds

UP NEXT

Netanyahu Says Israel Accepts Witkoff’s New Gaza Truce Proposal, Media Report

UP NEXT

Business Insider Cuts 21% of Workforce, Memo Shows

UP NEXT

Harvard Agrees to Relinquish Early Photos of Slaves, Ending a Long Legal Battle

UP NEXT

Silence on E. Coli Outbreak Highlights How Trump Team’s Changes Undermine Food Safety

UP NEXT

Food Trucks in Gaza Raided, Underscoring Aid Distribution Problems

UP NEXT

US and Russia Clash in Public as the Ukraine War Heats Up

UP NEXT

Trump Pardons Tax Cheat After Mother Attends $1 Million Dinner

UP NEXT

Ireland to Press Ahead With Trade Ban on Israeli-Occupied Areas

UP NEXT

Palestinians Flock to US-Backed Aid Centers Despite Concern Over Checks

UP NEXT

Germany Threatens Steps Against Israel as Tone Shifts Over Gaza

Former MLB All-Star Breaks Ground on BMW/Porsche/Audi Dealership in Clovis

15 hours ago

Fresno, Clovis to Open Cooling Centers as Temperatures Expected to Soar

15 hours ago

Costco Misses Quarterly Revenue Expectations Amid Reduced Consumer Spending

16 hours ago

Tulare County Authorities Respond to Double Shooting in Goshen

16 hours ago

US Appeals Court Reinstates Trump Tariffs, Sowing Market Confusion

16 hours ago

A Program Paying CA Jurors $100 a Day Would End Due to Newsom’s Budget Cuts

16 hours ago

Some Glaciers Will Vanish No Matter What, Study Finds

16 hours ago

Dealmaker or Duped? Trump’s Embrace of Putin Shows Few Results

17 hours ago

Fresno Will Build New Firehouse, Replacing ‘Temporary’ Station After 50 Years

17 hours ago

Canada Wants to Kill 400 Ostriches. RFK Jr. and Dr. Oz Want to Save Them.

17 hours ago

Tulare County Man Convicted of Child Molestation During Burglary Faces Life Without Parole

A Tulare County jury has convicted a Porterville man of molesting a 4-year-old girl during a home burglary in 2020, prosecutors said Thursda...

13 hours ago

Serafin Narcisco, 44, of Porterville, was convicted on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, of molesting a 4-year-old girl during a 2020 home burglary. (Tulare County SO)
13 hours ago

Tulare County Man Convicted of Child Molestation During Burglary Faces Life Without Parole

14 hours ago

What Local Politicians, LGBT Community Say About Trans Track Star

A man accused of stealing a City of Fresno vehicle was arrested Wednesday, May 28, 2025, in Madera County after a pursuit that sparked small fires and ended with a crash. (Madera County SO)
14 hours ago

Fresno Man Arrested After Stolen City Vehicle Pursuit, Fires in Madera County

15 hours ago

Former MLB All-Star Breaks Ground on BMW/Porsche/Audi Dealership in Clovis

15 hours ago

Fresno, Clovis to Open Cooling Centers as Temperatures Expected to Soar

16 hours ago

Costco Misses Quarterly Revenue Expectations Amid Reduced Consumer Spending

Tulare County sheriff’s detectives are investigating a double shooting in Goshen after two people were found wounded Thursday, May 29, 2025. (Tulare County SO)
16 hours ago

Tulare County Authorities Respond to Double Shooting in Goshen

16 hours ago

US Appeals Court Reinstates Trump Tariffs, Sowing Market Confusion

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend