Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury), as chair of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), issued a Request for Information (RFI) seeking public input on the Known Investor Program and how CFIUS may streamline aspects of its foreign investment review process, while maintaining its rigorous analysis that identifies and addresses national security risk that can accompany foreign investment. Enhancements to the CFIUS process are aimed at facilitating greater investment into the United States from allies and partners and are in furtherance of President Trump’s direction in the America First Investment Policy.
“The United States has a dynamic economy that attracts strong and stable foreign investment from around the world,” said Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. “As Chair of CFIUS, Treasury is leading efforts to improve process efficiencies while ensuring that CFIUS continues to fulfill its core mission of identifying and addressing national security risks that can accompany foreign investment.”
“Today’s RFI marks an important step towards advancing enhancements to the CFIUS process,” said Assistant Secretary for Investment Security Chris Pilkerton. “It underscores the efforts being made to expand stakeholder engagement with CFIUS with the aim of enhancing and evolving the Committee’s processes while maintaining our longstanding commitment to open investment and protecting U.S. national security.”
CFIUS is an interagency committee-comprised of multiple U.S. Government departments and agencies-that plays a critical role in reviewing certain transactions involving foreign investment into U.S. businesses and U.S. real estate in order to determine the effect of such transactions on the national security of the United States. CFIUS has been in existence since 1975.
The CFIUS Known Investor Program was announced in May 2025 and is under development. It would entail CFIUS collecting information from foreign investors who choose to participate in advance of receiving a formal filing with the aim of increasing efficiencies in the national security-related due diligence process.
Through this RFI, stakeholders will have the opportunity to provide input into the development of the Known Investor Program as well as share feedback on additional areas where CFIUS may increase efficiencies and enhance its processes related to case reviews, non-notified transactions, mitigation, and monitoring and enforcement. Treasury is seeking a broad range of perspectives on these topics to inform its work. The comment period is open for any stakeholder with an interest in CFIUS and will close on March 18, 2026.