On February 10, 2025, President Trump issued a significant Executive Order titled Pausing Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Enforcement to Further American Economic and National Security. This order pauses the enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practice Act (FCPA) and directs the Department of Justice (DOJ) to review and issue new guidelines for enforcing the FCPA. The executive order states that the law has been “stretched beyond proper bounds and abused,” blasting it for hurting American businesses and impeding foreign policy objectives.

However, this reasoning is misguided. The FCPA, which generated over $1.6 billion in sanctions in 2024 alone, has been the best weapon to fight international corruption while also protecting American companies from unjust business practices and promoting an even playing field. Although the Executive Order mentions that certain practices are “routine” in other nations, that does not determine its legality, let alone encourage its acceptance. Furthermore, the assertion that FCPA enforcement has “harmed” U.S. companies by excluding them from a customary international norm is unfounded.

The DOJ guide to the FCPA, published under Trump’s first term, outlined that “corruption is bad for business.” Bribery and corruption lead to distorted prices, increase the cost of doing business, and inflate the cost of government contracts. Enforcement of the FCPA has protected U.S. businesses from these effects of international misconduct, especially...

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