CONGRESS FOR VOTERS

RepublicanAmendment · S.Amdt. 3476· Senate(119-SAMDT-3476)

S.Amdt. 3476

Rep. Lankford
Age: 58 years
Oklahoma
Introduced
8/1/2025
Sponsored by
James Lankford
Cosponsors
None
Changes bill
119-S-2296 — National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026
  1. Introduced
  2. Pending Consideration

What this amendment would do

The amendment, titled the Strengthening Security Through Joint Cargo Scanning Act, aims to add a new subtitle to the bill. Its purpose is to allow the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary of State, to create a 5-year pilot program to improve United States border security.

This program would focus on analyzing manifest data and images of cargo and conveyances using non-intrusive scanning technologies at designated foreign ports of entry.

Key Changes and Additions

  • Program Execution: The pilot program would be conducted through bilateral agreements with foreign governments. The analysis would primarily take place at the National Targeting Center operated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

  • Participation: Staffing may include law enforcement from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, other designated Federal law enforcement agencies, and vetted foreign government law enforcement units.

  • Restrictions: Participating foreign governments must prohibit their own law enforcement officers from handling, accessing, or analyzing the images and manifest data. Additionally, any hardware or software used must meet the Secretary's requirements and cannot be produced by entities on the Department of Commerce's entity list.

  • Scope: The program will designate 5 ports of entry in the participating foreign country, which must include at least 2 land ports of entry and 1 international rail crossing.

  • Accountability and Oversight:

    • The Secretary must provide quarterly briefings and semiannual reports to appropriate congressional committees.
    • Unredacted copies of bilateral agreements and descriptions of the program's scope must be submitted to Congress.
    • The Secretary must establish training to protect privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties.
    • After the program ends, the Comptroller General must submit an assessment report to Congress evaluating the program's effectiveness in strengthening border security and increasing the interdiction of contraband, weapons, or people entering the U.S. unlawfully.