S.Amdt. 6559

SA 6559, submitted by Mr. Risch and Mrs. Shaheen, adds Division F to bill S. 4784 to create the Department of State Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027. This amendment aims to authorize and regulate Department of State activities with a focus on national security, international oversight, and foreign policy.

Workforce and Administration

• Changes personnel management by creating a "training float" for mid-career training, new incentive pay for foreign language proficiency, and updated rehiring rules for staff from closed posts.
• Mandates hiring social workers to support psychiatrists.
• Extends authorization for embassy security, passport fees, and cybersecurity recruitment.
• Creates a system to capture lessons learned from embassy evacuations.

National Security and Technology

• Requires security reviews for science and technology agreements with China and establishes a program for AI-enabled language translation.
• Mandates at least one Diplomatic Security agent at all critical counterintelligence threat posts.
• Establishes the U.S. Technology Procurement Program (via the "United States Technology Procurement and Access to Trusted Hardware Act of 2026") to help foreign partners buy trusted hardware from the U.S. and allies instead of "foreign countries of concern."
• Protects critical undersea communications and energy infrastructure through the "Strategic Subsea Cables Act of 2026," which includes an interagency committee and sanctions for undersea sabotage.

International Sanctions and Regional Security

• Russia: Imposes sanctions on the Russian defense industrial base, Russian-origin energy products, and the "Russian shadow fleet" via the SHADOW Fleet Act of 2026. It also authorizes emergency funds for the Countering Russian Influence Fund.
• China and Taiwan: Creates the DETER PRC Aggression Against Taiwan Act, establishing a task force to identify entities for sanctions if the PRC seeks physical or political control of Taiwan.
• Sudan: Implements the PEACE in Sudan Act to end the war by reporting on those fueling the conflict, imposing sanctions for atrocities, and restricting assistance and reconstruction loans to the Government of Sudan.
• Other Regions: Provides for reports on Russian and Chinese intelligence in Georgia and a bilateral relations strategy. In Syria, it mandates reports on ISIS defeat strategies and assistance programs while repealing two sanctions statutes. It also creates a defense industrial cooperation program with Poland and a "Ukraine Lessons Learned Task Force" to integrate battlefield innovations into U.S. doctrine.

Combatting Global Crime and Human Rights

• Establishes the SCAM Act to shut down "scam compounds" used by criminal organizations for human trafficking and cyber-fraud, utilizing sanctions, visa restrictions, and satellite imagery.
• Sets minimum standards for flag state registries to stop illicit activities and sanctions evasion.
• Creates the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) for professional development in sub-Saharan Africa.

Public Diplomacy and Consular Affairs

• Adds a "mega-decade" sports diplomacy strategy and an expedited visa program for major events.
• Modernizes consular forms to be mobile-responsive.

Accountability and Oversight

• Redesignates the Office of the Inspector General for USAID as the Office of the Inspector General for Foreign Assistance, giving them authority to request information from most Federal agencies.
• Requires think tanks to disclose foreign funding from Russia, Iran, and China.
• Increases staffing for the Office of Sanctions Coordination.
• Includes the "Saving Lives and Taxpayer Dollars Act," requiring annual reports on foreign assistance products, such as medicine and food, that were destroyed due to expiration or spoilage.