S.Amdt. 6652

SA 6652, submitted by Mrs. Shaheen and Mr. Risch, adds Division F, the Department of State Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027, to bill S. 4784. The purpose of this amendment is to authorize and regulate various operations of the Department of State.

Workforce and Operations The amendment aims to improve how the Department of State manages its people and facilities by:

• Introducing strategies for mid-career training, staffing incentives for Pacific Island embassies, and pay for foreign language proficiency.
• Requiring the hiring of social workers to support psychiatrists and mandating reports on deaths at post and workforce exit interviews.
• Streamlining move procedures, updating Arctic Ambassador duties, and creating a plan to reopen diplomatic facilities in Syria.

Technology and Public Diplomacy It adds new requirements for modernizing government tools and outreach:

• Mandating the use of generative AI for language translation and monitoring "smart cable" analytics.
• Creating an Office of Sports Diplomacy for major U.S. sporting events through 2034.
• Developing a plan to counter propaganda from Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea.
• Making consular forms mobile-responsive and allowing some public libraries to collect passport fees.

National Security and Sanctions The amendment expands the ability to block assets and restrict travel to counter global threats:

• Russian Sanctions: Implementing the SHADOW Fleet Sanctions Act of 2026 to target the Russian shadow fleet, energy projects like Yamal and Arctic LNG, and those providing critical goods like semiconductors to Russia's defense industry.
• PRC and Taiwan: Creating a "PRC Sanctions Task Force" to identify entities for sanctions if the PRC takes physical or political control of Taiwan.
• Undersea Infrastructure: Establishing the Strategic Subsea Cables Act of 2026 to protect undersea cables and energy links through international coordination with NATO, the EU, ASEAN, and the Quad, while authorizing sanctions for sabotage.
• Criminal Organizations: Targeting "scam compounds" in Southeast Asia that use human trafficking for cyber-fraud.

Regional Initiatives and Foreign Policy It adds specific mandates for international relations:

• Sudan: Implementing the PEACE in Sudan Act to end the war by sanctioning those responsible for atrocities and restricting certain U.S. assistance.
• Ukraine: Forming the "Ukraine Lessons Learned Task Force" to bring Ukrainian battlefield innovations into U.S. military training.
• Africa: Establishing the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) for professional development and fellowships.
• Georgia and Syria: Requiring reports on Russian and Chinese intelligence in Georgia and strategies to defeat ISIS in Syria.

Accountability and Oversight The amendment introduces measures to hold officials and partners accountable:

• Requiring think tanks that receive Department funding to disclose foreign funding from Russia, China, or Iran.
• Redesignating the Office of the Inspector General for USAID as the Office of the Inspector General for Foreign Assistance.
• Implementing the "Saving Lives and Taxpayer Dollars Act," which requires annual reports on foreign assistance products, such as medicine and food, that were destroyed due to expiration, spoilage, or contamination.