To provide for the political affairs authorities of the Department of State, and for other purposes.
Analysis under review: This bill has generated analysis that may be too generic or incomplete. Clause-level evidence remains available below.
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill reorganizes the State Department's political affairs division by formally establishing the Under Secretary for Political Affairs position and creating new Ambassador-at-Large positions for the Arctic and Indian Ocean regions. It also establishes the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs with a dedicated unit to counter Chinese influence operations.
Who Benefits and How
State Department leadership gains clearer organizational structure and authority over regional diplomacy. Defense and national security contractors working on Indo-Pacific strategy may see increased opportunities through the Countering PRC Influence Fund. Diplomatic personnel in regional bureaus receive clearer chains of command and authorized funding for fiscal years 2026-2027.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Congressional oversight committees face new notification requirements when regional bureau jurisdictions change. The People's Republic of China faces coordinated U.S. government efforts to counter its influence operations. This is primarily an organizational bill with minimal direct burdens on private sector actors.
Key Provisions
- Creates Ambassador-at-Large positions for Arctic and Indian Ocean regions with coordination responsibilities
- Establishes Countering PRC Influence Fund Unit within Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs (sunsets after 2 years)
- Requires 15-day congressional notification before changing regional bureau jurisdictions
- Authorizes appropriations for Under Secretary and Assistant Secretary positions for FY 2026-2027
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Reorganizes and authorizes the political affairs authorities within the Department of State, establishing regional Ambassador positions and bureaus with particular emphasis on countering Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific region.
Key Policy Areas
Foreign Affairs, National Security, Government Organization
Primary Purpose
Reorganizes and authorizes the political affairs authorities within the Department of State, establishing regional Ambassador positions and bureaus with particular emphasis on countering Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific region.
Policy Domains
Title III - Political Affairs
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- State Department
- Defense contractors
- Indo-Pacific allied nations
- U.S. diplomatic personnel
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- People's Republic of China
- Congressional committees
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMs. Salazar introduced the following bill; which was referred to …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Bureau of African Affairs, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs
Positive-direction: Bureau of African Affairs, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, Career foreign service officers, Congressional foreign affairs committees, East Asian and Pacific diplomatic personnel, State Department Indo-Pacific operations, State Department counter-influence operations, State Department organizational structure, State Department regional bureaus, State Department senior leadership, U.S. diplomatic missions in Africa, U.S. diplomatic missions in Indian Ocean countries, U.S. diplomatic missions in Middle East and North Africa, U.S. diplomatic missions in South and Central Asia, Under Secretary for Political Affairs office
Negative-direction: Under Secretary for Political Affairs
Indian Ocean Rim Association member states, People's Republic of China
Positive-direction: Indian Ocean Rim Association member states
Negative-direction: People's Republic of China
Organizations countering Chinese influence, Organizations receiving Countering PRC Influence Fund grants
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of State
- "the_department"
- → Department of State
- "under_secretary"
- → Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
The Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives; and the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate.
Any country which the Under Secretary designates as within the responsibility of the Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs.
Influence by China or an entity acting on behalf of China that undermines a free and open international order; utilizes coercion and dependency to advance strategic objectives of the PRC; undermines national security, territorial integrity, or sovereignty; or undermines political and economic security including through corruption, elite capture, market distortion, and coercive economic practices including intellectual property theft.
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology