To provide for the political affairs authorities of the Department of State, and for other purposes.
Summary
What This Bill Does
The bill establishes the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs position with responsibility for regional and bilateral diplomacy and continuous observation of foreign policy implementation, authorizes appropriations for the Under Secretary for Political Affairs to fulfill responsibilities for fiscal years 2026 and 2027, and requires the Under Secretary for Political Affairs to notify congressional committees at least 15 days before altering regional bureau jurisdiction, including justification and policy implications. It relies on definition changes, appropriations, reporting requirements, and grants. The main policy areas are Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, and Defense.
Who Benefits and How
Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs could gain revenue opportunities, Under Secretary for Political Affairs office could gain revenue opportunities, and State Department counter-influence operations could gain revenue opportunities.
Who Bears the Burden and How
People's Republic of China would be affected, Under Secretary for Political Affairs would take on compliance duties, and Chinese state-owned enterprises could face higher barriers.
Key Provisions
- Establishes the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs position with responsibility for regional and bilateral diplomacy and continuous observation of foreign policy implementation.
- Authorizes appropriations for the Under Secretary for Political Affairs to fulfill responsibilities for fiscal years 2026 and 2027.
- Requires the Under Secretary for Political Affairs to notify congressional committees at least 15 days before altering regional bureau jurisdiction, including justification and policy implications.
- Authorizes creation of Ambassador-at-Large for the Indian Ocean Region with coordination responsibilities across multiple regional bureaus, requiring presidential nomination by April 1, 2026.
- Authorizes the Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs position reporting to the Under Secretary for Political Affairs.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
The bill establishes the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs position with responsibility for regional and bilateral diplomacy and continuous observation of foreign policy implementation, authorizes appropriations for the Under Secretary for Political Affairs to fulfill responsibilities for fiscal years 2026 and 2027, and requires the Under Secretary for Political Affairs to notify congressional committees at least 15 days before altering regional bureau jurisdiction, including justification and policy implications.
Key Policy Areas
Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Defense
Primary Purpose
The bill establishes the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs position with responsibility for regional and bilateral diplomacy and continuous observation of foreign policy implementation, authorizes appropriations for the Under Secretary for Political Affairs to fulfill responsibilities for fiscal years 2026 and 2027, and requires the Under Secretary for Political Affairs to notify congressional committees at least 15 days before altering regional bureau jurisdiction, including justification and policy implications.
Policy Domains
Title III - Political Affairs
Identified Gains
- Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs
- Under Secretary for Political Affairs office
- State Department counter-influence operations
- Congressional foreign affairs committees
- State Department senior leadership
Identified Costs
- People's Republic of China
- Under Secretary for Political Affairs
- Chinese state-owned enterprises
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