To authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2026 for intelligence and intelligence-related activities of the United States Government, the Intelligence Community Management Account, and the Central Intelligence Agency Retirement and Disability System, and for other purposes.
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
ReportedMr. Cotton, from the Select Committee on Intelligence, reported the …
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 authorizes funding for US intelligence agencies including the CIA, NSA, and other intelligence community components. It restructures the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, strengthens counterintelligence capabilities against foreign adversaries (particularly China, Russia, and Iran), establishes new authorities to counter drone threats to intelligence facilities, and enhances whistleblower protections for intelligence employees.
Who Benefits and How
- US intelligence agencies receive authorized funding for operations, including $514 million for the CIA Retirement and Disability Fund
- Domestic biotechnology and AI companies gain new procurement opportunities as the bill requires the IC to buy synthetic DNA/RNA from US manufacturers and expand AI capabilities
- Counter-drone technology providers benefit from new CIA authority to detect and disable threatening unmanned aircraft
- IC whistleblowers receive strengthened protections including safeguards against psychiatric testing as retaliation
- Cybersecurity and election security firms gain business from new requirements for voting system penetration testing
Who Bears the Burden and How
- Chinese companies, especially those with military ties or in biotechnology, face new restrictions and are barred from IC contracts
- Foreign diplomats from adversary nations (China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba) face tour limits and stricter visa requirements
- Location data brokers are prohibited from collecting or selling data on individuals at IC locations
- Foreign investors in real estate near IC facilities face enhanced CFIUS review requirements
- Voting system manufacturers must comply with new security testing and certification requirements
Key Provisions
- Authorizes classified appropriations for FY2026 intelligence activities
- Creates criminal penalties (up to 10 years) for repeat trespassing on IC property
- Grants CIA authority to detect, intercept, and destroy drones threatening its facilities
- Prohibits IC contracting with Chinese military-affiliated biotechnology companies
- Requires declassification of COVID-19 pandemic origin intelligence
- Establishes NEPA waivers for national security IC facility construction
- Eliminates statute of limitations for espionage offenses
- Mandates penetration testing for voting systems used in federal elections
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
Authorizes appropriations for FY2026 for intelligence and intelligence-related activities of the US Government, restructures the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, enhances counterintelligence capabilities, addresses emerging technology threats, and strengthens whistleblower protections.
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Restructure and streamline the intelligence community organization, enhance counterintelligence capabilities against China and other adversaries, embrace emerging technologies like AI while managing risks, and strengthen security around elections and classified information"
Likely Beneficiaries
- Intelligence community agencies (CIA, NSA, ODNI, FBI Intelligence)
- Defense contractors with security clearances
- Technology companies providing AI and cybersecurity services
- Biotechnology companies with domestic synthetic DNA/RNA production
- Whistleblowers in the intelligence community
- Election security technology providers
Likely Burden Bearers
- Chinese technology and biotechnology companies
- Chinese military-affiliated companies
- Foreign diplomats from adversarial nations (China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba)
- Companies owned by People's Republic of China investing in US agriculture via Brazil
- Location data brokers operating near IC facilities
- Foreign intelligence officers seeking US diplomatic visas
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_director"
- → Director of National Intelligence
- "the_director"
- → Director of National Intelligence
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Transportation (for FAA coordination)
- "the_director_cia"
- → Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
- "the_director"
- → Director of National Intelligence
- "the_director"
- → Director of National Intelligence
- "the_president"
- → President of the United States
- "the_director"
- → Director of National Intelligence
- "chief_information_officer"
- → Chief Information Officer of the Intelligence Community
- "the_director"
- → Director of National Intelligence
- "inspector_general"
- → Inspector General of the Intelligence Community
- "the_director"
- → Director of National Intelligence
- "cfius"
- → Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States
- "the_director"
- → Director of National Intelligence
- "the_secretary_energy"
- → Secretary of Energy
Note: 'The Director' generally refers to Director of National Intelligence throughout the bill, except in Section 302 where 'the Director' refers to the Director of the CIA
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
Has the meaning given such term in section 3 of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003)
Has the meaning given in section 44801 of title 49, United States Code
An organization described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from tax under section 501(a)
AI systems used for specific intelligence use cases (defined per section)
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