[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 158 (Thursday, September 28, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H4719-H4791]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     DEPARTMENT OF STATE, FOREIGN OPERATIONS, AND RELATED PROGRAMS 
                        APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2024


                             General Leave

  Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks 
and to include extraneous material on H.R. 4665, and that I may include 
tabular material on the same.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Moore of Utah). Is there objection to 
the request of the gentleman from Florida?
  There was no objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 723 and rule 
XVIII, the Chair declares the House in the Committee of the Whole House 
on the state of the Union for the consideration of the bill, H.R. 4665.
  The Chair appoints the gentlewoman from Virginia (Mrs. Kiggans) to 
preside over the Committee of the Whole.

                              {time}  0919


                     In the Committee of the Whole

  Accordingly, the House resolved itself into the Committee of the 
Whole House on the state of the Union for the consideration of the bill 
(H.R. 4665) making appropriations for the Department of State, Foreign 
Operations, and related programs for the fiscal year ending September 
30, 2024, and for other purposes, with Mrs. Kiggans of Virginia in the 
chair.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The CHAIR. Pursuant to the rule, the bill is considered read the 
first time.
  General debate shall be confined to the bill and shall not exceed 1 
hour equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority 
member Committee on Appropriations or their respective designees.
  The gentleman from Florida (Mr. Diaz-Balart) and the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Lee) each will control 30 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida.
  Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Madam Chairwoman, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Chair, I am proud to speak on the fiscal year 2024 Department 
of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs appropriations bill 
for floor consideration today.
  Anybody who has read the bill knows that it is pretty 
straightforward. If you are a friend, an ally of the United States, 
this bill supports you, but if you are an adversary or you are cozying 
up to the adversaries of the United States, then, frankly, you are just 
not going to like this bill.
  I am extremely proud of this legislation, which was carefully and 
thoughtfully developed over many, many months. In my judgment, it 
reflects the values and the interests of most Americans. We carefully 
reviewed all the organizations and programs that receive U.S. taxpayer 
dollars in this bill. And among the key factors--let me be very blunt--
it is whether investments advance our national security interests, 
whether they can show demonstrated results and our need to reduce the 
national debt and to reduce spending in a responsible way.
  So the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs 
bill totals $51.5 billion. It cuts $8.2 billion; that is a 14 percent 
reduction, below the 2023 enacted level, and $17 billion or 25 percent 
below the President's request. In fact, it is $2.7 billion below the 
fiscal year 2019 enacted level, and it is even $288 million below the 
fiscal year 2015 enacted level.
  So because of those cuts, of those responsible reductions, we are now 
able to prioritize funding for the national security threat posed by 
the Chinese Communist Party.
  Look, it is time that the U.S., that we get serious about that 
maligned destabilizing negative actions of the Communist Chinese Party 
around the

[[Page H4720]]

world. This measure, this bill does precisely that in an unprecedented 
manner.
  Let me talk a little bit about that. The bill includes $4.4 billion, 
which is $1 billion above the President's budget request to fund 
programs to counter the threat of the Chinese Communist Party around 
the world.
  For the first time, this bill includes half a billion, $500 million, 
in foreign military financing for Taiwan--first time ever. These funds, 
as everybody knows, are critical to support our friend and our 
democratic ally, which is on the front lines of China's bullying and 
China's constant threats. This bill provides unwavering support for our 
democratic ally, Israel, and other key partners around the world.
  Another priority is to strengthen efforts to counter fentanyl 
production and trafficking. I don't have to tell you all that deadly 
opioids, particularly fentanyl, are affecting every area, every 
district, every neighborhood in our entire country. Madam Chair, three 
hundred Americans die every single day because of fentanyl poisoning. 
We must and we do use every tool to combat this horrific deadly 
epidemic.
  Obviously, the migration crisis at the southern border is really just 
symptomatic of the administration's lack of a clear strategy toward the 
Western Hemisphere. That is as nice as I can say it.
  Mr. Chairman, for too long countries cozying up to our adversaries 
have been rewarded, rewarded, and this bill puts a stop to that 
practice. This bill also recognizes the growing threat of authoritarian 
regimes even here in our own hemisphere and around the world. 
Therefore, it fully funds democracy assistant accounts in support of 
freedom and human rights where they are most threatened.
  Now, before discussing funding for the United Nations, I just want to 
remind folks, Members, and also anybody who might be watching, who is 
running the show at the U.N. It would be hard to even make this stuff 
up, but, unfortunately, remarkably what I am about to tell you is true. 
So Russia was chair of the U.N. Security Council during the month of 
April. Yeah, you heard me right. Iran is currently an elected vice 
president of the U.N. General Assembly.
  Communist China, whose genocide against Uyghurs and their bullying 
around the world is notorious, and Cuba, one of the world's oldest, 
most brutal dictatorships, both of those countries sit on the U.N. 
Human Rights council. Yeah, you heard me right. North Korea--well, I 
can't even begin to talk about the atrocities of that dictatorship--is 
a member of the World Health Organization, while Taiwan, a responsible 
democracy, has been blocked from membership of that institution by 
Communist China. You can't make this stuff up. Therefore, it should 
come as no surprise to anybody that no funds are included in this bill 
for the U.N. regular budget.

  Now, my dear friends on the other side of the aisle argue that by 
cutting some of the funding to the U.N., the U.S. has given up its 
leadership. I could not disagree in stronger terms. You see, simply 
continuing to unconditionally channel funds to a deeply flawed 
organization, despite multiple failures and, frankly, appalling, even 
continuously antisemitic actions by that institution, that is actually 
abandoning our responsibility to the U.S. taxpayer, and it ensures that 
nothing changes in that institution that I just mentioned.
  Actions need to have consequences, and the U.N. finally will feel the 
consequences of their irresponsible actions because of how we deal with 
them in this bill. This bill also prohibits funds for the Green Climate 
Fund and the Green Technology Fund. We also address a frivolous 
expansion of State Department bureaucracy. This bill eliminates funding 
for special envoys and special representatives that are not authorized 
or have not been confirmed by the Senate.
  If they are that important, then for God's sake, have them authorized 
by Congress or at least confirmed by the Senate.
  Finally, this bill includes all longstanding pro-life protections, 
which includes a prohibition on taxpayer funds from being used to pay 
for abortions abroad, and it builds on those requirements by applying 
the Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance policy to all global 
health funding.
  It is not surprising that after this bill was released, my colleagues 
on the other side immediately released a press release condemning it. 
Now, what might surprise you is what the minority party in their 
written press release actually chose to highlight that they are 
objecting to in this bill. Their press release criticized that this 
bill prohibits funding for the Wuhan Institute of Virology--Heck, yeah, 
we prohibit funding to that institution--or that we prohibit funding to 
the EcoHealth Alliance or gain-of-function research. And quoting from 
my colleagues on the Democratic side, their criticism of this bill, 
that we reduce funding for ``any lab controlled by China, Russia, Cuba, 
Iran, North Korea, and Venezuela.'' I am quoting from their press 
release.
  Heck yeah, we are cutting funding for institutions from those 
countries. These countries are, in essence, on the official list of the 
United States foreign adversaries, and three, by the way, are on the 
State Sponsor of Terrorism list. Does any taxpayer think that taxpayer 
funds should be going to labs in those places? Really?
  My colleagues on the other side of the aisle also expressed in 
writing concerns of what they call partisan riders that specifically 
highlighted the provisions on funds in this bill to the government of 
the PRC and the Chinese Communist Party; and, also, that we prevent 
lending from international financial institutions to the PRC. They put 
that in writing.
  Well, one thing is true. They got that right. They caught me. We are 
eliminating funding to adversaries of the United States of America. I 
would argue it is about damn time we did that. I look forward to 
hearing my colleagues on the other side of the aisle explain why U.S. 
taxpayer money should be funding those programs, and, by the way, why 
writing a blank check to any organization is a demonstration of 
leadership. It is not.
  Mr. Chairman, before I close, I thank the staff from the 
Appropriations Committee for their amazing work on this bill: Susan 
Adams, who is here with me; Craig Higgins; Jamie McCormick; Trey Hicks; 
Meg Gallagher; John Muscolini; Clelia Alvarado; and Joe Cutler; and 
equally from the minority side--and I always butcher her last name, and 
I apologize because I will probably do it again--Erin Kolodjeski, 
Laurie Mignon, and Lillian Wasvary.
  I thank members of my personal staff from my office: Cesar Gonzalez, 
Gisselle Reynolds, and Autumn Morley.
  I thank our Chairman for bringing this crucial legislation to the 
floor, which supports our allies and protects our national security in 
a smart, efficient, effective, and thoughtful way.
  Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I reserve 
the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR (Mr. Moore of Utah). The gentleman from Florida 
reserves.
  Ms. LEE of California. I claim time in opposition.
  The Acting CHAIR: The gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee) is 
recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Chair, I rise to oppose H.R. 4665.
  This bill would impose devastating cuts on programs meant to keep 
both America and the world safe. With all due respect to my friend and 
colleague and the chair of this committee, I am not an adversary of the 
United States. Democrats are patriotic, and we want our country to lead 
in global security and peace. This bill does just the opposite.
  This Republican bill would slash the allocation for international 
programs by nearly one-third, a level not seen since 2009. Do my 
Republican colleagues really think that our international challenges 
have shrunk? I don't know what world they are living in. The bill 
undermines the fight against climate change, and it would destroy our 
influence at the United Nations during a time when China and Russia are 
working to expand their voice and their role.
  Most outrageously, the bill would gut programs intended to help the 
most vulnerable people in the world, undermining American global 
leadership and making a mockery of our human values and leaving a huge 
void for adversaries to fill.
  I have spent much of my time in Congress talking about the three d's 
of our

[[Page H4721]]

national security: diplomacy, development, and defense. Each of these 
has a role to play in keeping our country safe and secure, and creating 
a world where kids and our grandkids can prosper.
  The SFOPS bill is supposed to fund two of those d's, diplomacy and 
development. Instead, this Republican bill throws the three d's 
completely out of whack.
  If House Republicans get their way, the Pentagon would receive 20 
times more--let me repeat that, 20 times more--what this bill invests 
in diplomacy and development combined. Even our military leaders have 
spoken out against cuts to diplomacy and development because they know 
gutting these programs makes their jobs harder. Former Defense 
Secretary Mattis has famously said: If you don't fully fund the State 
Department, then I have to buy more ammunition.
  Mr. Chair, the PRC now has more embassies and diplomats around the 
world than any other nation, including more than the United States, but 
Republicans would cut funding for our embassies and diplomats by $1.2 
billion.
  We have watched as the PRC challenges us at the United Nations and 
other multilateral institutions, working to insert their values of 
authoritarianism and disrespect for human rights, but Republicans are 
proposing to cut funding to the United Nations, leaving our adversaries 
waiting to fill the void that we leave behind.
  The Republican bill asks our diplomats and development professionals 
to do more monitoring, reporting, and oversight, but then it 
shortchanges them on the funding that they need for operations and 
staffing. This is quite sinister.
  The bill invites the culture wars into foreign policy by making 
diversity, drag queens, and critical race theory bogeymen and 
bogeywomen, distracting us from the real life-or-death challenges 
facing our world. It doesn't make any sense.
  The bill also takes a really dishonest approach to the threat posed 
by climate change. Right now, people all around the world are 
confronting the impacts of human-caused climate change, life-
threatening temperatures, crop failures, floods, and severe weather. 
They need help confronting the problem we largely created. Yet, the 
majority pretends that our climate finance investments are about 
controlling the planet's temperature, like some sort of global 
thermostat. That is not how it works. We have countries that might 
literally not exist in a generation because of the changes that are 
already happening.
  We are spending billions each and every year, both here at home and 
overseas, dealing with humanitarian emergencies and responding to ever-
stronger storms, raging fires, and devastating droughts. Failing to 
invest and adapt to the new reality means continued and escalating 
conflict and crisis, which puts Americans and people everywhere at 
risk.
  Around the world, 218 million women still do not have access to the 
tools needed to decide when and how to have a baby. While hundreds of 
thousands of them die in childbirth, we are going to make it harder for 
women to access care through both policies and reduced funding in this 
bill.
  I am very upset about how this bill attacks efforts to strengthen 
diversity in our foreign policy workforce. The rich diversity of the 
United States is one of our greatest strengths. People around the 
world--religious and ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, 
LGBTQ+ people--look first to the United States for support and 
inspiration as they seek to claim their human rights. It is 
unimaginable to me that my Republican colleagues--well, no, it is not 
really, given what is taking place in our own country. Once again, you 
all see a threat in our efforts to make sure that our diplomats and 
development experts reflect and respect that same diversity.
  The world is watching us. The world is full of threats that don't 
respect borders, from climate change to pandemics to assertive 
dictators. Most countries would prefer to partner with the United 
States to confront these challenges. By bringing this bill to the floor 
with these cuts, to the House floor, mind you, the Republican majority 
broadcasts a clear message to the world to take a hike. Trust me, the 
PRC is ready to take advantage of our absence, and I think everyone has 
seen this around the world.
  Mr. Chair, it is September 28. The government may shut down, 
unfortunately, even though we are fighting as Democrats to prevent this 
from happening, but today, we are considering a bill that has no chance 
of becoming law. We should be working today to make sure that we keep 
our government open.
  House Democrats will not support a bill if it means turning our backs 
on the world's most vulnerable women or the looming threat of climate 
change.
  In the end, final appropriations bills will need bicameral and 
bipartisan support, and today, we will likely get further away from 
that goal, not closer. This really is wasting everyone's time.
  Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to oppose this destructive bill. We 
are not adversaries. We are patriotic, and we want our country to 
succeed in its mission and its role as a global leader leading peace 
and security efforts throughout the planet.
  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Chairman, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman 
from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), a champion of human rights.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Chair, I thank my good friend for 
yielding.
  Mr. Chair, the State-Foreign Operations bill under consideration 
today continues and strengthens the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS 
Relief, PEPFAR, for another year, fiscal year 2024, ensuring that 
critically needed medicines, including antiretrovirals, or ARVs, and 
other lifesaving interventions are available to those who need them in 
Africa and elsewhere.
  Mr. Chair, I especially thank Chairman Mario Diaz-Balart and the 
Committee on Appropriations for insisting that the noble purpose of 
PEPFAR is not compromised or undercut by integrating and merging other 
agendas, including and especially the promotion of abortion by 
massively funding pro-abortion foreign nongovernmental organizations 
and instructing them to repeal pro-life laws.

  To that end, the new State Department bill reinstates the protecting 
life and global health assistance policy, also known as the Mexico City 
policy.
  Sadly, upon assuming office, President Biden repealed Ronald Reagan's 
old Mexico City policy, which ensured that PEPFAR's over $6 billion a 
year in taxpayer grant money wasn't subsidizing foreign NGOs that 
perform or promote abortion. Biden's PEPFAR Core Program--and this 
needs to be underscored because some people say they are not doing it--
says they promote protecting sexual reproductive health and rights, 
including the ongoing rescission of the Mexico City policy.
  The executive director of UNAIDS, a prime PEPFAR partner composed of 
WHO, UNFPA, and other U.N. agencies, welcomed Biden's repeal of the 
pro-life policy, saying that it showed his commitment to abortion 
rights.
  Mr. Chair, a June 6th letter signed by 131 African lawmakers and 
religious leaders, including the speaker of the Parliament of Ghana, 
implored Congress not to--I say again, not to--exploit PEPFAR to 
promote abortion, stating: ``We want to express our concerns and 
suspicions that this funding is supporting . . . abortion,'' which 
``violates our core beliefs concerning life, family, and religion.''
  Most of the African countries are solidly pro-life, and they are 
under siege by the NGOs that we are supporting. The Mexico City policy 
helps to ensure that that doesn't happen.
  They went on to say: ``We ask that PEPFAR remain true to its original 
mission and respect our norms, traditions, and values. We ask that 
those partner organizations with whom the U.S. Government partners to 
implement PEPFAR programs . . . are cognizant and respectful of our 
beliefs and not cross over into promoting divisive ideas and practices 
that are not consistent with those of Africa.''
  Last year, showing no doubt of the pro-abortion goals of this 
administration, they announced a sweeping new radical policy known as 
Reimagining PEPFAR's Strategic Decision. They said that it integrates 
sexual reproductive health and rights. Of course, that means abortion 
with HIV/AIDS work.

[[Page H4722]]

  Mr. Chair, in a recent op-ed, former Speaker Newt Gingrich wrote: 
``It is incredibly disappointing, but not surprising, that the Biden 
administration has hijacked one of President George W. Bush's greatest 
accomplishments, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, to 
promote apportion on demand in the developing world.''
  He continued: ``President Biden's insincere and demonstrably false 
claim that PEPFAR isn't pushing abortion on demand in Africa and 
elsewhere collapses under any serious scrutiny of its partners.''
  They say they are not doing it. They are empowering the NGOs to do 
it. Just like in this Chamber, the House and Senate, and all over this 
country, we know it is the NGOs, Planned Parenthood and others, that 
tee up and promote very aggressively for abortion right up until the 
moment of birth.
  Mr. Chair, I strongly supported PEPFAR when it was created in 2003, 
and I was the sponsor of the reauthorization of PEPFAR in 2018. 
Regrettably, it has been reimagined, hijacked by the Biden 
administration to empower pro-abortion international NGOs, deviating 
from its life-affirming work.
  It is time we got back to the original noble idea, for which there is 
a strong bipartisan, bicameral consensus. That noble goal is to prevent 
this devastating disease, robustly treat and assist those who have been 
affected, and ultimately end HIV/AIDS around the world, not supporting 
abortion, the killing of unborn children by dismemberment, chemical 
poisoning.
  Do you know what the abortion pill does? It starves the baby to 
death. That is its operation. They are trying to disseminate that all 
over Africa.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I yield 5 minutes to the 
gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro), the ranking member of the 
Appropriations Committee.
  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to the 2024 State, 
foreign operations, and related programs funding bill.
  I will begin with comments from President Trump's former Secretary of 
Defense, Mark Esper. He had this to say in response to this very bill's 
cut of the State and foreign operations allocation: ``When we don't 
lead, we create a vacuum that will be filled instead by China.'' He 
continued: ``America's leadership means more than just military 
capability. Diplomacy and foreign assistance are part of it, too. This 
proposed budget would upend that relationship by gutting our civilian 
toolkit and depriving America of the diplomatic leadership whose 
benefits I have seen last a lifetime.''
  Also, the Global Health Council, together with 70 other 
organizations--Catholic Relief Services, United States Global 
Leadership Coalition, American Jewish Committee, InterAction, ONE 
Campaign, Christian Connections for International Health, and CARE 
USA--expressed serious national security concerns with the House 
Republicans' funding plan.
  Mr. Chair, I plan to submit a compilation of these concerns for the 
record.
  We are told that this 2024 State and foreign operations funding bill 
is tough on our adversaries. The opposite is true. This bill cedes 
America's position as the leader of the global community. It weakens 
our national security, shortchanges foreign assistance, hinders our 
ability to address the climate crisis, and harms women around the 
world.
  This is a reversal of the United States' historic position on the 
world stage and promotes isolationism. We are supposed to be leaders of 
the free world. The majority is diminishing the United States, what we 
stand for, and what our values are for our own people and for people 
around the world who look to us for inspiration and hope.
  Damage has already been done as partners and allies wonder whether 
the United States will be with them or whether they will be forced to 
turn to China or Russia to get needed investment or support in 
international institutions.
  With China surpassing the United States as the largest trading 
partner in many countries in Latin America and Africa, China has more 
embassies, consulates, and diplomats than any other country in the 
world. They are contesting our model of democracy and capitalism around 
the world, and they are going virtually unchallenged.
  This bill is an unfathomable reduction of our Nation's ability to 
engage in diplomacy and to project soft power by over one-third. 
Knowing such a cut would be irresponsible and lead to negative 
repercussions around the world, this bill claws back billions of 
dollars, $11 billion of which comes from the EPA's Greenhouse Gas 
Reduction Fund, part of the Inflation Reduction Act.
  Yesterday, this body debated how to address the challenges related to 
the thousands of desperate people reaching our southern border. 
However, with these cuts, the Department of State and USAID will be 
forced to reduce programs that engage countries like Colombia and 
Guatemala to address the very conditions causing people to flee to the 
United States. We cannot wait to address the issue when people are 
already at our border.
  We all know what we should be doing right now, and this is not it. 
This is an exercise in futility because this bill is going nowhere.
  The urgent issue is to keep our government open. Everyone in this 
body knows that keeping the U.S. Government running and passing full-
year bills will require bipartisanship. We have a bipartisan agreement 
in the Senate, a compromise to keep our government open and to address 
the Nation's concerns. Let us move in that direction.
  Democrats and Republicans already compromised when they passed the 
debt limit bill, but because House Republicans immediately reneged, 
they have moved us to the brink of a shutdown, a Republican shutdown 
that will have consequences on every senior, veteran, and child in 
America and on our diplomats and our servicemembers around the world.
  Let us move to keep our government open and support the Senate's 
bipartisan compromise.
  Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Chair, I want to be very clear that I have heard 
now that somehow this bill damages the reputation of the United States. 
No.
  Do you know what damaged the reputation of the United States, Mr. 
Chairman? That irresponsible withdrawal from Afghanistan that showed 
the entire world what bad leadership is all about.
  This bill confronts our adversaries--$1 billion more to confront 
China than the President could do while we spend a lot less money. It 
stands by our friends. It confronts our adversaries.
  The problem about credibility is not with this bill. It is with the 
President of the United States that, at best, is confused.
  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the 
gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Meng), a member of the State, Foreign 
Operations, and Related Programs Subcommittee.
  Ms. MENG. Mr. Chair, I rise today in strong opposition to the fiscal 
year 2024 State-Foreign Operations appropriations bill.
  As a member of the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs 
Subcommittee, I am appalled by the dangerous cuts and policy riders the 
majority has attached to this bill.
  Yesterday, we heard from our friends across the aisle that the 
purpose of our military is to deter a war if diplomacy fails. Cutting 
funding for our State Department to levels not seen since 2009 and 
proposing eliminating funding for USAID not only cedes America's 
position as a leader on the world stage but also eliminates funding for 
the very programs that seek to prevent violence and advance stability 
in areas vulnerable to conflict. This bill weakens our national 
security, not enhances it.
  This bill also harms women all around the world. From eliminating our 
contributions to critical multilateral agencies, including U.N. Women 
and UNFPA, to cutting bilateral and multilateral international 
reproductive health funding by nearly a third, we are sending a message 
that the U.S. is willing to cede its role in helping the international 
community achieve global health targets, address unacceptably high 
global maternal mortality rates and gender-based violence, support 
healthy families, or promote gender equity. This is all at the behest 
of the majority's culture war.

[[Page H4723]]

  I do not accept the premise that we are willing to risk 8.2 million 
women and couples losing access to contraceptive services, resulting in 
2.7 million more unintended pregnancies leading to 1.1 million 
additional unplanned births and an additional 4,700 maternal deaths. 
Women and girls deserve better.
  Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to oppose this harmful legislation.
  Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I yield 3 minutes to the 
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Lois Frankel), a member of the State, 
Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Subcommittee.
  Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Florida. Mr. Chair, I rise in strong opposition 
to the 2024 Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related 
Programs Appropriations Act because it cedes our leadership in the 
global community, undermines human rights, and diminishes access to 
healthcare, education, food, and economic security for millions around 
the world.
  Why should we care? It comes down to this: When people lack access to 
the basics in life, it means a greater risk for hopelessness and 
instability. Gutting climate change activities only escalates the 
consequences. For Americans at home, that means fewer trading partners, 
more danger from violent extremists, global pandemics, and even war.

  We live in a very complicated world, and this bill undermines 
diplomacy and commitments to our allies and partners to make the world 
a better place in which to live, upending our commitments to the United 
Nations, and turning our back on decades of relationship-building, 
leaving a vacuum for unfriendly countries to fill.
  If that is not enough, it hurts the most vulnerable women and girls 
in the world, slashing funding for women's healthcare and family 
planning and blocking access to reproductive care.
  Mr. Chair, let me make it clear to the politicians in this room: 
Women, not the folks in this Chamber, should decide whether and when a 
woman should start or continue a family.
  Tragically, this bill is going to leave our country and the world 
less healthy, less safe, and even more divided.
  Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to vote against this bill.
  Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I yield 3 minutes to the 
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz), the ranking member of 
the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies 
Subcommittee.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the 
State-Foreign Operations bill while having tremendous respect for my 
colleague from Florida, with whom I share many points of view, but 
certainly not on the State-Foreign Operations appropriations bill 
before us.
  Here we are, for the fourth time this week, bringing forward a bill 
that has no chance of becoming law. This bill is supposed to invest in 
programs and people that ensure the national security of the United 
States, protects her interests abroad, and promotes our democratic 
values around the world.
  This bill is supposed to show that the United States stands up for 
our allies and democratic values while countering adversaries on the 
global stage.
  This bill is supposed to fund the programs that improve the lives of 
women and girls around the world by investing in education, health, and 
economic development.
  It is supposed to ensure the United States can effectively wield our 
soft power.
  Instead, this bill packages devastating cuts with petty partisan 
riders. It needlessly harms our career servicemembers and diplomats. It 
sends a message that the United States is willing to abdicate our role 
as a moral superpower, a role China and Russia are eager to fill. This 
bill says we will abandon our allies, our interests, and our democratic 
agenda all to cater to the whims of an extreme fringe.
  The world is at an inflection point, more complex, more rife with 
threats than ever before. If there is any doubt, just look around. 
Russia has committed war crimes in Ukraine, and China has ratcheted up 
its aggression in the Indo-Pacific and ruthlessly cracked down on 
dissent at home. Authoritarians and dictators prop each other up, from 
Latin America to the Middle East. They all bait the United States, 
challenging us to step up or stand down.
  In the face of that, this bill abdicates our responsibility to offer 
a viable alternative to protect allies and our vital interests here and 
around the globe.
  We all know that when we gut programs to promote global education and 
health, when we cast aside entrepreneurship support, and when we 
neglect multilateral institutions doing vital work, we undermine our 
ability and credibility to protect and defend, to truly make sure that 
we can keep the world safe with our allies.
  We lose our seat at the global table to ruthless thugs, dictators, 
and fascists when we try to pass harmful policy like this bill 
proposes. We do that at our own peril and imperil everything that 
Americans hold dear, which is why I encourage my colleagues to oppose 
this cruel and dangerous bill.
  Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  First, let me take a minute on the many partisan riders included in 
the bill being considered today and raise a couple of points.
  The number of prohibitions seems to be really enormous. They have 
proliferated, often with little concern for what the actual 
ramifications might be.
  It appears to be the approach of: If an organization has ever done 
something that you have not liked or a wild theory has circulated about 
it, we will just prohibit it. We will pick up our ball and take it 
home.

                              {time}  1000

  This is not just ineffective; it is really immature.
  The bill prohibits funds for the Chinese Communist Party. This sounds 
tough. I was the previous chairwoman of the subcommittee, and this bill 
has not provided funding to the Chinese Communist Party. It is a red 
herring.
  It prohibits scientific cooperation with countries we do not like, 
not stopping to consider that while there may or may not be active 
collaboration currently, there may come a time when it is in the United 
States' best interest to partner, not with the government, but with the 
people, with scientists, to pursue common goals.
  Indeed, we carried on scientific cooperation with the Soviet Union 
during the Cold War, not because we agree with their government, but it 
was in our own interest.
  The bill prohibits gain-of-function research. That sounds good but 
consider that this same prohibited research is producing new therapies 
for cancer and cystic fibrosis. This research also helps us produce 
insulin for people with diabetes.
  Has the majority considered what the cost will be of cutting this 
off?
  The bill prohibits funding for the World Health Organization because 
they won't admit Taiwan. It is the member countries of the WHO that are 
making this decision, not the organization. With this bill, the PRC 
will continue to work against Taiwan's inclusion, but the United States 
won't be there to help.
  We are told that this bill is strong against our adversaries. I would 
argue just the opposite. This bill takes the easy route and leaves the 
field open for those who would challenge us. It makes dialogue and 
engagement harder and leaves our potential partners and allies who are 
deciding who they can turn to for help high and dry and, of course, 
that won't be the United States.
  A couple points on the United Nations. The U.N. is the forum for 
every country in the world. The United States, to my knowledge, does 
not get to pick who gets to be a sovereign country. Leadership of the 
United Nations committees, the general assembly, they all rotate among 
members, which the chairman knows. This makes it even more important 
that the United States fully participates. This bill endangers that.
  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 2 minutes.
  Mr. Chairman, I have great respect for the ranking member of this 
subcommittee because, I will tell you

[[Page H4724]]

what, she is consistent, and we have developed a very good 
relationship.
  You have heard it right now. Yes, this bill prohibits funding for the 
Wuhan Institute of Virology, the EcoHealth Alliance, gain-of-function 
research, and it also prohibits funding for any lab controlled by 
China, Russia, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, and Venezuela.
  We have a difference of opinion.
  I believe that taxpayer money going to labs controlled by these 
countries is just not something we should be doing. There is an 
absolute difference of opinion on that. If anybody believes that U.S. 
taxpayer money should be going for those things, then you are going to 
have a problem with that part of this bill.
  If you, however, believe that U.S. taxpayer money should not go to 
fund those labs controlled by those countries, I would then ask you to 
support this bill.
  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, the chairman and I respect each 
other. We have different points of view, and I consider us friends 
also.
  I know, and I think the chairman knows, that many of our Republican 
colleagues do support robust investments in the SFOPS bill because I 
have seen the thousands of requests that Members have submitted this 
year and in prior years.
  There is a long legacy of enlightened Republican support for foreign 
assistance. Congressional Republicans worked with Harry Truman to 
create the Marshall Plan which rebuilt Europe after a devastating war.
  I worked with President Bush to create PEPFAR, which has saved 25 
million lives from HIV and AIDS.
  Yet, the majority has chosen to force this bill to the floor because 
they cynically believe that their Members will be happy to sacrifice 
the world's poorest people to make a political point.
  To my Republican colleagues--I see you here on the floor today, and I 
am asking you to stand up and, yes, oppose this terrible bill. Please 
vote ``no,'' and let's get back together and write a bill that helps 
build the better and safer world that we want for our children and our 
grandchildren.
  Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Chairman, I think we have discussed some of the 
issues in this bill. I think it is a very positive bill. It supports 
our allies, and it confronts our adversaries. It also controls wasteful 
spending. Wasteful spending is one of the reasons we have inflation at 
the highest level we have had in decades.
  Mr. Chairman, since the ranking member has yielded back her time, I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Chair, I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 
4665--Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs 
Appropriations Act, 2024.
  While I am grateful the Rules Committee made my Jackson Lee Amendment 
16 in order, I strongly oppose the underlying bill.
  I will, however, briefly recap why my amendment is important for this 
particular measure should we be able to move forward with a feasible 
appropriations bill that can accommodate this amendment.
  The Jackson Lee Amendment 16 increases funds by $1,000,000 and 
decreases funding by $1,000,000 for the Global Health Programs account 
to highlight and support the fight against the practice of Female 
Genital Mutilation.
  I have been a dedicated champion against this practice for a long 
while, working closely with former Congressman Joe Crowley of New York 
to introduce legislation targeted at supporting the elimination of this 
ludicrous practice of mutilating young women.
  Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) comprises all procedures 
that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, 
or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.
  This practice is rooted in gender inequality and is often linked to 
other elements of gender-based violence and discrimination, such as 
child marriage and recognized internationally as a violation of the 
human rights of women and girls.
  Unfortunately, this means an estimated 200 million girls and women 
alive today have been victims of FGM/C, with girls 14 and younger 
representing 44 million of those who have been cut.
  For example, consider that around the world, at least five girls are 
mutilated/cut every hour and more than 3 million girls are estimated to 
be at risk of FGM/C, annually.
  The impacts of FGM/C on the physical health of women and girls can 
include bleeding, infection, obstetric fistula, complications during 
childbirth and death.
  Other significant barriers to combatting the practice of FGM/C 
include the high concentration in specific regions associated with 
several cultural traditions, that is not tied to any one religion.
  According to UNICEF, FGM/C is reported to occur in all parts of the 
world, but is most prevalent in parts of Africa, the Middle East, and 
Asia.
  Due to the commonality of this practice many migrants to the U.S. 
bring the practice of FGM/C with them, increasing the importance of 
combatting FGM/C abroad.
  Jackson Lee Amendment 16 prioritizes funding for foreign assistance 
to combat Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C), an internationally 
recognized violation of the human rights of girls and women comes to an 
end.
  Yet, as it pertains to the underlying appropriations bill, I stand 
with the Administration and my colleagues to express my opposition for 
the following noted reasons:
  Treasury High-Leverage Programs. I strongly oppose section 7061(b) of 
the bill, which prohibits funding being made available to the Clean 
Technology Fund. The $425 million requested for this account would 
support a loan of $1.2 billion. It is disappointing that the bill does 
not support loan guarantees at the multilateral development banks, 
where $111 million in subsidy would leverage $3 billion in loan 
guarantees to finance energy security. The appropriations for this bill 
should include the requested authority to use existing resources for 
loans to the International Monetary Fund's Poverty Reduction and Growth 
Trust and Resilience and Sustainability Trust, which would leverage 
billions of dollars to accelerate progress in developing countries.
  Global Health. I appreciate that the bill includes full funding for 
the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and urges the 
Congress to reauthorize PEPFAR for another five-year period to 
accelerate global progress toward reaching HIV epidemic control. 
However, it is deeply troubling that the bill significantly reduces 
funding available for global health security, which would leave the 
world more vulnerable to infectious disease threats and pandemics.
  Reproductive Health Restrictions. It is also deeply concerning that 
the bill includes new restrictions on lifesaving global family planning 
and reproductive health (FP/RH) services and other global health 
assistance; these excessive conditions would undermine U.S. efforts to 
combat infectious diseases and to advance gender equality globally by 
restricting America's ability to support health programs. Section 
7058(b) of the bill imposes a ceiling on FP/RH funding levels that is 
far below the longstanding enacted level, leaving even more women 
without access to these essential health services. Further, section 
7057(a) of the bill prohibits funding for the United Nations Population 
Fund, which provides essential work to address preventable maternal 
deaths and the unmet need for family planning, prevent and respond to 
gender-based violence, and end harmful practices around the world, 
including in places where the United States does not have its own 
programming, as well as in many humanitarian crises. In addition, 
section 7057(b) of the bill would require application of a harmful 
policy that imposes excessive conditions that would undermine U.S. 
foreign and development assistance. Similar prior restrictions, which 
were ended by the President during his first days in office, affected 
local partners around the world receiving global health assistance, 
limiting the United States' ability to work with these partners and 
inhibiting their efforts to confront a range of health challenges.

  Diplomatic and Development Workforce. It is deeply concerning that 
the bill would reduce funding for America's international affairs 
workforce and operations by nearly 20 percent, which would 
significantly curtail implementation of U.S. foreign policy, and would 
likely reduce U.S. presence overseas. This funding level, along with 
the large number of directives in the bill, would force the Department 
of State to make very difficult tradeoffs, and could result in hiring 
freezes, reductions in force, and contract suspensions.
  United Nations (UN) and Other International Organizations. It is 
further deeply concerning that the bill does not include funding for 
the UN regular budget and many other international organizations. The 
bill includes more than $1 billion in draconian reductions that would 
undermine U.S. leadership, compromise America's ability to meet its 
treaty obligations, and limit U.S. capacity to address shared global 
challenges, while inviting America's adversaries to take America's 
place. The bill also provides no funding for the International 
Organizations and Programs account, which would eliminate critical 
resources to organizations such as the UN High Commissioner for

[[Page H4725]]

Human Rights and the UN Children's Fund, which provide essential life-
saving services to women and children around the world.
  Humanitarian Assistance. I am also disappointed at the significant 
reduction, below the FY 2023 enacted levels, provided in the bill for 
life-saving humanitarian assistance during a time of record 
displacement and complex challenges worldwide. The bill also provides 
no new funding for the President's Emergency Refugee and Migration 
Assistance Fund, which is currently depleted and requires replenishment 
to enable the United States to respond to unexpected humanitarian 
crises.
  Prohibitions. I also strongly oppose the inclusion of prohibitions 
throughout the bill, such as in sections 7064(e)(3), 7061(a), 7070, and 
7059(f), that limit the Administration's flexibility in advancing key 
national security and foreign policy objectives. These include 
prohibitions related to funding for special envoys and similar 
positions, the Green Climate Fund, LGBTQI+ protections, and the Gender 
Equity and Equality Action Fund focused on advancing women's economic 
security, among others.
  Afghan Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs). I am disappointed that the 
bill fails to provide the requested increase of 20,000 visas to the 
Afghan SIVs cap or to extend Afghan SIV program through 2029. This 
program demonstrates the steadfast commitment of the United States to 
Afghan allies who have supported the U.S. mission in Afghanistan for 
over two decades.
  Rescissions. I am also deeply troubled that the bill rescinds over 
$1.5 billion across the Development Assistance, Economic Support Fund, 
and Peace Corps accounts. These rescissions would drastically reduce 
the U.S. Government's ability to support U.S. allies and partners to 
defend shared national security interests and to combat poverty, 
corruption, and food insecurity.
  Clean Technology Rescission. I am also disappointed that the bill 
would rescind $11 billion in funding provided by the Inflation 
Reduction Act for the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund program at EPA. 
This rescission would eliminate funds designed to mobilize private 
capital into clean technology projects, especially in low-income and 
disadvantaged communities, that would expand economic opportunities in 
communities, reduce harmful pollution, and protect people's health 
while tackling the climate crisis.
  Constitutional Concerns. Certain provisions of the draft bill raise 
constitutional concerns, including by interfering with the President's 
authority to determine the command of the Armed Forces, to recognize 
territorial sovereignty, and to conduct diplomacy.
  We can do better. We are better than this. The American people 
deserve better.
  I cannot support this bill as it stands, and I urge all my colleagues 
to vote against this cruel proposal.
  The Acting CHAIR (Mr. Molinaro). All time for general debate has 
expired.
  Pursuant to the rule, the bill shall be considered for amendment 
under the 5-minute rule.
  The amendment printed in part C of House Report 118-216, shall be 
considered as adopted and the bill, as amended, shall be considered 
read.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 4665

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the 
     following sums are appropriated, out of any money in the 
     Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for the Department of 
     State, foreign operations, and related programs for the 
     fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, and for other 
     purposes, namely:

                                TITLE I

                 DEPARTMENT OF STATE AND RELATED AGENCY

                          Department of State

                   Administration of Foreign Affairs

                          diplomatic programs

       For necessary expenses of the Department of State and the 
     Foreign Service not otherwise provided for, including for 
     training, human resources management, and salaries, including 
     employment without regard to civil service and classification 
     laws of persons on a temporary basis (not to exceed 
     $700,000), as authorized by section 801 of the United States 
     Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948 (62 Stat. 
     11; Chapter 36); for the regional bureaus of the Department 
     of State and overseas activities as authorized by law; for 
     the functional bureaus of the Department of State, including 
     representation to certain international organizations in 
     which the United States participates pursuant to treaties 
     ratified pursuant to the advice and consent of the Senate or 
     specific Acts of Congress, general administration, and arms 
     control, nonproliferation, and disarmament activities as 
     authorized; and for security activities, $8,815,620,000 
     (reduced by $306,505,000), of which $712,418,000 may remain 
     available until September 30, 2025, and of which 
     $4,066,168,000 is for Worldwide Security Protection, which 
     may remain available until expended:  Provided, That funds 
     appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act under 
     this heading and under the heading ``Consular and Border 
     Security Programs'' shall be made available to increase 
     consular staff, reduce passport processing times, and lower 
     wait times for visa services, including by assigning onboard 
     staff for temporary duty to meet immediate consular staffing 
     needs.

                 consular and border security programs

       Of the amounts deposited in the Consular and Border 
     Security Programs account in this or any prior fiscal year 
     pursuant to section 7069(e) of the Department of State, 
     Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 
     2022 (division K of Public Law 117-103), $300,000,000 shall 
     be available until expended for the purposes of such account, 
     including to reduce passport backlogs and reduce visa wait 
     times: Provided, That the Secretary of State may by 
     regulation authorize State officials or the United States 
     Postal Service to collect and retain the execution fee for 
     each application for a passport accepted by such officials or 
     by that Service.

                        capital investment fund

       For necessary expenses of the Capital Investment Fund, as 
     authorized, $346,210,000, to remain available until expended.

                      office of inspector general

       For necessary expenses of the Office of Inspector General, 
     $108,165,000, of which $16,225,000 may remain available until 
     September 30, 2025:  Provided, That funds appropriated under 
     this heading are made available notwithstanding section 
     209(a)(1) of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 
     3929(a)(1)), as it relates to post inspections.
       In addition, for the Special Inspector General for 
     Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) for reconstruction 
     oversight, $26,835,000, to remain available until September 
     30, 2025:  Provided, That funds appropriated under this 
     heading that are made available for the printing and 
     reproduction costs of SIGAR shall not exceed amounts for such 
     costs during the prior fiscal year.

               educational and cultural exchange programs

       For necessary expenses of educational and cultural exchange 
     programs, as authorized, $700,946,000, to remain available 
     until expended, of which not less than $287,500,000 shall be 
     for the Fulbright Program:  Provided, That fees or other 
     payments received from, or in connection with, English 
     teaching, educational advising and counseling programs, and 
     exchange visitor programs as authorized may be credited to 
     this account, to remain available until expended:  Provided 
     further, That any substantive modifications from the prior 
     fiscal year to programs funded by this Act under this heading 
     shall be subject to prior consultation with, and the regular 
     notification procedures of, the Committees on Appropriations.

                        representation expenses

       For representation expenses as authorized, $7,415,000.

              protection of foreign missions and officials

       For necessary expenses, not otherwise provided, to enable 
     the Secretary of State to provide for extraordinary 
     protective services, as authorized, $27,492,000, to remain 
     available until September 30, 2025.

            embassy security, construction, and maintenance

       For necessary expenses for carrying out the Foreign Service 
     Buildings Act of 1926 (22 U.S.C. 292 et seq.), preserving, 
     maintaining, repairing, and planning for real property that 
     are owned or leased by the Department of State, and 
     renovating, in addition to funds otherwise available, the 
     Harry S Truman Building, $917,381,000, to remain available 
     until September 30, 2028, of which not to exceed $25,000 may 
     be used for overseas representation expenses as authorized:  
     Provided, That none of the funds appropriated in this 
     paragraph shall be available for acquisition of furniture, 
     furnishings, or generators for other departments and agencies 
     of the United States Government.
       In addition, for the costs of worldwide security upgrades, 
     acquisition, and construction as authorized, $1,095,801,000, 
     to remain available until expended.

           emergencies in the diplomatic and consular service

       For necessary expenses to enable the Secretary of State to 
     meet unforeseen emergencies arising in the Diplomatic and 
     Consular Service, as authorized, $10,685,000, to remain 
     available until expended, of which not to exceed $1,000,000 
     may be transferred to, and merged with, funds appropriated by 
     this Act under the heading ``Repatriation Loans Program 
     Account''.

                   repatriation loans program account

       For the cost of direct loans, $1,800,000, as authorized:  
     Provided, That such costs, including the cost of modifying 
     such loans, shall be as defined in section 502 of the 
     Congressional Budget Act of 1974:  Provided further, That 
     such funds are available to subsidize gross obligations for 
     the principal amount of direct loans not to exceed 
     $5,167,004.

              payment to the american institute in taiwan

       For necessary expenses to carry out the Taiwan Relations 
     Act (Public Law 96-8), $34,964,000.

         international center, washington, district of columbia

       Not to exceed $1,842,732 shall be derived from fees 
     collected from other executive agencies for lease or use of 
     facilities at the

[[Page H4726]]

     International Center in accordance with section 4 of the 
     International Center Act (Public Law 90-553), and, in 
     addition, as authorized by section 5 of such Act, $744,000, 
     to be derived from the reserve authorized by such section, to 
     be used for the purposes set out in that section.

     payment to the foreign service retirement and disability fund

       For payment to the Foreign Service Retirement and 
     Disability Fund, as authorized, $158,900,000.

                      International Organizations

              contributions to international organizations

       For necessary expenses, not otherwise provided for, to meet 
     annual obligations of membership in international 
     multilateral organizations, pursuant to treaties ratified 
     pursuant to the advice and consent of the Senate, 
     conventions, or specific Acts of Congress, $245,795,000:  
     Provided, That the Secretary of State shall, at the time of 
     the submission of the President's budget to Congress under 
     section 1105(a) of title 31, United States Code, transmit to 
     the Committees on Appropriations the most recent biennial 
     budget prepared by the United Nations for the operations of 
     the United Nations:  Provided further, That the Secretary of 
     State shall notify the Committees on Appropriations at least 
     15 days in advance (or in an emergency, as far in advance as 
     is practicable) of any United Nations action to increase 
     funding for any United Nations program without identifying an 
     offsetting decrease elsewhere in the United Nations budget: 
     Provided further, That not later than May 1, 2024, and 30 
     days after the end of fiscal year 2024, the Secretary of 
     State shall report to the Committees on Appropriations any 
     credits attributable to the United States, including from the 
     United Nations Tax Equalization Fund, and provide updated 
     fiscal year 2024 and fiscal year 2025 assessment costs 
     including offsets from available credits and updated foreign 
     currency exchange rates: Provided further, That any such 
     credits shall only be available for United States assessed 
     contributions to the United Nations regular budget, and the 
     Committees on Appropriations shall be notified when such 
     credits are applied to any assessed contribution, including 
     any payment of arrearages: Provided further, That any 
     notification regarding funds appropriated or otherwise made 
     available under this heading in this Act or prior Acts making 
     appropriations for the Department of State, foreign 
     operations, and related programs submitted pursuant to 
     section 7015 of this Act, section 34 of the State Department 
     Basic Authorities Act of 1956 (22 U.S.C. 2706), or any 
     operating plan submitted pursuant to section 7062 of this 
     Act, shall include an estimate of all known credits currently 
     attributable to the United States and provide updated 
     assessment costs including offsets from available credits and 
     updated foreign currency exchange rates:  Provided further, 
     That any payment of arrearages under this heading shall be 
     directed to activities that are mutually agreed upon by the 
     United States and the respective international organization 
     and shall be subject to the regular notification procedures 
     of the Committees on Appropriations:  Provided further, That 
     none of the funds appropriated under this heading shall be 
     available for a United States contribution to an 
     international organization for the United States share of 
     interest costs made known to the United States Government by 
     such organization for loans incurred on or after October 1, 
     1984, through external borrowings: Provided further, That 
     none of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available 
     under this heading may be made available for the United 
     Nations Relief and Works Agency.

        contributions for international peacekeeping activities

       For necessary expenses to pay assessed and other expenses 
     of international peacekeeping activities directed to the 
     maintenance or restoration of international peace and 
     security, $1,268,886,000 (reduced by $667,296,000), of which 
     $190,333,000 may remain available until September 30, 2025:  
     Provided, That none of the funds made available by this Act 
     shall be obligated or expended for any new or expanded United 
     Nations peacekeeping mission unless, at least 15 days in 
     advance of voting for such mission in the United Nations 
     Security Council (or in an emergency as far in advance as is 
     practicable), the Committees on Appropriations are notified 
     of: (1) the estimated cost and duration of the mission, the 
     objectives of the mission, the national interest that will be 
     served, and the exit strategy; and (2) the sources of funds, 
     including any reprogrammings or transfers, that will be used 
     to pay the cost of the new or expanded mission, and the 
     estimated cost in future fiscal years:  Provided further, 
     That none of the funds appropriated under this heading may be 
     made available for obligation unless the Secretary of State 
     certifies and reports to the Committees on Appropriations on 
     a peacekeeping mission-by-mission basis that the United 
     Nations is implementing effective policies and procedures to 
     prevent United Nations employees, contractor personnel, and 
     peacekeeping troops serving in such mission from trafficking 
     in persons, exploiting victims of trafficking, or committing 
     acts of sexual exploitation and abuse or other violations of 
     human rights, and to hold accountable individuals who engage 
     in such acts while participating in such mission, including 
     prosecution in their home countries and making information 
     about such prosecutions publicly available on the website of 
     the United Nations:  Provided further, That the Secretary of 
     State shall work with the United Nations and foreign 
     governments contributing peacekeeping troops to implement 
     effective vetting procedures to ensure that such troops have 
     not violated human rights:  Provided further, That funds 
     shall be available for peacekeeping expenses unless the 
     Secretary of State determines that United States 
     manufacturers and suppliers are not being given opportunities 
     to provide equipment, services, and material for United 
     Nations peacekeeping activities equal to those being given to 
     foreign manufacturers and suppliers:  Provided further, That 
     none of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available 
     under this heading may be used for any United Nations 
     peacekeeping mission that will involve United States Armed 
     Forces under the command or operational control of a foreign 
     national, unless the President's military advisors have 
     submitted to the President a recommendation that such 
     involvement is in the national interest of the United States 
     and the President has submitted to Congress such a 
     recommendation:  Provided further, That not later than May 1, 
     2024, and 30 days after the end of fiscal year 2024, the 
     Secretary of State shall report to the Committees on 
     Appropriations any credits attributable to the United States, 
     including those resulting from United Nations peacekeeping 
     missions or the United Nations Tax Equalization Fund, and 
     provide updated fiscal year 2024 and fiscal year 2025 
     assessment costs, including offsets from available credits:  
     Provided further, That any such credits shall only be 
     available for United States assessed contributions to United 
     Nations peacekeeping missions, and the Committees on 
     Appropriations shall be notified when such credits are 
     applied to any assessed contribution, including any payment 
     of arrearages:  Provided further, That any notification 
     regarding funds appropriated or otherwise made available 
     under this heading in this Act or prior Acts making 
     appropriations for the Department of State, foreign 
     operations, and related programs submitted pursuant to 
     section 7015 of this Act, section 34 of the State Department 
     Basic Authorities Act of 1956 (22 U.S.C. 2706), or any 
     operating plan submitted pursuant to section 7062 of this 
     Act, shall include an estimate of all known credits currently 
     attributable to the United States and provide updated 
     assessment costs, including offsets from available credits:  
     Provided further, That any payment of arrearages with funds 
     appropriated by this Act shall be subject to the regular 
     notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations:  
     Provided further, That the Secretary of State shall work with 
     the United Nations and members of the United Nations Security 
     Council to evaluate and prioritize peacekeeping missions, and 
     to consider a draw down when mission goals have been 
     substantially achieved.

                       International Commissions

       For necessary expenses, not otherwise provided for, to meet 
     obligations of the United States arising under treaties, or 
     specific Acts of Congress, as follows:

 international boundary and water commission, united states and mexico

       For necessary expenses for the United States Section of the 
     International Boundary and Water Commission, United States 
     and Mexico, and to comply with laws applicable to the United 
     States Section, including not to exceed $6,000 for 
     representation expenses, as follows:

                         salaries and expenses

       For salaries and expenses, not otherwise provided for, 
     $70,000,000, of which $10,500,000 may remain available until 
     September 30, 2025.

                              construction

       For detailed plan preparation and construction of 
     authorized projects, $76,530,000, to remain available until 
     expended, as authorized:  Provided, That of the funds 
     appropriated under this heading in this Act and prior Acts 
     making appropriations for the Department of State, foreign 
     operations, and related programs for the United States 
     Section, up to $5,000,000 may be transferred to, and merged 
     with, funds appropriated under the heading ``Salaries and 
     Expenses'' to carry out the purposes of the United States 
     Section, which shall be subject to prior consultation with, 
     and the regular notification procedures of, the Committees on 
     Appropriations:  Provided further, That such transfer 
     authority is in addition to any other transfer authority 
     provided in this Act.

              american sections, international commissions

       For necessary expenses, not otherwise provided, for the 
     International Joint Commission and the International Boundary 
     Commission, United States and Canada, as authorized by 
     treaties between the United States and Canada or Great 
     Britain, and for technical assistance grants and the 
     Community Assistance Program of the North American 
     Development Bank, $16,204,000:  Provided, That of the amount 
     provided under this heading for the International Joint 
     Commission, up to $1,250,000 may remain available until 
     September 30, 2025, and up to $9,000 may be made available 
     for representation expenses:  Provided further, That of the 
     amount provided under this heading for the International 
     Boundary Commission, up to $1,000 may be made available for 
     representation expenses.

[[Page H4727]]

  


                  international fisheries commissions

       For necessary expenses for international fisheries 
     commissions, not otherwise provided for, as authorized by 
     law, $62,864,000:  Provided, That the United States share of 
     such expenses may be advanced to the respective commissions 
     pursuant to section 3324 of title 31, United States Code.

                             RELATED AGENCY

                 United States Agency for Global Media

                 international broadcasting operations

       For necessary expenses to enable the United States Agency 
     for Global Media (USAGM), as authorized, to carry out 
     international communication activities, and to make and 
     supervise grants for radio, Internet, and television 
     broadcasting to the Middle East, $798,196,000, of which 
     $39,910,000 may remain available until September 30, 2025:  
     Provided,  That in addition to amounts otherwise available 
     for such purposes, up to $64,208,000 of the amount 
     appropriated under this heading may remain available until 
     expended for satellite transmissions and Internet freedom 
     programs, of which not less than $43,500,000 shall be for 
     Internet freedom programs:  Provided further,  That of the 
     funds appropriated under this heading, not less than 
     $35,000,000 shall be made available for the Office of Cuba 
     Broadcasting (OCB) pursuant to the requirements included in 
     section 7045 of this Act:  Provided further, That of the 
     funds appropriated under this heading and made available for 
     the Open Technology Fund, not less than $5,000,000 shall be 
     made available for grants for innovative methods to reach 
     audiences inside of Cuba:  Provided further, That such funds 
     are in addition to amounts otherwise made available for such 
     purposes:  Provided further, That of the funds appropriated 
     under this heading and made available for USAGM networks, not 
     less than $5,000,000 shall be made available for programming 
     produced about Cuba by OCB, which are in addition to funds 
     made available for OCB:  Provided further, That of the total 
     amount appropriated under this heading, not to exceed $35,000 
     may be used for representation expenses, of which $10,000 may 
     be used for such expenses within the United States as 
     authorized, and not to exceed $30,000 may be used for 
     representation expenses of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty:  
     Provided further, That funds appropriated under this heading 
     shall be made available in accordance with the principles and 
     standards set forth in section 303(a) and (b) of the United 
     States International Broadcasting Act of 1994 (22 U.S.C. 
     6202) and section 305(b) of such Act (22 U.S.C. 6204):  
     Provided further, That the USAGM Chief Executive Officer 
     shall notify the Committees on Appropriations within 15 days 
     of any determination by the USAGM that any of its broadcast 
     entities, including its grantee organizations, provides an 
     open platform for international terrorists or those who 
     support international terrorism, or is in violation of the 
     principles and standards set forth in section 303(a) and (b) 
     of such Act or the entity's journalistic code of ethics:  
     Provided further, That in addition to funds made available 
     under this heading, and notwithstanding any other provision 
     of law, up to $5,000,000 in receipts from advertising and 
     revenue from business ventures, up to $500,000 in receipts 
     from cooperating international organizations, and up to 
     $1,000,000 in receipts from privatization efforts of the 
     Voice of America and the International Broadcasting Bureau, 
     shall remain available until expended for carrying out 
     authorized purposes:  Provided further, That significant 
     modifications to USAGM broadcast hours previously justified 
     to Congress, including changes to transmission platforms 
     (shortwave, medium wave, satellite, Internet, and 
     television), for all USAGM language services shall be subject 
     to the regular notification procedures of the Committees on 
     Appropriations.

                   broadcasting capital improvements

       For the purchase, rent, construction, repair, preservation, 
     and improvement of facilities for radio, television, and 
     digital transmission and reception; the purchase, rent, and 
     installation of necessary equipment for radio, television, 
     and digital transmission and reception, including to Cuba, as 
     authorized; and physical security worldwide, in addition to 
     amounts otherwise available for such purposes, $9,700,000, to 
     remain available until expended, as authorized.

                            RELATED PROGRAMS

                          The Asia Foundation

       For a grant to The Asia Foundation, as authorized by The 
     Asia Foundation Act (22 U.S.C. 4402), $19,580,000, to remain 
     available until expended.

                    United States Institute of Peace

       For necessary expenses of the United States Institute of 
     Peace, as authorized by the United States Institute of Peace 
     Act (22 U.S.C. 4601 et seq.), $38,634,000, to remain 
     available until September 30, 2025, which shall not be used 
     for construction activities.

         Center for Middle Eastern-Western Dialogue Trust Fund

       For necessary expenses of the Center for Middle Eastern-
     Western Dialogue Trust Fund, as authorized by section 633 of 
     the Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the 
     Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2004 (22 
     U.S.C. 2078), the total amount of the interest and earnings 
     accruing to such Fund on or before September 30, 2024, to 
     remain available until expended.

                 Eisenhower Exchange Fellowship Program

       For necessary expenses of Eisenhower Exchange Fellowships, 
     Incorporated, as authorized by sections 4 and 5 of the 
     Eisenhower Exchange Fellowship Act of 1990 (20 U.S.C. 5204-
     5205), all interest and earnings accruing to the Eisenhower 
     Exchange Fellowship Program Trust Fund on or before September 
     30, 2024, to remain available until expended:  Provided, That 
     none of the funds appropriated herein shall be used to pay 
     any salary or other compensation, or to enter into any 
     contract providing for the payment thereof, in excess of the 
     rate authorized by section 5376 of title 5, United States 
     Code; or for purposes which are not in accordance with 
     section 200 of title 2 of the Code of Federal Regulations, 
     including the restrictions on compensation for personal 
     services.

                    Israeli Arab Scholarship Program

       For necessary expenses of the Israeli Arab Scholarship 
     Program, as authorized by section 214 of the Foreign 
     Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1992 and 1993 (22 
     U.S.C. 2452 note), all interest and earnings accruing to the 
     Israeli Arab Scholarship Fund on or before September 30, 
     2024, to remain available until expended.

                            East-West Center

       To enable the Secretary of State to provide for carrying 
     out the provisions of the Center for Cultural and Technical 
     Interchange Between East and West Act of 1960, by grant to 
     the Center for Cultural and Technical Interchange Between 
     East and West in the State of Hawaii, $19,580,000.

                    National Endowment for Democracy

       For grants made by the Department of State to the National 
     Endowment for Democracy, as authorized by the National 
     Endowment for Democracy Act (22 U.S.C. 4412), $315,000,000, 
     to remain available until expended, of which $215,000,000 
     shall be allocated in the traditional and customary manner, 
     including for the core institutes, and $100,000,000 shall be 
     for democracy programs:  Provided, That the requirements of 
     section 7062(a) of this Act shall not apply to funds made 
     available under this heading.

                           OTHER COMMISSIONS

      Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad

                         salaries and expenses

       For necessary expenses for the Commission for the 
     Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad, as authorized by 
     chapter 3123 of title 54, United States Code, $770,000, of 
     which $115,000 may remain available until September 30, 2025: 
      Provided, That the Commission may procure temporary, 
     intermittent, and other services notwithstanding paragraph 
     (3) of section 312304(b) of such chapter:  Provided further, 
     That such authority shall terminate on October 1, 2024:  
     Provided further, That the Commission shall notify the 
     Committees on Appropriations prior to exercising such 
     authority.

      United States Commission on International Religious Freedom

                         salaries and expenses

       For necessary expenses for the United States Commission on 
     International Religious Freedom, as authorized by title II of 
     the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 
     6431 et seq.), $4,500,000, to remain available until 
     September 30, 2025, including not more than $4,000 for 
     representation expenses.

            Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe

                         salaries and expenses

       For necessary expenses of the Commission on Security and 
     Cooperation in Europe, as authorized by Public Law 94-304 (22 
     U.S.C. 3001 et seq.), $2,908,000, including not more than 
     $6,000 for representation expenses, to remain available until 
     September 30, 2025.

  Congressional-Executive Commission on the People's Republic of China

                         salaries and expenses

       For necessary expenses of the Congressional-Executive 
     Commission on the People's Republic of China, as authorized 
     by title III of the U.S.-China Relations Act of 2000 (22 
     U.S.C. 6911 et seq.), $2,300,000, including not more than 
     $3,000 for representation expenses, to remain available until 
     September 30, 2025.

      United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission

                         salaries and expenses

       For necessary expenses of the United States-China Economic 
     and Security Review Commission, as authorized by section 1238 
     of the Floyd D. Spence National Defense Authorization Act for 
     Fiscal Year 2001 (22 U.S.C. 7002), $4,000,000, including not 
     more than $4,000 for representation expenses, to remain 
     available until September 30, 2025:  Provided, That the 
     authorities, requirements, limitations, and conditions 
     contained in the second through fifth provisos under this 
     heading in the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and 
     Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2010 (division F of 
     Public Law 111-117) shall continue in effect during fiscal 
     year 2024 and shall apply to funds appropriated under this 
     heading.

                                TITLE II

           UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

                  Funds Appropriated to the President

                           operating expenses

       For necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of 
     section 667 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, 
     $1,214,808,000 (reduced by

[[Page H4728]]

     $26,199,000), of which up to $182,221,000 may remain 
     available until September 30, 2025:  Provided, That none of 
     the funds appropriated under this heading and under the 
     heading ``Capital Investment Fund'' in this title may be made 
     available to finance the construction (including architect 
     and engineering services), purchase, or long-term lease of 
     offices for use by the United States Agency for International 
     Development, unless the USAID Administrator has identified 
     such proposed use of funds in a report submitted to the 
     Committees on Appropriations at least 15 days prior to the 
     obligation of funds for such purposes:  Provided further, 
     That contracts or agreements entered into with funds 
     appropriated under this heading may entail commitments for 
     the expenditure of such funds through the following fiscal 
     year:  Provided further, That the authority of sections 610 
     and 109 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 may be 
     exercised by the Secretary of State to transfer funds 
     appropriated to carry out chapter 1 of part I of such Act to 
     ``Operating Expenses'' in accordance with the provisions of 
     those sections:  Provided further, That of the funds 
     appropriated or made available under this heading, not to 
     exceed $250,000 may be available for representation and 
     entertainment expenses, of which not to exceed $5,000 may be 
     available for entertainment expenses, and not to exceed 
     $100,500 shall be for official residence expenses, for USAID 
     during the current fiscal year:  Provided further, That of 
     the funds appropriated under this heading, up to $20,000,000 
     may be transferred to, and merged with, funds appropriated or 
     otherwise made available in title II of this Act under the 
     heading ``Capital Investment Fund'', subject to prior 
     consultation with, and the regular notification procedures 
     of, the Committees on Appropriations.

                        capital investment fund

       For necessary expenses for overseas construction and 
     related costs, and for the procurement and enhancement of 
     information technology and related capital investments, 
     pursuant to section 667 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 
     1961, $230,599,000, to remain available until expended:  
     Provided, That this amount is in addition to funds otherwise 
     available for such purposes:  Provided further, That funds 
     appropriated under this heading shall be available subject to 
     the regular notification procedures of the Committees on 
     Appropriations.

                      office of inspector general

       For necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of 
     section 667 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, 
     $87,500,000, of which up to $13,125,000 may remain available 
     until September 30, 2025, for the Office of Inspector General 
     of the United States Agency for International Development.

                               TITLE III

                     BILATERAL ECONOMIC ASSISTANCE

                  Funds Appropriated to the President

       For necessary expenses to enable the President to carry out 
     the provisions of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, and for 
     other purposes, as follows:

                         global health programs

       For necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of 
     chapters 1 and 10 of part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 
     1961, for global health activities, in addition to funds 
     otherwise available for such purposes, $3,623,712,000, to 
     remain available until September 30, 2025, and which shall be 
     apportioned directly to the United States Agency for 
     International Development:  Provided, That this amount shall 
     be made available for training, equipment, and technical 
     assistance to build the capacity of public health 
     institutions and organizations in developing countries, and 
     for such activities as: (1) child survival and maternal 
     health programs; (2) immunization and oral rehydration 
     programs; (3) other health, nutrition, water and sanitation 
     programs which directly address the needs of mothers and 
     children, and related education programs; (4) assistance for 
     children displaced or orphaned by causes other than AIDS; (5) 
     programs for the prevention, treatment, control of, and 
     research on HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, polio, malaria, and other 
     infectious diseases including neglected tropical diseases, 
     and for assistance to communities severely affected by HIV/
     AIDS, including children infected or affected by AIDS; (6) 
     disaster preparedness training for health crises; (7) 
     programs to prevent, prepare for, and respond to 
     unanticipated and emerging global health threats; and (8) 
     family planning/reproductive health:  Provided further, That 
     funds appropriated under this paragraph may be made available 
     for a United States contribution to The GAVI Alliance:  
     Provided further, That none of the funds made available in 
     this Act nor any unobligated balances from prior 
     appropriations Acts may be made available to any organization 
     or program which, as determined by the President of the 
     United States, supports or participates in the management of 
     a program of coercive abortion or involuntary sterilization:  
     Provided further, That any determination made under the 
     previous proviso must be made not later than 6 months after 
     the date of enactment of this Act, and must be accompanied by 
     the evidence and criteria utilized to make the determination: 
      Provided further, That none of the funds made available 
     under this Act may be used to pay for the performance of 
     abortion as a method of family planning or to motivate or 
     coerce any person to practice abortions:  Provided further, 
     That nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to alter 
     any existing statutory prohibitions against abortion under 
     section 104 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961:  Provided 
     further, That none of the funds made available under this Act 
     may be used to lobby for or against abortion:  Provided 
     further, That in order to reduce reliance on abortion in 
     developing nations, funds shall be available only to 
     voluntary family planning projects which offer, either 
     directly or through referral to, or information about access 
     to, a broad range of family planning methods and services, 
     and that any such voluntary family planning project shall 
     meet the following requirements: (1) service providers or 
     referral agents in the project shall not implement or be 
     subject to quotas, or other numerical targets, of total 
     number of births, number of family planning acceptors, or 
     acceptors of a particular method of family planning (this 
     provision shall not be construed to include the use of 
     quantitative estimates or indicators for budgeting and 
     planning purposes); (2) the project shall not include payment 
     of incentives, bribes, gratuities, or financial reward to: 
     (A) an individual in exchange for becoming a family planning 
     acceptor; or (B) program personnel for achieving a numerical 
     target or quota of total number of births, number of family 
     planning acceptors, or acceptors of a particular method of 
     family planning; (3) the project shall not deny any right or 
     benefit, including the right of access to participate in any 
     program of general welfare or the right of access to health 
     care, as a consequence of any individual's decision not to 
     accept family planning services; (4) the project shall 
     provide family planning acceptors comprehensible information 
     on the health benefits and risks of the method chosen, 
     including those conditions that might render the use of the 
     method inadvisable and those adverse side effects known to be 
     consequent to the use of the method; and (5) the project 
     shall ensure that experimental contraceptive drugs and 
     devices and medical procedures are provided only in the 
     context of a scientific study in which participants are 
     advised of potential risks and benefits; and, not less than 
     60 days after the date on which the USAID Administrator 
     determines that there has been a violation of the 
     requirements contained in paragraph (1), (2), (3), or (5) of 
     this proviso, or a pattern or practice of violations of the 
     requirements contained in paragraph (4) of this proviso, the 
     Administrator shall submit to the Committees on 
     Appropriations a report containing a description of such 
     violation and the corrective action taken by the Agency:  
     Provided further, That in awarding grants for natural family 
     planning under section 104 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 
     1961 no applicant shall be discriminated against because of 
     such applicant's religious or conscientious commitment to 
     offer only natural family planning; and, additionally, all 
     such applicants shall comply with the requirements of the 
     previous proviso:  Provided further, That for purposes of 
     this or any other Act authorizing or appropriating funds for 
     the Department of State, foreign operations, and related 
     programs, the term ``motivate'', as it relates to family 
     planning assistance, shall not be construed to prohibit the 
     provision, consistent with local law, of information or 
     counseling about all pregnancy options:  Provided further, 
     That information provided about the use of condoms as part of 
     projects or activities that are funded from amounts 
     appropriated by this Act shall be medically accurate and 
     shall include the public health benefits and failure rates of 
     such use.
       In addition, for necessary expenses to carry out the 
     provisions of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 for the 
     prevention, treatment, and control of, and research on, HIV/
     AIDS, $6,395,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 
     2028, which shall be apportioned directly to the Department 
     of State:  Provided, That funds appropriated under this 
     paragraph may be made available, notwithstanding any other 
     provision of law, except for the United States Leadership 
     Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Act of 2003 
     (Public Law 108-25), for a United States contribution to the 
     Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global 
     Fund):  Provided further, That the amount of such 
     contribution shall be $2,000,000,000:  Provided further, That 
     up to 5 percent of the aggregate amount of funds made 
     available to the Global Fund in fiscal year 2024 may be made 
     available to USAID for technical assistance related to the 
     activities of the Global Fund, subject to the regular 
     notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations:  
     Provided further, That of the funds appropriated under this 
     paragraph, up to $20,000,000 may be made available, in 
     addition to amounts otherwise available for such purposes, 
     for administrative expenses of the Office of the United 
     States Global AIDS Coordinator.

                         development assistance

       For necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of 
     sections 103, 105, 106, 214, and sections 251 through 255, 
     and chapter 10 of part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 
     1961, $3,000,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 
     2025:  Provided, That funds made available under this heading 
     shall be apportioned to the United States Agency for 
     International Development.

                   international disaster assistance

       For necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of 
     section 491 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 for 
     international disaster relief, rehabilitation, and 
     reconstruction assistance, $3,905,460,000, to remain 
     available

[[Page H4729]]

     until expended:  Provided, That funds made available under 
     this heading shall be apportioned to the United States Agency 
     for International Development not later than 60 days after 
     the date of enactment of this Act.

                         transition initiatives

       For necessary expenses for international disaster 
     rehabilitation and reconstruction assistance administered by 
     the Office of Transition Initiatives, United States Agency 
     for International Development, pursuant to section 491 of the 
     Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, and to support transition to 
     democracy and long-term development of countries in crisis, 
     $80,000,000, to remain available until expended:  Provided, 
     That such support may include assistance to develop, 
     strengthen, or preserve democratic institutions and 
     processes, revitalize basic infrastructure, and foster the 
     peaceful resolution of conflict:  Provided further, That 
     funds appropriated under this heading may not be made 
     available for programs for which the sole purpose is to 
     transport individuals:  Provided further,  That the USAID 
     Administrator shall submit a report to the Committees on 
     Appropriations at least 5 days prior to beginning a new, or 
     terminating a, program of assistance:  Provided further,  
     That if the Secretary of State determines that it is 
     important to the national interest of the United States to 
     provide transition assistance in excess of the amount 
     appropriated under this heading, up to $15,000,000 of the 
     funds appropriated by this Act to carry out the provisions of 
     part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 may be used for 
     purposes of this heading and under the authorities applicable 
     to funds appropriated under this heading:  Provided further, 
     That funds made available pursuant to the previous proviso 
     shall be made available subject to prior consultation with 
     the Committees on Appropriations.

                          complex crises fund

       For necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of 
     section 509(b) of the Global Fragility Act of 2019 (title V 
     of division J of Public Law 116-94), $30,000,000, to remain 
     available until expended:  Provided, That funds appropriated 
     under this heading may be made available notwithstanding any 
     other provision of law, except sections 7007, 7008, and 7018 
     of this Act and section 620M of the Foreign Assistance Act of 
     1961:  Provided further, That funds appropriated under this 
     heading shall be apportioned to the United States Agency for 
     International Development.

                         economic support fund

       For necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of 
     chapter 4 of part II of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, 
     $2,977,850,000, to remain available until September 30, 2025.

                             democracy fund

       For necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of the 
     Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 for the promotion of democracy 
     globally, including to carry out the purposes of section 
     502(b)(3) and (5) of Public Law 98-164 (22 U.S.C. 4411), 
     $210,700,000, to remain available until September 30, 2025, 
     which shall be made available for the Human Rights and 
     Democracy Fund of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and 
     Labor, Department of State:  Provided, That funds 
     appropriated under this heading that are made available to 
     the National Endowment for Democracy and its core institutes 
     are in addition to amounts otherwise made available by this 
     Act for such purposes:  Provided further, That the Assistant 
     Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, Department 
     of State, shall consult with the Committees on Appropriations 
     prior to the initial obligation of funds appropriated under 
     this paragraph.
       For an additional amount for such purposes, $145,000,000, 
     to remain available until September 30, 2025, which shall be 
     made available for the Bureau for Development, Democracy, and 
     Innovation, United States Agency for International 
     Development.

            assistance for europe, eurasia and central asia

       For necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of the 
     Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, the FREEDOM Support Act 
     (Public Law 102-511), and the Support for Eastern European 
     Democracy (SEED) Act of 1989 (Public Law 101-179), 
     $770,334,000, to remain available until September 30, 2025, 
     which shall be available, notwithstanding any other provision 
     of law, except section 7047 of this Act, for assistance and 
     related programs for countries identified in section 3 of the 
     FREEDOM Support Act (22 U.S.C. 5801) and section 3(c) of the 
     SEED Act of 1989 (22 U.S.C. 5402), in addition to funds 
     otherwise available for such purposes:  Provided, That funds 
     appropriated by this Act under the headings ``Global Health 
     Programs'', ``Economic Support Fund'', and ``International 
     Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement'' that are made 
     available for assistance for such countries shall be 
     administered in accordance with the responsibilities of the 
     coordinator designated pursuant to section 102 of the FREEDOM 
     Support Act and section 601 of the SEED Act of 1989:  
     Provided further, That funds appropriated under this heading 
     shall be considered to be economic assistance under the 
     Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 for purposes of making 
     available the administrative authorities contained in that 
     Act for the use of economic assistance:  Provided further, 
     That funds appropriated under this heading may be made 
     available for contributions to multilateral initiatives to 
     counter hybrid threats.

                          Department of State

                    migration and refugee assistance

       For necessary expenses not otherwise provided for, to 
     enable the Secretary of State to carry out the provisions of 
     section 2(a) and (b) of the Migration and Refugee Assistance 
     Act of 1962 (22 U.S.C. 2601), and other activities to meet 
     refugee and migration needs; salaries and expenses of 
     personnel and dependents as authorized by the Foreign Service 
     Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 3901 et seq.); allowances as 
     authorized by sections 5921 through 5925 of title 5, United 
     States Code; purchase and hire of passenger motor vehicles; 
     and services as authorized by section 3109 of title 5, United 
     States Code, $2,548,250,000, to remain available until 
     expended, of which not less than $5,000,000 shall be made 
     available for refugees resettling in Israel.

                          Independent Agencies

                              peace corps

                     (including transfer of funds)

       For necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of the 
     Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2501 et seq.), including the 
     purchase of not to exceed five passenger motor vehicles for 
     administrative purposes for use outside of the United States, 
     $410,500,000, of which $7,300,000 is for the Office of 
     Inspector General, to remain available until September 30, 
     2025:  Provided, That the Director of the Peace Corps may 
     transfer to the Foreign Currency Fluctuations Account, as 
     authorized by section 16 of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 
     2515), an amount not to exceed $5,000,000:  Provided further, 
     That funds transferred pursuant to the previous proviso may 
     not be derived from amounts made available for Peace Corps 
     overseas operations:  Provided further, That of the funds 
     appropriated under this heading, not to exceed $104,000 may 
     be available for representation expenses, of which not to 
     exceed $4,000 may be made available for entertainment 
     expenses:  Provided further, That in addition to the 
     requirements under section 7015(a) of this Act, the Peace 
     Corps shall consult with the Committees on Appropriations 
     prior to any decision to open, close, or suspend a domestic 
     or overseas office or a country program unless there is a 
     substantial risk to volunteers or other Peace Corps 
     personnel:  Provided further, That none of the funds 
     appropriated under this heading shall be used to pay for 
     abortions:  Provided further, That notwithstanding the 
     previous proviso, section 614 of division E of Public Law 
     113-76 shall apply to funds appropriated under this heading.

                    millennium challenge corporation

       For necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of the 
     Millennium Challenge Act of 2003 (22 U.S.C. 7701 et seq.) 
     (MCA), $905,000,000, to remain available until expended:  
     Provided, That of the funds appropriated under this heading, 
     up to $122,000,000 may be available for administrative 
     expenses of the Millennium Challenge Corporation:  Provided 
     further, That section 605(e) of the MCA (22 U.S.C. 7704(e)) 
     shall apply to funds appropriated under this heading:  
     Provided further, That funds appropriated under this heading 
     may be made available for a Millennium Challenge Compact 
     entered into pursuant to section 609 of the MCA (22 U.S.C. 
     7708) only if such Compact obligates, or contains a 
     commitment to obligate subject to the availability of funds 
     and the mutual agreement of the parties to the Compact to 
     proceed, the entire amount of the United States Government 
     funding anticipated for the duration of the Compact:  
     Provided further, That of the funds appropriated under this 
     heading, not to exceed $100,000 may be available for 
     representation and entertainment expenses, of which not to 
     exceed $5,000 may be available for entertainment expenses.

                       inter-american foundation

       For necessary expenses to carry out the functions of the 
     Inter-American Foundation in accordance with the provisions 
     of section 401 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1969, 
     $22,500,000, to remain available until September 30, 2025:  
     Provided, That of the funds appropriated under this heading, 
     not to exceed $2,000 may be available for representation 
     expenses.

              united states african development foundation

       For necessary expenses to carry out the African Development 
     Foundation Act (title V of Public Law 96-533; 22 U.S.C. 290h 
     et seq.), $30,000,000, to remain available until September 
     30, 2025, of which not to exceed $2,000 may be available for 
     representation expenses:  Provided, That funds made available 
     to grantees may be invested pending expenditure for project 
     purposes when authorized by the Board of Directors of the 
     United States African Development Foundation (USADF):  
     Provided further, That interest earned shall be used only for 
     the purposes for which the grant was made:  Provided further, 
     That notwithstanding section 505(a)(2) of the African 
     Development Foundation Act (22 U.S.C. 290h-3(a)(2)), in 
     exceptional circumstances the Board of Directors of the USADF 
     may waive the $250,000 limitation contained in that section 
     with respect to a project and a project may exceed the 
     limitation by up to 10 percent if the increase is due solely 
     to foreign currency fluctuation:  Provided further, That the 
     USADF shall submit a report to the appropriate congressional 
     committees after each time such waiver authority is 
     exercised:  Provided further, That the USADF may make rent or 
     lease payments in advance from appropriations available for 
     such purpose for offices, buildings, grounds, and quarters in 
     Africa as may be necessary to carry out its functions:  
     Provided

[[Page H4730]]

     further, That the USADF may maintain bank accounts outside 
     the United States Treasury and retain any interest earned on 
     such accounts, in furtherance of the purposes of the African 
     Development Foundation Act:  Provided further, That the USADF 
     may not withdraw any appropriation from the Treasury prior to 
     the need of spending such funds for program purposes.

                       Department of the Treasury

               international affairs technical assistance

       For necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of 
     section 129 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, 
     $30,000,000, to remain available until expended, of which not 
     more than $6,000,000 may be used for administrative expenses: 
      Provided, That amounts made available under this heading may 
     be made available to contract for services as described in 
     section 129(d)(3)(A) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, 
     without regard to the location in which such services are 
     performed.

                           debt restructuring

       For ``Bilateral Economic Assistance--Department of the 
     Treasury--Debt Restructuring'' there is appropriated 
     $46,280,000, to remain available until September 30, 2027, 
     for the costs, as defined in section 502 of the Congressional 
     Budget Act of 1974, of modifying loans and loan guarantees 
     for, or credits extended to, such countries as the President 
     may determine, including the costs of selling, reducing, or 
     canceling amounts owed to the United States pursuant to 
     multilateral debt restructurings, including Paris Club debt 
     restructurings and the ``Common Framework for Debt Treatments 
     beyond the Debt Service Suspension Initiative'':  Provided, 
     That such amounts may be used notwithstanding any other 
     provision of law.

              tropical forest and coral reef conservation

       For the costs, as defined in section 502 of the 
     Congressional Budget Act of 1974, of modifying loans and loan 
     guarantees, as the President may determine, for which funds 
     have been appropriated or otherwise made available for 
     programs within the International Affairs Budget Function 
     150, including the costs of selling, reducing, or canceling 
     amounts owed to the United States as a result of concessional 
     loans made to eligible countries pursuant to part V of the 
     Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, $15,000,000, to remain 
     available until September 30, 2027.

                                TITLE IV

                   INTERNATIONAL SECURITY ASSISTANCE

                          Department of State

          international narcotics control and law enforcement

       For necessary expenses to carry out section 481 of the 
     Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, $1,497,469,000, to remain 
     available until September 30, 2025:  Provided, That the 
     Department of State may use the authority of section 608 of 
     the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, without regard to its 
     restrictions, to receive excess property from an agency of 
     the United States Government for the purpose of providing 
     such property to a foreign country or international 
     organization under chapter 8 of part I of such Act, subject 
     to the regular notification procedures of the Committees on 
     Appropriations:  Provided further, That section 482(b) of the 
     Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 shall not apply to funds 
     appropriated under this heading, except that any funds made 
     available notwithstanding such section shall be subject to 
     the regular notification procedures of the Committees on 
     Appropriations:  Provided further, That funds appropriated 
     under this heading shall be made available to support 
     training and technical assistance for foreign law 
     enforcement, corrections, judges, and other judicial 
     authorities, utilizing regional partners:  Provided further, 
     That funds made available under this heading that are 
     transferred to another department, agency, or instrumentality 
     of the United States Government pursuant to section 632(b) of 
     the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 valued in excess of 
     $5,000,000, and any agreement made pursuant to section 632(a) 
     of such Act, shall be subject to the regular notification 
     procedures of the Committees on Appropriations:  Provided 
     further, That funds made available under this heading for 
     Program Development and Support may be made available 
     notwithstanding pre-obligation requirements contained in this 
     Act, except for the notification requirements of section 
     7015.

    nonproliferation, anti-terrorism, demining and related programs

       For necessary expenses for nonproliferation, anti-
     terrorism, demining and related programs and activities, 
     $921,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2025, 
     to carry out the provisions of chapter 8 of part II of the 
     Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 for anti-terrorism assistance, 
     chapter 9 of part II of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, 
     section 504 of the FREEDOM Support Act (22 U.S.C. 5854), 
     section 23 of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2763), 
     or the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 for demining 
     activities, the clearance of unexploded ordnance, the 
     destruction of small arms, and related activities, 
     notwithstanding any other provision of law, including 
     activities implemented through nongovernmental and 
     international organizations, and section 301 of the Foreign 
     Assistance Act of 1961 for a United States contribution to 
     the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Preparatory 
     Commission, and for a voluntary contribution to the 
     International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA):  Provided, That 
     funds made available under this heading for the 
     Nonproliferation and Disarmament Fund shall be made 
     available, notwithstanding any other provision of law and 
     subject to prior consultation with, and the regular 
     notification procedures of, the Committees on Appropriations, 
     to promote bilateral and multilateral activities relating to 
     nonproliferation, disarmament, and weapons destruction, and 
     shall remain available until expended:  Provided further, 
     That such funds may also be used for such countries other 
     than the Independent States of the former Soviet Union and 
     international organizations when it is in the national 
     security interest of the United States to do so:  Provided 
     further, That funds appropriated under this heading may be 
     made available for the IAEA unless the Secretary of State 
     determines that Israel is being denied its right to 
     participate in the activities of that Agency:  Provided 
     further, That funds made available for conventional weapons 
     destruction programs, including demining and related 
     activities, in addition to funds otherwise available for such 
     purposes, may be used for administrative expenses related to 
     the operation and management of such programs and activities, 
     subject to the regular notification procedures of the 
     Committees on Appropriations.

                        peacekeeping operations

       For necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of 
     section 551 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, 
     $420,458,000, of which $301,133,000 may remain available 
     until September 30, 2025:  Provided, That funds appropriated 
     under this heading may be used, notwithstanding section 660 
     of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, to provide assistance 
     to enhance the capacity of foreign civilian security forces, 
     including gendarmes, to participate in peacekeeping 
     operations:  Provided further, That of the funds appropriated 
     under this heading, not less than $30,000,000 shall be made 
     available for a United States contribution to the 
     Multinational Force and Observers mission in the Sinai:  
     Provided further, That funds appropriated under this heading 
     may be made available to pay assessed expenses of 
     international peacekeeping activities in Somalia under the 
     same terms and conditions, as applicable, as funds 
     appropriated by this Act under the heading ``Contributions 
     for International Peacekeeping Activities'':  Provided 
     further, That funds appropriated under this heading shall be 
     subject to the regular notification procedures of the 
     Committees on Appropriations.

                  Funds Appropriated to the President

             international military education and training

       For necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of 
     section 541 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, 
     $125,425,000, to remain available until September 30, 2025:  
     Provided, That the civilian personnel for whom military 
     education and training may be provided under this heading may 
     include civilians who are not members of a government whose 
     participation would contribute to improved civil-military 
     relations, civilian control of the military, or respect for 
     human rights:  Provided further, That of the funds 
     appropriated under this heading, $3,500,000 shall remain 
     available until expended to increase the participation of 
     women in programs and activities funded under this heading, 
     following consultation with the Committees on Appropriations: 
      Provided further, That of the funds appropriated under this 
     heading, not to exceed $50,000 may be available for 
     entertainment expenses.

                   foreign military financing program

       For necessary expenses for grants to enable the President 
     to carry out the provisions of section 23 of the Arms Export 
     Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2763), $6,703,049,000:  Provided, That 
     to expedite the provision of assistance to foreign countries 
     and international organizations, the Secretary of State, 
     following consultation with the Committees on Appropriations 
     and subject to the regular notification procedures of such 
     Committees, may use the funds appropriated under this heading 
     to procure defense articles and services to enhance the 
     capacity of foreign security forces:  Provided further, That 
     funds appropriated or otherwise made available under this 
     heading shall be nonrepayable notwithstanding any requirement 
     in section 23 of the Arms Export Control Act:  Provided 
     further, That funds made available under this heading shall 
     be obligated upon apportionment in accordance with paragraph 
     (5)(C) of section 1501(a) of title 31, United States Code.
       None of the funds made available under this heading shall 
     be available to finance the procurement of defense articles, 
     defense services, or design and construction services that 
     are not sold by the United States Government under the Arms 
     Export Control Act unless the foreign country proposing to 
     make such procurement has first signed an agreement with the 
     United States Government specifying the conditions under 
     which such procurement may be financed with such funds:  
     Provided, That all country and funding level increases in 
     allocations shall be submitted through the regular 
     notification procedures of section 7015 of this Act:  
     Provided further, That funds made available under this 
     heading may be used, notwithstanding any other provision of 
     law, for demining, the clearance of unexploded ordnance, and 
     related activities, and may include activities implemented 
     through nongovernmental and international organizations:  
     Provided further,

[[Page H4731]]

     That a country that is a member of the North Atlantic Treaty 
     Organization (NATO) or is a major non-NATO ally designated by 
     section 517(b) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 may 
     utilize funds made available under this heading for 
     procurement of defense articles, defense services, or design 
     and construction services that are not sold by the United 
     States Government under the Arms Export Control Act:  
     Provided further, That funds appropriated under this heading 
     shall be expended at the minimum rate necessary to make 
     timely payment for defense articles and services:  Provided 
     further, That not more than $72,000,000 of the funds 
     appropriated under this heading may be obligated for 
     necessary expenses, including the purchase of passenger motor 
     vehicles for replacement only for use outside of the United 
     States, for the general costs of administering military 
     assistance and sales, except that this limitation may be 
     exceeded only through the regular notification procedures of 
     the Committees on Appropriations:  Provided further, That of 
     the funds made available under this heading for general costs 
     of administering military assistance and sales, not to exceed 
     $4,000 may be available for entertainment expenses and not to 
     exceed $130,000 may be available for representation expenses: 
      Provided further, That not more than $1,541,392,546 of funds 
     realized pursuant to section 21(e)(1)(A) of the Arms Export 
     Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2761(e)(1)(A)) may be obligated for 
     expenses incurred by the Department of Defense during fiscal 
     year 2024 pursuant to section 43(b) of the Arms Export 
     Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2792(b)), except that this limitation 
     may be exceeded only through the regular notification 
     procedures of the Committees on Appropriations.

                                TITLE V

                        MULTILATERAL ASSISTANCE

                  International Financial Institutions

                      global environment facility

       For payment to the International Bank for Reconstruction 
     and Development as trustee for the Global Environment 
     Facility by the Secretary of the Treasury, $139,575,000, to 
     remain available until expended.

     contribution to the international bank for reconstruction and 
                              development

       For payment to the International Bank for Reconstruction 
     and Development by the Secretary of the Treasury for the 
     United States share of the paid-in portion of the increases 
     in capital stock, $206,500,000, to remain available until 
     expended.

              limitation on callable capital subscriptions

       The United States Governor of the International Bank for 
     Reconstruction and Development may subscribe without fiscal 
     year limitation to the callable capital portion of the United 
     States share of increases in capital stock in an amount not 
     to exceed $1,421,275,728.70.

       contribution to the international development association

       For payment to the International Development Association by 
     the Secretary of the Treasury, $1,097,010,000, to remain 
     available until expended.

               contribution to the asian development fund

       For payment to the Asian Development Bank's Asian 
     Development Fund by the Secretary of the Treasury, 
     $43,610,000, to remain available until expended.

              contribution to the african development bank

       For payment to the African Development Bank by the 
     Secretary of the Treasury for the United States share of the 
     paid-in portion of the increases in capital stock, 
     $32,417,000, to remain available until expended.

              limitation on callable capital subscriptions

       The United States Governor of the African Development Bank 
     may subscribe without fiscal year limitation to the callable 
     capital portion of the United States share of increases in 
     capital stock in an amount not to exceed $856,174,624.

  contribution to the international fund for agricultural development

       For payment to the International Fund for Agricultural 
     Development by the Secretary of the Treasury, $30,000,000, to 
     remain available until expended.

                                TITLE VI

                    EXPORT AND INVESTMENT ASSISTANCE

                Export-Import Bank of the United States

                           inspector general

       For necessary expenses of the Office of Inspector General 
     in carrying out the provisions of the Inspector General Act 
     of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.), $8,860,000, of which up to 
     $1,329,000 may remain available until September 30, 2025.

                            program account

       The Export-Import Bank of the United States is authorized 
     to make such expenditures within the limits of funds and 
     borrowing authority available to such corporation, and in 
     accordance with law, and to make such contracts and 
     commitments without regard to fiscal year limitations, as 
     provided by section 9104 of title 31, United States Code, as 
     may be necessary in carrying out the program for the current 
     fiscal year for such corporation:  Provided, That none of the 
     funds available during the current fiscal year may be used to 
     make expenditures, contracts, or commitments for the export 
     of nuclear equipment, fuel, or technology to any country, 
     other than a nuclear-weapon state as defined in Article IX of 
     the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons 
     eligible to receive economic or military assistance under 
     this Act, that has detonated a nuclear explosive after the 
     date of enactment of this Act.

                        administrative expenses

       For administrative expenses to carry out the direct and 
     guaranteed loan and insurance programs, including hire of 
     passenger motor vehicles and services as authorized by 
     section 3109 of title 5, United States Code, and not to 
     exceed $30,000 for official reception and representation 
     expenses for members of the Board of Directors, not to exceed 
     $125,000,000, of which up to $18,750,000 may remain available 
     until September 30, 2025:  Provided, That the Export-Import 
     Bank (the Bank) may accept, and use, payment or services 
     provided by transaction participants for legal, financial, or 
     technical services in connection with any transaction for 
     which an application for a loan, guarantee or insurance 
     commitment has been made:  Provided further, That 
     notwithstanding subsection (b) of section 117 of the Export 
     Enhancement Act of 1992, subsection (a) of such section shall 
     remain in effect until September 30, 2024:  Provided further, 
     That the Bank shall charge fees for necessary expenses 
     (including special services performed on a contract or fee 
     basis, but not including other personal services) in 
     connection with the collection of moneys owed the Bank, 
     repossession or sale of pledged collateral or other assets 
     acquired by the Bank in satisfaction of moneys owed the Bank, 
     or the investigation or appraisal of any property, or the 
     evaluation of the legal, financial, or technical aspects of 
     any transaction for which an application for a loan, 
     guarantee or insurance commitment has been made, or systems 
     infrastructure directly supporting transactions:  Provided 
     further, That in addition to other funds appropriated for 
     administrative expenses, such fees shall be credited to this 
     account for such purposes, to remain available until 
     expended.

                     program budget appropriations

       For the cost of direct loans, loan guarantees, insurance, 
     and tied-aid grants as authorized by section 10 of the 
     Export-Import Bank Act of 1945, as amended, not to exceed 
     $15,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2027:  
     Provided, That such costs, including the cost of modifying 
     such loans, shall be as defined in section 502 of the 
     Congressional Budget Act of 1974:  Provided further, That 
     such funds shall remain available until September 30, 2039, 
     for the disbursement of direct loans, loan guarantees, 
     insurance and tied-aid grants obligated in fiscal years 2024 
     through 2027.

                           receipts collected

       Receipts collected pursuant to the Export-Import Bank Act 
     of 1945 (Public Law 79-173) and the Federal Credit Reform Act 
     of 1990, in an amount not to exceed the amount appropriated 
     herein, shall be credited as offsetting collections to this 
     account:  Provided, That the sums herein appropriated from 
     the General Fund shall be reduced on a dollar-for-dollar 
     basis by such offsetting collections so as to result in a 
     final fiscal year appropriation from the General Fund 
     estimated at $0.

      United States International Development Finance Corporation

                           inspector general

       For necessary expenses of the Office of Inspector General 
     in carrying out the provisions of the Inspector General Act 
     of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.), $7,200,000, to remain available 
     until September 30, 2025.

                       corporate capital account

       The United States International Development Finance 
     Corporation (the Corporation) is authorized to make such 
     expenditures and commitments within the limits of funds and 
     borrowing authority available to the Corporation, and in 
     accordance with the law, and to make such expenditures and 
     commitments without regard to fiscal year limitations, as 
     provided by section 9104 of title 31, United States Code, as 
     may be necessary in carrying out the programs for the current 
     fiscal year for the Corporation:  Provided, That for 
     necessary expenses of the activities described in subsections 
     (b), (c), (e), (f), and (g) of section 1421 of the BUILD Act 
     of 2018 (division F of Public Law 115-254) and for 
     administrative expenses to carry out authorized activities 
     and project-specific transaction costs described in section 
     1434(d) of such Act, $769,029,000:  Provided further, That of 
     the amount provided--
       (1) $198,000,000 shall remain available until September 30, 
     2026, for administrative expenses to carry out authorized 
     activities (including an amount for official reception and 
     representation expenses which shall not exceed $25,000) and 
     project-specific transaction costs as described in section 
     1434(k) of such Act; and
       (2) $571,029,000 shall remain available until September 30, 
     2026, for the activities described in subsections (b), (c), 
     (e), (f), and (g) of section 1421 of the BUILD Act of 2018, 
     except such amounts obligated in a fiscal year for activities 
     described in section 1421(c) of such Act shall remain 
     available for disbursement for the term of the underlying 
     project:  Provided further, That amounts made available under 
     this paragraph may be paid to the ``United States 
     International Development Finance Corporation--Program 
     Account'' for

[[Page H4732]]

     programs authorized by subsections (b), (e), (f), and (g) of 
     section 1421 of the BUILD Act of 2018:
       Provided further, That funds may only be obligated pursuant 
     to section 1421(g) of the BUILD Act of 2018 subject to prior 
     consultation with the appropriate congressional committees 
     and the regular notification procedures of the Committees on 
     Appropriations:  Provided further, That funds appropriated by 
     this Act and prior Acts making appropriations for the 
     Department of State, foreign operations, and related programs 
     for support by the Corporation in upper-middle income 
     countries shall be subject to prior consultation with the 
     Committees on Appropriations:  Provided further, That in 
     fiscal year 2024 collections of amounts described in section 
     1434(h) of the BUILD Act of 2018 shall be credited as 
     offsetting collections to this appropriation:  Provided 
     further, That such collections collected in fiscal year 2024 
     in excess of $769,029,000 shall be credited to this account 
     and shall be available in future fiscal years only to the 
     extent provided in advance in appropriations Acts:  Provided 
     further, That in fiscal year 2024, if such collections are 
     less than $769,029,000, receipts collected pursuant to the 
     BUILD Act of 2018 and the Federal Credit Reform Act of 1990, 
     in an amount equal to such shortfall, shall be credited as 
     offsetting collections to this appropriation:  Provided 
     further, That funds appropriated or otherwise made available 
     under this heading may not be used to provide any type of 
     assistance that is otherwise prohibited by any other 
     provision of law or to provide assistance to any foreign 
     country that is otherwise prohibited by any other provision 
     of law:  Provided further, That the sums herein appropriated 
     from the General Fund shall be reduced on a dollar-for-dollar 
     basis by the offsetting collections described under this 
     heading so as to result in a final fiscal year appropriation 
     from the General Fund estimated at $558,000,000.

                            program account

       Amounts paid from ``United States International Development 
     Finance Corporation--Corporate Capital Account'' (CCA) shall 
     remain available until September 30, 2026:  Provided, That 
     amounts paid to this account from CCA or transferred to this 
     account pursuant to section 1434(j) of the BUILD Act of 2018 
     (division F of Public Law 115-254) shall be available for the 
     costs of direct and guaranteed loans provided by the 
     Corporation pursuant to section 1421(b) of such Act and the 
     costs of modifying loans and loan guarantees transferred to 
     the Corporation pursuant to section 1463 of such Act:  
     Provided further, That such costs, including the cost of 
     modifying such loans, shall be as defined in section 502 of 
     the Congressional Budget Act of 1974:  Provided further, That 
     such amounts obligated in a fiscal year shall remain 
     available for disbursement for the following 8 fiscal years:  
     Provided further, That funds made available in this Act and 
     transferred to carry out the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 
     pursuant to section 1434(j) of the BUILD Act of 2018 may 
     remain available for obligation for 1 additional fiscal year: 
      Provided further, That the total loan principal or 
     guaranteed principal amount shall not exceed $10,000,000,000.

                      Trade and Development Agency

       For necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of 
     section 661 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, 
     $87,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2025, of 
     which no more than $21,000,000 may be used for administrative 
     expenses:  Provided, That of the funds appropriated under 
     this heading, not more than $5,000 may be available for 
     representation and entertainment expenses.

                               TITLE VII

                           GENERAL PROVISIONS

                      allowances and differentials

       Sec. 7001.  Funds appropriated under title I of this Act 
     shall be available, except as otherwise provided, for 
     allowances and differentials as authorized by subchapter 59 
     of title 5, United States Code; for services as authorized by 
     section 3109 of such title and for hire of passenger 
     transportation pursuant to section 1343(b) of title 31, 
     United States Code.

                      unobligated balances report

       Sec. 7002.  Any department or agency of the United States 
     Government to which funds are appropriated or otherwise made 
     available by this Act shall provide to the Committees on 
     Appropriations a quarterly accounting of cumulative 
     unobligated balances and obligated, but unexpended, balances 
     by program, project, and activity, and Treasury Account Fund 
     Symbol of all funds received by such department or agency in 
     fiscal year 2024 or any previous fiscal year, disaggregated 
     by fiscal year:  Provided, That the report required by this 
     section shall be submitted not later than 30 days after the 
     end of each fiscal quarter and should specify by account the 
     amount of funds obligated pursuant to bilateral agreements 
     which have not been further sub-obligated.

                          consulting services

       Sec. 7003.  The expenditure of any appropriation under 
     title I of this Act for any consulting service through 
     procurement contract, pursuant to section 3109 of title 5, 
     United States Code, shall be limited to those contracts where 
     such expenditures are a matter of public record and available 
     for public inspection, except where otherwise provided under 
     existing law, or under existing Executive order issued 
     pursuant to existing law.

                         diplomatic facilities

       Sec. 7004. (a) Capital Security Cost Sharing Exception.--
     Notwithstanding paragraph (2) of section 604(e) of the Secure 
     Embassy Construction and Counterterrorism Act of 1999 (title 
     VI of division A of H.R. 3427, as enacted into law by section 
     1000(a)(7) of Public Law 106-113 and contained in appendix G 
     of that Act), as amended by section 111 of the Department of 
     State Authorities Act, Fiscal Year 2017 (Public Law 114-323), 
     a project to construct a facility of the United States may 
     include office space or other accommodations for members of 
     the United States Marine Corps.
       (b) Consultation and Notification.--Funds appropriated by 
     this Act and prior Acts making appropriations for the 
     Department of State, foreign operations, and related 
     programs, which may be made available for the acquisition of 
     property or award of construction contracts for overseas 
     United States diplomatic facilities during fiscal year 2024, 
     shall be subject to prior consultation with, and the regular 
     notification procedures of, the Committees on Appropriations: 
      Provided, That notifications pursuant to this subsection 
     shall include the information enumerated under the heading 
     ``Embassy Security, Construction, and Maintenance'' in the 
     report accompanying this Act.
       (c) Interim and Temporary Facilities Abroad.--
       (1) Security vulnerabilities.--Funds appropriated by this 
     Act under the heading ``Embassy Security, Construction, and 
     Maintenance'' may be made available, following consultation 
     with the appropriate congressional committees, to address 
     security vulnerabilities at interim and temporary United 
     States diplomatic facilities abroad, including physical 
     security upgrades and local guard staffing.
       (2) Consultation.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
     law, the opening, closure, or any significant modification to 
     an interim or temporary United States diplomatic facility 
     shall be subject to prior consultation with the appropriate 
     congressional committees and the regular notification 
     procedures of the Committees on Appropriations, except that 
     such consultation and notification may be waived if there is 
     a security risk to personnel.
       (d) Soft Targets.--Funds appropriated by this Act under the 
     heading ``Embassy Security, Construction, and Maintenance'' 
     may be made available for security upgrades to soft targets, 
     including schools, recreational facilities, and residences 
     used by United States diplomatic personnel and their 
     dependents.
       (e) Limitation on Art in Embassies.--Section 5112 of the 
     Department of State Authorization Act of 2021 (title LI of 
     division E of Public Law 117-81) shall continue in effect 
     during fiscal year 2024, notwithstanding subsection (c) of 
     such section.

                           personnel actions

       Sec. 7005.  Any costs incurred by a department or agency 
     funded under title I of this Act resulting from personnel 
     actions taken in response to funding reductions included in 
     this Act shall be absorbed within the total budgetary 
     resources available under title I to such department or 
     agency:  Provided, That the authority to transfer funds 
     between appropriations accounts as may be necessary to carry 
     out this section is provided in addition to authorities 
     included elsewhere in this Act:  Provided further, That use 
     of funds to carry out this section shall be treated as a 
     reprogramming of funds under section 7015 of this Act.

                 prohibition on publicity or propaganda

       Sec. 7006.  No part of any appropriation contained in this 
     Act shall be used for publicity or propaganda purposes within 
     the United States not authorized before enactment of this Act 
     by Congress:  Provided, That up to $25,000 may be made 
     available to carry out the provisions of section 316 of the 
     International Security and Development Cooperation Act of 
     1980 (Public Law 96-533; 22 U.S.C. 2151a note).

        prohibition against direct funding for certain countries

       Sec. 7007.  None of the funds appropriated or otherwise 
     made available pursuant to titles III through VI of this Act 
     shall be obligated or expended to finance directly any 
     assistance or reparations for the governments of Cuba, North 
     Korea, Iran, or Syria:  Provided, That for purposes of this 
     section, the prohibition on obligations or expenditures shall 
     include direct loans, credits, insurance, and guarantees of 
     the Export-Import Bank or its agents.

                              coups d'etat

       Sec. 7008.  None of the funds appropriated or otherwise 
     made available pursuant to titles III through VI of this Act 
     shall be obligated or expended to finance directly any 
     assistance to the government of any country whose duly 
     elected head of government is deposed by military coup d'etat 
     or decree or, after the date of enactment of this Act, a coup 
     d'etat or decree in which the military plays a decisive role: 
      Provided, That assistance may be resumed to such government 
     if the Secretary of State certifies and reports to the 
     appropriate congressional committees that subsequent to the 
     termination of assistance a democratically elected government 
     has taken office:  Provided further, That the provisions of 
     this section shall not apply to assistance to promote 
     democratic elections or public participation in democratic 
     processes, or to support a democratic transition:

[[Page H4733]]

      Provided further, That funds made available pursuant to the 
     previous provisos shall be subject to prior consultation 
     with, and the regular notification procedures of, the 
     Committees on Appropriations.

                      transfer of funds authority

       Sec. 7009. (a) Department of State and United States Agency 
     for Global Media.--
       (1) Department of state.--
       (A) In general.--Not to exceed 5 percent of any 
     appropriation made available for the current fiscal year for 
     the Department of State under title I of this Act may be 
     transferred between, and merged with, such appropriations, 
     but no such appropriation, except as otherwise specifically 
     provided, shall be increased by more than 10 percent by any 
     such transfers, and no such transfer may be made to increase 
     the appropriation under the heading ``Representation 
     Expenses''.
       (B) Embassy security.--Funds appropriated under the 
     headings ``Diplomatic Programs'', including for Worldwide 
     Security Protection, ``Embassy Security, Construction, and 
     Maintenance'', and ``Emergencies in the Diplomatic and 
     Consular Service'' in this Act may be transferred to, and 
     merged with, funds appropriated under such headings if the 
     Secretary of State determines and reports to the Committees 
     on Appropriations that to do so is necessary to implement the 
     recommendations of the Benghazi Accountability Review Board, 
     for emergency evacuations, or to prevent or respond to 
     security situations and requirements, following consultation 
     with, and subject to the regular notification procedures of, 
     such Committees.
       (C) Emergencies in the diplomatic and consular service.--Of 
     the amount made available under the heading ``Diplomatic 
     Programs'' for Worldwide Security Protection, not to exceed 
     $50,000,000 may be transferred to, and merged with, funds 
     made available by this Act under the heading ``Emergencies in 
     the Diplomatic and Consular Service'', to be available only 
     for emergency evacuations and rewards, as authorized.
       (D) Capital investment fund.--Of the amount made available 
     under the heading, ``Diplomatic Programs'', up to $43,000,000 
     may be transferred to, and merged with, funds made available 
     in title I of this Act under the heading ``Capital Investment 
     Fund''.
       (E) Prior consultation.--The transfer authorities provided 
     by subparagraphs (B), (C), and (D) are in addition to any 
     transfer authority otherwise available in this Act and under 
     any other provision of law and the exercise of such authority 
     shall be subject to prior consultation with the Committees on 
     Appropriations.
       (2) United states agency for global media.--Not to exceed 5 
     percent of any appropriation made available for the current 
     fiscal year for the United States Agency for Global Media 
     under title I of this Act may be transferred between, and 
     merged with, such appropriations, but no such appropriation, 
     except as otherwise specifically provided, shall be increased 
     by more than 10 percent by any such transfers.
       (3) Treatment as reprogramming.--Any transfer pursuant to 
     this subsection shall be treated as a reprogramming of funds 
     under section 7015 of this Act and shall not be available for 
     obligation or expenditure except in compliance with the 
     procedures set forth in that section.
       (b) Limitation on Transfers of Funds Between Agencies.--
       (1) In general.--None of the funds made available under 
     titles II through V of this Act may be transferred to any 
     department, agency, or instrumentality of the United States 
     Government, except pursuant to a transfer made by, or 
     transfer authority provided in, this Act or any other 
     appropriations Act.
       (2) Allocation and transfers.--Notwithstanding paragraph 
     (1), in addition to transfers made by, or authorized 
     elsewhere in, this Act, funds appropriated by this Act to 
     carry out the purposes of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 
     may be allocated or transferred to agencies of the United 
     States Government pursuant to the provisions of sections 109, 
     610, and 632 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, and 
     section 1434(j) of the BUILD Act of 2018 (division F of 
     Public Law 115-254).
       (3) Notification.--Any agreement entered into by the United 
     States Agency for International Development or the Department 
     of State with any department, agency, or instrumentality of 
     the United States Government pursuant to section 632(b) of 
     the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 valued in excess of 
     $1,000,000 and any agreement made pursuant to section 632(a) 
     of such Act, with funds appropriated by this Act or prior 
     Acts making appropriations for the Department of State, 
     foreign operations, and related programs under the headings 
     ``Global Health Programs'', ``Development Assistance'', 
     ``Economic Support Fund'', and ``Assistance for Europe, 
     Eurasia and Central Asia'' shall be subject to the regular 
     notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations:  
     Provided, That the requirement in the previous sentence shall 
     not apply to agreements entered into between USAID and the 
     Department of State.
       (c) United States International Development Finance 
     Corporation.--
       (1) Transfers.--Amounts transferred pursuant to section 
     1434(j) of the BUILD Act of 2018 (division F of Public Law 
     115-254) may only be transferred from funds made available 
     under title III of this Act:  Provided, That any such 
     transfers, and any amounts transferred to the United States 
     International Development Finance Corporation (the 
     Corporation) pursuant to section 632 of the Foreign 
     Assistance Act of 1961, shall be subject to prior 
     consultation with, and the regular notification procedures 
     of, the Committees on Appropriations:  Provided further, That 
     the Secretary of State, the Administrator of the United 
     States Agency for International Development, and the Chief 
     Executive Officer of the Corporation, as appropriate, shall 
     ensure that the programs funded by such transfers are 
     coordinated with, and complement, foreign assistance programs 
     implemented by the Department of State and USAID.
       (2) Transfer of funds from millennium challenge 
     corporation.--Funds appropriated under the heading 
     ``Millennium Challenge Corporation'' in this Act or prior 
     Acts making appropriations for the Department of State, 
     foreign operations, and related programs may be transferred 
     to accounts under the heading ``United States International 
     Development Finance Corporation'' and, when so transferred, 
     may be used for the costs of activities described in 
     subsections (b) and (c) of section 1421 of the BUILD Act of 
     2018:  Provided, That such funds shall be subject to the 
     limitations provided in the second, third, and fifth provisos 
     under the heading ``United States International Development 
     Finance Corporation--Program Account'' in this Act:  Provided 
     further, That any transfer executed pursuant to the transfer 
     authority provided in this paragraph shall not exceed 10 
     percent of an individual Compact awarded pursuant to section 
     609(a) of the Millennium Challenge Act of 2003 (title VI of 
     Public Law 108-199):  Provided further, That such funds shall 
     not be available for administrative expenses of the United 
     States International Development Finance Corporation:  
     Provided further, That such authority shall be subject to 
     prior consultation with, and the regular notification 
     procedures of, the Committees on Appropriations:  Provided 
     further, That the transfer authority provided in this section 
     is in addition to any other transfer authority provided by 
     law:  Provided further, That within 60 days of the 
     termination in whole or in part of the Compact from which 
     funds were transferred under this authority to the United 
     States International Development Finance Corporation, any 
     unobligated balances shall be transferred back to the 
     Millennium Challenge Corporation, subject to the regular 
     notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations.
       (d) Transfer of Funds Between Accounts.--None of the funds 
     made available under titles II through V of this Act may be 
     obligated under an appropriations account to which such funds 
     were not appropriated, except for transfers specifically 
     provided for in this Act, unless the President, not less than 
     5 days prior to the exercise of any authority contained in 
     the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to transfer funds, 
     consults with and provides a written policy justification to 
     the Committees on Appropriations.
       (e) Audit of Inter-Agency Transfers of Funds.--Any 
     agreement for the transfer or allocation of funds 
     appropriated by this Act or prior Acts making appropriations 
     for the Department of State, foreign operations, and related 
     programs entered into between the Department of State or 
     USAID and another agency of the United States Government 
     under the authority of section 632(a) of the Foreign 
     Assistance Act of 1961, or any comparable provision of law, 
     shall expressly provide that the Inspector General (IG) for 
     the agency receiving the transfer or allocation of such 
     funds, or other entity with audit responsibility if the 
     receiving agency does not have an IG, shall perform periodic 
     program and financial audits of the use of such funds and 
     report to the Department of State or USAID, as appropriate, 
     upon completion of such audits:  Provided, That such audits 
     shall be transmitted to the Committees on Appropriations by 
     the Department of State or USAID, as appropriate:  Provided 
     further, That funds transferred under such authority may be 
     made available for the cost of such audits.

             prohibition and limitation on certain expenses

       Sec. 7010. (a) First-Class Travel.--None of the funds made 
     available by this Act may be used for first-class travel by 
     employees of United States Government departments and 
     agencies funded by this Act in contravention of section 301-
     10.122 through 301-10.124 of title 41, Code of Federal 
     Regulations.
       (b) Computer Networks.--None of the funds made available by 
     this Act for the operating expenses of any United States 
     Government department or agency may be used to establish or 
     maintain a computer network for use by such department or 
     agency unless such network has filters designed to block 
     access to sexually explicit websites:  Provided, That nothing 
     in this subsection shall limit the use of funds necessary for 
     any Federal, State, Tribal, or local law enforcement agency, 
     or any other entity carrying out the following activities: 
     criminal investigations, prosecutions, and adjudications; 
     administrative discipline; and the monitoring of such 
     websites undertaken as part of official business.
       (c) Prohibition on Promotion of Tobacco.--None of the funds 
     made available by this Act should be available to promote the 
     sale or export of tobacco or tobacco products (including 
     electronic nicotine delivery systems), or to seek the 
     reduction or removal

[[Page H4734]]

     by any foreign country of restrictions on the marketing of 
     tobacco or tobacco products (including electronic nicotine 
     delivery systems), except for restrictions which are not 
     applied equally to all tobacco or tobacco products (including 
     electronic nicotine delivery systems) of the same type.
       (d) Email Servers Outside the .gov Domain.--None of the 
     funds appropriated by this Act under the headings 
     ``Diplomatic Programs'' and ``Capital Investment Fund'' in 
     title I, and ``Operating Expenses'' and ``Capital Investment 
     Fund'' in title II that are made available to the Department 
     of State and the United States Agency for International 
     Development may be made available to support the use or 
     establishment of email accounts or email servers created 
     outside the .gov domain or not fitted for automated records 
     management as part of a Federal government records management 
     program in contravention of the Presidential and Federal 
     Records Act Amendments of 2014 (Public Law 113-187).
       (e) Representation and Entertainment Expenses.--Each 
     Federal department, agency, or entity funded in titles I or 
     II of this Act, and the Department of the Treasury and 
     independent agencies funded in titles III or VI of this Act, 
     shall take steps to ensure that domestic and overseas 
     representation and entertainment expenses further official 
     agency business and United States foreign policy interests, 
     and--
       (1) are primarily for fostering relations outside of the 
     Executive Branch;
       (2) are principally for meals and events of a protocol 
     nature;
       (3) are not for employee-only events; and
       (4) do not include activities that are substantially of a 
     recreational character.
       (f) Limitations on Entertainment Expenses.--None of the 
     funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act 
     under the headings ``International Military Education and 
     Training'' or ``Foreign Military Financing Program'' for 
     Informational Program activities or under the headings 
     ``Global Health Programs'', ``Development Assistance'', 
     ``Economic Support Fund'', and ``Assistance for Europe, 
     Eurasia and Central Asia'' may be obligated or expended to 
     pay for--
       (1) alcoholic beverages; or
       (2) entertainment expenses for activities that are 
     substantially of a recreational character, including entrance 
     fees at sporting events, theatrical and musical productions, 
     and amusement parks.

                         availability of funds

       Sec. 7011.  No part of any appropriation contained in this 
     Act shall remain available for obligation after the 
     expiration of the current fiscal year unless expressly so 
     provided by this Act:  Provided, That funds appropriated for 
     the purposes of chapters 1 and 8 of part I, section 661, 
     chapters 4, 5, 6, 8, and 9 of part II of the Foreign 
     Assistance Act of 1961, section 23 of the Arms Export Control 
     Act (22 U.S.C. 2763), and funds made available for ``United 
     States International Development Finance Corporation'' and 
     under the heading ``Assistance for Europe, Eurasia and 
     Central Asia'' shall remain available for an additional 4 
     years from the date on which the availability of such funds 
     would otherwise have expired, if such funds are initially 
     obligated before the expiration of their respective periods 
     of availability contained in this Act:  Provided further, 
     That notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, any 
     funds made available for the purposes of chapter 1 of part I 
     and chapter 4 of part II of the Foreign Assistance Act of 
     1961 which are allocated or obligated for cash disbursements 
     in order to address balance of payments or economic policy 
     reform objectives, shall remain available for an additional 4 
     years from the date on which the availability of such funds 
     would otherwise have expired, if such funds are initially 
     allocated or obligated before the expiration of their 
     respective periods of availability contained in this Act:  
     Provided further, That the Secretary of State and the 
     Administrator of the United States Agency for International 
     Development shall provide a report to the Committees on 
     Appropriations not later than October 31, 2024, detailing by 
     account and source year, the use of this authority during the 
     previous fiscal year:  Provided further, That any funds 
     obligated for an additional period of availability pursuant 
     to this section in this Act and prior Acts making 
     appropriations for the Department of State, foreign 
     operations, and related programs shall be subject to the 
     regular notification procedures of the Committees on 
     Appropriations:  Provided further, That any notification 
     submitted pursuant to the previous proviso shall indicate the 
     source year of funds, the purpose of initial obligation, the 
     reason for de-obligation, and the purpose for re-obligation.

            limitation on assistance to countries in default

       Sec. 7012.  No part of any appropriation provided under 
     titles III through VI in this Act shall be used to furnish 
     assistance to the government of any country which is in 
     default during a period in excess of 1 calendar year in 
     payment to the United States of principal or interest on any 
     loan made to the government of such country by the United 
     States pursuant to a program for which funds are appropriated 
     under this Act unless the President determines, following 
     consultation with the Committees on Appropriations, that 
     assistance for such country is in the national interest of 
     the United States.

          prohibition on taxation of united states assistance

       Sec. 7013. (a) Prohibition on Taxation.--None of the funds 
     appropriated under titles III through VI of this Act may be 
     made available to provide assistance for a foreign country 
     under a new bilateral agreement governing the terms and 
     conditions under which such assistance is to be provided 
     unless such agreement includes a provision stating that 
     assistance provided by the United States shall be exempt from 
     taxation, or reimbursed, by the foreign government, and the 
     Secretary of State and the Administrator of the United States 
     Agency for International Development shall expeditiously seek 
     to negotiate amendments to existing bilateral agreements, as 
     necessary, to conform with this requirement.
       (b) Notification and Reimbursement of Foreign Taxes.--An 
     amount equivalent to 200 percent of the total taxes assessed 
     during fiscal year 2024 on funds appropriated by this Act and 
     prior Acts making appropriations for the Department of State, 
     foreign operations, and related programs by a foreign 
     government or entity against United States assistance 
     programs, either directly or through grantees, contractors, 
     and subcontractors, shall be withheld from obligation from 
     funds appropriated for assistance for fiscal year 2025 and 
     for prior fiscal years and allocated for the central 
     government of such country or for the West Bank and Gaza 
     program, as applicable, if, not later than September 30, 
     2025, such taxes have not been reimbursed.
       (c) De Minimis Exception.--Foreign taxes of a de minimis 
     nature shall not be subject to the provisions of subsection 
     (b).
       (d) Reprogramming of Funds.--Funds withheld from obligation 
     for each foreign government or entity pursuant to subsection 
     (b) shall be reprogrammed for assistance for countries which 
     do not assess taxes on United States assistance or which have 
     an effective arrangement that is providing substantial 
     reimbursement of such taxes, and that can reasonably 
     accommodate such assistance in a programmatically responsible 
     manner.
       (e) Determinations.--
       (1) In general.--The provisions of this section shall not 
     apply to any foreign government or entity that assesses such 
     taxes if the Secretary of State reports to the Committees on 
     Appropriations that--
       (A) such foreign government or entity has an effective 
     arrangement that is providing substantial reimbursement of 
     such taxes; or
       (B) the foreign policy interests of the United States 
     outweigh the purpose of this section to ensure that United 
     States assistance is not subject to taxation.
       (2) Consultation.--The Secretary of State shall consult 
     with the Committees on Appropriations at least 15 days prior 
     to exercising the authority of this subsection with regard to 
     any foreign government or entity.
       (f) Implementation.--The Secretary of State shall issue and 
     update rules, regulations, or policy guidance, as 
     appropriate, to implement the prohibition against the 
     taxation of assistance contained in this section.
       (g) Definitions.--As used in this section:
       (1) Bilateral agreement.--The term ``bilateral agreement'' 
     refers to a framework bilateral agreement between the 
     Government of the United States and the government of the 
     country receiving assistance that describes the privileges 
     and immunities applicable to United States foreign assistance 
     for such country generally, or an individual agreement 
     between the Government of the United States and such 
     government that describes, among other things, the treatment 
     for tax purposes that will be accorded the United States 
     assistance provided under that agreement.
       (2) Taxes and taxation.--The term ``taxes and taxation'' 
     shall include value added taxes and customs duties but shall 
     not include individual income taxes assessed to local staff.

                         reservations of funds

       Sec. 7014. (a) Extension of Availability.--The original 
     period of availability of funds appropriated by this Act and 
     administered by the Department of State or the United States 
     Agency for International Development that are specifically 
     designated for particular programs or activities by this or 
     any other Act may be extended for an additional fiscal year 
     if the Secretary of State or the USAID Administrator, as 
     appropriate, determines and reports promptly to the 
     Committees on Appropriations that the termination of 
     assistance to a country or a significant change in 
     circumstances makes it unlikely that such designated funds 
     can be obligated during the original period of availability:  
     Provided, That such designated funds that continue to be 
     available for an additional fiscal year shall be obligated 
     only for the purpose of such designation.
       (b) Other Acts.--Ceilings and specifically designated 
     funding levels contained in this Act shall not be applicable 
     to funds or authorities appropriated or otherwise made 
     available by any subsequent Act unless such Act specifically 
     so directs:  Provided, That specifically designated funding 
     levels or minimum funding requirements contained in any other 
     Act shall not be applicable to funds appropriated by this 
     Act.

                       notification requirements

       Sec. 7015. (a) Notification of Changes in Programs, 
     Projects, and Activities.--None of the funds made available 
     in titles I, II, and VI, and under the headings ``Peace 
     Corps'' and ``Millennium Challenge Corporation'', of

[[Page H4735]]

     this Act or prior Acts making appropriations for the 
     Department of State, foreign operations, and related programs 
     to the departments and agencies funded by this Act that 
     remain available for obligation in fiscal year 2024, or 
     provided from any accounts in the Treasury of the United 
     States derived by the collection of fees or of currency 
     reflows or other offsetting collections, or made available by 
     transfer, to the departments and agencies funded by this Act, 
     shall be available for obligation to--
       (1) create new programs;
       (2) suspend or eliminate a program, project, or activity;
       (3) close, suspend, open, or reopen a mission or post;
       (4) create, close, reorganize, downsize, or rename bureaus, 
     centers, or offices; or
       (5) contract out or privatize any functions or activities 
     presently performed by Federal employees;
     unless previously justified to the Committees on 
     Appropriations or such Committees are notified 15 days in 
     advance of such obligation.
       (b) Notification of Reprogramming of Funds.--None of the 
     funds provided under titles I, II, and VI of this Act or 
     prior Acts making appropriations for the Department of State, 
     foreign operations, and related programs, to the departments 
     and agencies funded under such titles that remain available 
     for obligation in fiscal year 2024, or provided from any 
     accounts in the Treasury of the United States derived by the 
     collection of fees available to the department and agency 
     funded under title I of this Act, shall be available for 
     obligation or expenditure for programs, projects, or 
     activities through a reprogramming of funds in excess of 
     $1,000,000 or 10 percent, whichever is less, that--
       (1) augments or changes existing programs, projects, or 
     activities;
       (2) relocates an existing office or employees;
       (3) reduces by 10 percent funding for any existing program, 
     project, or activity, or numbers of personnel by 10 percent 
     as approved by Congress; or
       (4) results from any general savings, including savings 
     from a reduction in personnel, which would result in a change 
     in existing programs, projects, or activities as approved by 
     Congress;
     unless the Committees on Appropriations are notified 15 days 
     in advance of such reprogramming of funds.
       (c) Notification Requirement.--None of the funds made 
     available by this Act under the headings ``Global Health 
     Programs'', ``Development Assistance'', ``Economic Support 
     Fund'', ``Democracy Fund'', ``Assistance for Europe, Eurasia 
     and Central Asia'', ``Peace Corps'', ``Millennium Challenge 
     Corporation'', ``International Narcotics Control and Law 
     Enforcement'', ``Nonproliferation, Anti-terrorism, Demining 
     and Related Programs'', ``Peacekeeping Operations'', 
     ``International Military Education and Training'', ``Foreign 
     Military Financing Program'', ``United States International 
     Development Finance Corporation'', and ``Trade and 
     Development Agency'' shall be available for obligation for 
     programs, projects, activities, type of materiel assistance, 
     countries, or other operations not justified or in excess of 
     the amount justified to the Committees on Appropriations for 
     obligation under any of these specific headings unless the 
     Committees on Appropriations are notified 15 days in advance 
     of such obligation:  Provided, That the President shall not 
     enter into any commitment of funds appropriated for the 
     purposes of section 23 of the Arms Export Control Act for the 
     provision of major defense equipment, other than conventional 
     ammunition, or other major defense items defined to be 
     aircraft, ships, missiles, or combat vehicles, not previously 
     justified to Congress or 20 percent in excess of the 
     quantities justified to Congress unless the Committees on 
     Appropriations are notified 15 days in advance of such 
     commitment:  Provided further, That requirements of this 
     subsection or any similar provision of this or any other Act 
     shall not apply to any reprogramming for a program, project, 
     or activity for which funds are appropriated under titles III 
     through VI of this Act of less than 10 percent of the amount 
     previously justified to Congress for obligation for such 
     program, project, or activity for the current fiscal year:  
     Provided further, That any notification submitted pursuant to 
     subsection (f) of this section shall include information (if 
     known on the date of transmittal of such notification) on the 
     use of notwithstanding authority.
       (d) Department of Defense Programs and Funding 
     Notifications.--
       (1) Programs.--None of the funds appropriated by this Act 
     or prior Acts making appropriations for the Department of 
     State, foreign operations, and related programs may be made 
     available to support or continue any program initially funded 
     under any authority of title 10, United States Code, or any 
     Act making or authorizing appropriations for the Department 
     of Defense, unless the Secretary of State, in consultation 
     with the Secretary of Defense and in accordance with the 
     regular notification procedures of the Committees on 
     Appropriations, submits a justification to such Committees 
     that includes a description of, and the estimated costs 
     associated with, the support or continuation of such program.
       (2) Funding.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, 
     funds transferred by the Department of Defense to the 
     Department of State and the United States Agency for 
     International Development for assistance for foreign 
     countries and international organizations shall be subject to 
     the regular notification procedures of the Committees on 
     Appropriations.
       (3) Notification on excess defense articles.--Prior to 
     providing excess Department of Defense articles in accordance 
     with section 516(a) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, 
     the Department of Defense shall notify the Committees on 
     Appropriations to the same extent and under the same 
     conditions as other committees pursuant to subsection (f) of 
     that section:  Provided, That before issuing a letter of 
     offer to sell excess defense articles under the Arms Export 
     Control Act, the Department of Defense shall notify the 
     Committees on Appropriations in accordance with the regular 
     notification procedures of such Committees if such defense 
     articles are significant military equipment (as defined in 
     section 47(9) of the Arms Export Control Act) or are valued 
     (in terms of original acquisition cost) at $7,000,000 or 
     more, or if notification is required elsewhere in this Act 
     for the use of appropriated funds for specific countries that 
     would receive such excess defense articles:  Provided 
     further, That such Committees shall also be informed of the 
     original acquisition cost of such defense articles.
       (e) Waiver.--The requirements of this section or any 
     similar provision of this Act or any other Act, including any 
     prior Act requiring notification in accordance with the 
     regular notification procedures of the Committees on 
     Appropriations, may be waived if failure to do so would pose 
     a substantial risk to human health or welfare:  Provided, 
     That in case of any such waiver, notification to the 
     Committees on Appropriations shall be provided as early as 
     practicable, but in no event later than 3 days after taking 
     the action to which such notification requirement was 
     applicable, in the context of the circumstances necessitating 
     such waiver:  Provided further, That any notification 
     provided pursuant to such a waiver shall contain an 
     explanation of the emergency circumstances.
       (f) Country Notification Requirements.--None of the funds 
     appropriated under titles III through VI of this Act may be 
     obligated or expended for assistance for Afghanistan, Burma, 
     Central African Republic, Cambodia, Colombia, Cuba, El 
     Salvador, Ethiopia, Haiti, Honduras, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, 
     Libya, Mexico, Nicaragua, Pakistan, the Russian Federation, 
     Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Ukraine, 
     Venezuela, Yemen, and Zimbabwe except as provided through the 
     regular notification procedures of the Committees on 
     Appropriations.
       (g) Trust Funds.--Funds appropriated or otherwise made 
     available in title III of this Act and prior Acts making 
     funds available for the Department of State, foreign 
     operations, and related programs that are made available for 
     a trust fund held by an international financial institution 
     shall be subject to the regular notification procedures of 
     the Committees on Appropriations, and such notification shall 
     include the information specified under this section in the 
     report accompanying this Act.
       (h) Other Program Notification Requirements.--
       (1) Other programs.--Funds appropriated by this Act and 
     prior Acts making appropriations for the Department of State, 
     foreign operations, and related programs that are made 
     available for the following programs and activities shall be 
     subject to the regular notification procedures of the 
     Committees on Appropriations--
       (A) the Global Engagement Center;
       (B) the Power Africa and Prosper Africa initiatives;
       (C) funds under the headings ``International Disaster 
     Assistance'' and ``Migration and Refugee Assistance'' that 
     are made available to a country listed in section 7007 of 
     this Act;
       (D) the Prevention and Stabilization Fund and the Multi-
     Donor Global Fragility Fund;
       (E) the Indo-Pacific Strategy;
       (F) the Countering PRC Influence Fund and the Countering 
     Russian Influence Fund;
       (G) assistance made available pursuant to section 7059; and
       (H) funds specifically allocated for the Partnership for 
     Global Infrastructure and Investment.
       (2) Democracy program policy and procedures.--Modifications 
     to democracy program policy and procedures, including 
     relating to the use of consortia, by the Department of State 
     and USAID shall be subject to prior consultation with, and 
     the regular notification procedures of, the Committees on 
     Appropriations.
       (3) Arms sales.--The reports, notifications, and 
     certifications, and any other documents, required to be 
     submitted pursuant to section 36(a) of the Arms Export 
     Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2776), and such documents submitted 
     pursuant to section 36(b) through (d) of such Act with 
     respect to countries that have received assistance provided 
     with funds appropriated by this Act or prior Acts making 
     appropriations for the Department of State, foreign 
     operations, and related programs, shall be concurrently 
     submitted to the Committees on Appropriations and shall 
     include information about the source of funds for any sale or 
     transfer, as applicable, if known at the time of submission.
       (i) Withholding of Funds.--Funds appropriated by this Act 
     under titles III and IV that are withheld from obligation or 
     otherwise not programmed as a result of application of a 
     provision of law in this or any other Act shall, if 
     reprogrammed, be subject to the regular notification 
     procedures of the Committees on Appropriations.

[[Page H4736]]

       (j) Requirement to Inform.--The Secretary of State and 
     Administrator of USAID, as applicable, shall promptly inform 
     the appropriate congressional committees of each instance in 
     which funds appropriated by this Act for assistance have been 
     diverted or destroyed, to include the type and amount of 
     assistance, a description of the incident and parties 
     involved, and an explanation of the response of the 
     Department of State or USAID, as appropriate.

      documents, report posting, records management, and related 
                       cybersecurity protections

       Sec. 7016. (a) Document Requests.--None of the funds 
     appropriated or made available pursuant to titles III through 
     VI of this Act shall be available to a nongovernmental 
     organization, including any contractor, which fails to 
     provide upon timely request any document, file, or record 
     necessary to the auditing requirements of the Department of 
     State and the United States Agency for International 
     Development.
       (b) Public Posting of Reports.--
       (1) Except as provided in paragraphs (2) and (3), any 
     report required by this Act to be submitted to Congress by 
     any Federal agency receiving funds made available by this Act 
     shall be posted on the public website of such agency not 
     later than 45 days following the receipt of such report by 
     Congress.
       (2) Paragraph (1) shall not apply to a report if--
       (A) the head of such agency determines and reports to the 
     Committees on Appropriations that--
       (i) the public posting of the report would compromise 
     national security, including the conduct of diplomacy; or
       (ii) the report contains proprietary or other privileged 
     information; or
       (B) the public posting of the report is specifically 
     exempted in the report accompanying this Act.
       (3) The agency posting such report shall do so only after 
     the report has been made available to the Committees on 
     Appropriations.
       (4) The head of the agency posting such report shall do so 
     in a central location on the public website of such agency.
       (c) Records Management and Related Cybersecurity 
     Protections.--The Secretary of State and USAID Administrator 
     shall--
       (1) regularly review and update the policies, directives, 
     and oversight necessary to comply with Federal statutes, 
     regulations, and presidential executive orders and memoranda 
     concerning the preservation of all records made or received 
     in the conduct of official business, including record emails, 
     instant messaging, and other online tools;
       (2) use funds appropriated by this Act under the headings 
     ``Diplomatic Programs'' and ``Capital Investment Fund'' in 
     title I, and ``Operating Expenses'' and ``Capital Investment 
     Fund'' in title II, as appropriate, to improve Federal 
     records management pursuant to the Federal Records Act (44 
     U.S.C. Chapters 21, 29, 31, and 33) and other applicable 
     Federal records management statutes, regulations, or policies 
     for the Department of State and USAID;
       (3) direct departing employees, including senior officials, 
     that all Federal records generated by such employees belong 
     to the Federal Government;
       (4) substantially reduce, compared to the previous fiscal 
     year, the response time for identifying and retrieving 
     Federal records, including requests made pursuant to section 
     552 of title 5, United States Code (commonly known as the 
     ``Freedom of Information Act''); and
       (5) strengthen cybersecurity measures to mitigate 
     vulnerabilities, including those resulting from the use of 
     personal email accounts or servers outside the .gov domain, 
     improve the process to identify and remove inactive user 
     accounts, update and enforce guidance related to the control 
     of national security information, and implement the 
     recommendations of the applicable reports of the cognizant 
     Office of Inspector General.

               use of funds in contravention of this act

       Sec. 7017.  If the President makes a determination not to 
     comply with any provision of this Act on constitutional 
     grounds, the head of the relevant Federal agency shall notify 
     the Committees on Appropriations in writing within 5 days of 
     such determination, the basis for such determination and any 
     resulting changes to program or policy.

   prohibition on funding for abortions and involuntary sterilization

       Sec. 7018.  None of the funds made available to carry out 
     part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended, may 
     be used to pay for the performance of abortions as a method 
     of family planning or to motivate or coerce any person to 
     practice abortions. None of the funds made available to carry 
     out part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended, 
     may be used to pay for the performance of involuntary 
     sterilization as a method of family planning or to coerce or 
     provide any financial incentive to any person to undergo 
     sterilizations. None of the funds made available to carry out 
     part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended, may 
     be used to pay for any biomedical research which relates in 
     whole or in part, to methods of, or the performance of, 
     abortions or involuntary sterilization as a means of family 
     planning. None of the funds made available to carry out part 
     I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended, may be 
     obligated or expended for any country or organization if the 
     President certifies that the use of these funds by any such 
     country or organization would violate any of the above 
     provisions related to abortions and involuntary 
     sterilizations.

                        allocations and reports

       Sec. 7019. (a) Allocation Tables.--Subject to subsection 
     (b), funds appropriated by this Act under titles III through 
     V shall be made available in the amounts specifically 
     designated in the respective tables included in the report 
     accompanying this Act:  Provided, That such designated 
     amounts for foreign countries and international organizations 
     shall serve as the amounts for such countries and 
     international organizations transmitted to Congress in the 
     report required by section 653(a) of the Foreign Assistance 
     Act of 1961, and shall be made available for such foreign 
     countries and international organizations notwithstanding the 
     date of the transmission of such report.
       (b) Authorized Deviations.--Unless otherwise provided for 
     by this Act, the Secretary of State and the Administrator of 
     the United States Agency for International Development, as 
     applicable, may only deviate up to 5 percent from the amounts 
     specifically designated in the respective tables included in 
     the report accompanying this Act.
       (c) Limitation.--For specifically designated amounts that 
     are included, pursuant to subsection (a), in the report 
     required by section 653(a) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 
     1961, deviations authorized by subsection (b) may only take 
     place after submission of such report.
       (d) Exceptions.--Subsections (a) and (b) shall not apply 
     to--
       (1) funds for which the initial period of availability has 
     expired; and
       (2) amounts designated by this Act as minimum funding 
     requirements.
       (e) Reports.--The Secretary of State, USAID Administrator, 
     and other designated officials, as appropriate, shall submit 
     the reports required, in the manner described, in the report 
     accompanying this Act.
       (f) Clarification.--Funds appropriated by this Act under 
     the headings ``International Disaster Assistance'' and 
     ``Migration and Refugee Assistance'' shall not be included 
     for purposes of meeting amounts designated for countries in 
     this Act, unless such headings are specifically designated as 
     the source of funds.

                           multi-year pledges

       Sec. 7020.  None of the funds appropriated or otherwise 
     made available by this Act may be used to make any pledge for 
     future year funding for any multilateral or bilateral program 
     funded in titles III through VI of this Act unless such 
     pledge was: (1) previously justified, including the projected 
     future year costs, in a congressional budget justification; 
     (2) included in an Act making appropriations for the 
     Department of State, foreign operations, and related programs 
     or previously authorized by an Act of Congress; (3) notified 
     in accordance with the regular notification procedures of the 
     Committees on Appropriations, including the projected future 
     year costs; or (4) the subject of prior consultation with the 
     Committees on Appropriations and such consultation was 
     conducted at least 7 days in advance of the pledge.

   prohibition on assistance to governments supporting international 
                               terrorism

       Sec. 7021. (a) Lethal Military Equipment Exports.--
       (1) Prohibition.--None of the funds appropriated or 
     otherwise made available under titles III through VI of this 
     Act may be made available to any foreign government which 
     provides lethal military equipment to a country the 
     government of which the Secretary of State has determined 
     supports international terrorism for purposes of section 
     1754(c) of the Export Reform Control Act of 2018 (50 U.S.C. 
     4813(c)):  Provided, That the prohibition under this section 
     with respect to a foreign government shall terminate 12 
     months after that government ceases to provide such military 
     equipment:  Provided further, That this section applies with 
     respect to lethal military equipment provided under a 
     contract entered into after October 1, 1997.
       (2) Determination.--Assistance restricted by paragraph (1) 
     or any other similar provision of law, may be furnished if 
     the President determines that to do so is important to the 
     national interest of the United States.
       (3) Report.--Whenever the President makes a determination 
     pursuant to paragraph (2), the President shall submit to the 
     Committees on Appropriations a report with respect to the 
     furnishing of such assistance, including a detailed 
     explanation of the assistance to be provided, the estimated 
     dollar amount of such assistance, and an explanation of how 
     the assistance furthers the United States national interest.
       (b) Bilateral Assistance.--
       (1) Limitations.--Funds appropriated for bilateral 
     assistance in titles III through VI of this Act and funds 
     appropriated under any such title in prior Acts making 
     appropriations for the Department of State, foreign 
     operations, and related programs, shall not be made available 
     to any foreign government which the President determines--
       (A) grants sanctuary from prosecution to any individual or 
     group which has committed an act of international terrorism;
       (B) otherwise supports international terrorism; or
       (C) is controlled by an organization designated as a 
     terrorist organization under section 219 of the Immigration 
     and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1189).

[[Page H4737]]

       (2) Waiver.--The President may waive the application of 
     paragraph (1) to a government if the President determines 
     that national security or humanitarian reasons justify such 
     waiver:  Provided, That the President shall publish each such 
     waiver in the Federal Register and, at least 15 days before 
     the waiver takes effect, shall notify the Committees on 
     Appropriations of the waiver (including the justification for 
     the waiver) in accordance with the regular notification 
     procedures of the Committees on Appropriations.

                       authorization requirements

       Sec. 7022.  Funds appropriated by this Act, except funds 
     appropriated under the heading ``Trade and Development 
     Agency'', may be obligated and expended notwithstanding 
     section 10 of Public Law 91-672 (22 U.S.C. 2412), section 15 
     of the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 (22 
     U.S.C. 2680), section 313 of the Foreign Relations 
     Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1994 and 1995 (22 U.S.C. 
     6212), and section 504(a)(1) of the National Security Act of 
     1947 (50 U.S.C. 3094(a)(1)).

              definition of program, project, and activity

       Sec. 7023.  For the purpose of titles II through VI of this 
     Act, ``program, project, and activity'' shall be defined at 
     the appropriations Act account level and shall include all 
     appropriations and authorizations Acts funding directives, 
     ceilings, and limitations with the exception that for the 
     ``Economic Support Fund'', ``Assistance for Europe, Eurasia 
     and Central Asia'', and ``Foreign Military Financing 
     Program'' accounts, ``program, project, and activity'' shall 
     also be considered to include country, regional, and central 
     program level funding within each such account, and for the 
     development assistance accounts of the United States Agency 
     for International Development, ``program, project, and 
     activity'' shall also be considered to include central, 
     country, regional, and program level funding, either as--
       (1) justified to Congress; or
       (2) allocated by the Executive Branch in accordance with 
     the report required by section 653(a) of the Foreign 
     Assistance Act of 1961 or as modified pursuant to section 
     7019 of this Act.

authorities for the peace corps, inter-american foundation, and united 
                 states african development foundation

       Sec. 7024.  Unless expressly provided to the contrary, 
     provisions of this or any other Act, including provisions 
     contained in prior Acts authorizing or making appropriations 
     for the Department of State, foreign operations, and related 
     programs, shall not be construed to prohibit activities 
     authorized by or conducted under the Peace Corps Act, the 
     Inter-American Foundation Act, or the African Development 
     Foundation Act:  Provided, That prior to conducting 
     activities in a country for which assistance is prohibited, 
     the agency shall consult with the Committees on 
     Appropriations and report to such Committees within 15 days 
     of taking such action.

                commerce, trade and surplus commodities

       Sec. 7025. (a) World Markets.--None of the funds 
     appropriated or made available pursuant to titles III through 
     VI of this Act for direct assistance and none of the funds 
     otherwise made available to the Export-Import Bank and the 
     United States International Development Finance Corporation 
     shall be obligated or expended to finance any loan, any 
     assistance, or any other financial commitments for 
     establishing or expanding production of any commodity for 
     export by any country other than the United States, if the 
     commodity is likely to be in surplus on world markets at the 
     time the resulting productive capacity is expected to become 
     operative and if the assistance will cause substantial injury 
     to United States producers of the same, similar, or competing 
     commodity:  Provided, That such prohibition shall not apply 
     to the Export-Import Bank if in the judgment of its Board of 
     Directors the benefits to industry and employment in the 
     United States are likely to outweigh the injury to United 
     States producers of the same, similar, or competing 
     commodity, and the Chairman of the Board so notifies the 
     Committees on Appropriations:  Provided further, That this 
     subsection shall not prohibit--
       (1) activities in a country that is eligible for assistance 
     from the International Development Association, is not 
     eligible for assistance from the International Bank for 
     Reconstruction and Development, and does not export on a 
     consistent basis the agricultural commodity with respect to 
     which assistance is furnished; or
       (2) activities in a country the President determines is 
     recovering from widespread conflict, a humanitarian crisis, 
     or a complex emergency.
       (b) Exports.--None of the funds appropriated by this or any 
     other Act to carry out chapter 1 of part I of the Foreign 
     Assistance Act of 1961 shall be available for any testing or 
     breeding feasibility study, variety improvement or 
     introduction, consultancy, publication, conference, or 
     training in connection with the growth or production in a 
     foreign country of an agricultural commodity for export which 
     would compete with a similar commodity grown or produced in 
     the United States:  Provided, That this subsection shall not 
     prohibit--
       (1) activities designed to increase food security in 
     developing countries where such activities will not have a 
     significant impact on the export of agricultural commodities 
     of the United States;
       (2) research activities intended primarily to benefit 
     United States producers;
       (3) activities in a country that is eligible for assistance 
     from the International Development Association, is not 
     eligible for assistance from the International Bank for 
     Reconstruction and Development, and does not export on a 
     consistent basis the agricultural commodity with respect to 
     which assistance is furnished; or
       (4) activities in a country the President determines is 
     recovering from widespread conflict, a humanitarian crisis, 
     or a complex emergency.
       (c) International Financial Institutions.--The Secretary of 
     the Treasury shall instruct the United States executive 
     director of each international financial institution to use 
     the voice and vote of the United States to oppose any 
     assistance by such institution, using funds appropriated or 
     otherwise made available by this Act, for the production or 
     extraction of any commodity or mineral for export, if it is 
     in surplus on world markets and if the assistance will cause 
     substantial injury to United States producers of the same, 
     similar, or competing commodity.

                           separate accounts

       Sec. 7026. (a) Separate Accounts for Local Currencies.--
       (1) Agreements.--If assistance is furnished to the 
     government of a foreign country under chapters 1 and 10 of 
     part I or chapter 4 of part II of the Foreign Assistance Act 
     of 1961 under agreements which result in the generation of 
     local currencies of that country, the Administrator of the 
     United States Agency for International Development shall--
       (A) require that local currencies be deposited in a 
     separate account established by that government;
       (B) enter into an agreement with that government which sets 
     forth--
       (i) the amount of the local currencies to be generated; and
       (ii) the terms and conditions under which the currencies so 
     deposited may be utilized, consistent with this section; and
       (C) establish by agreement with that government the 
     responsibilities of USAID and that government to monitor and 
     account for deposits into and disbursements from the separate 
     account.
       (2) Uses of local currencies.--As may be agreed upon with 
     the foreign government, local currencies deposited in a 
     separate account pursuant to subsection (a), or an equivalent 
     amount of local currencies, shall be used only--
       (A) to carry out chapter 1 or 10 of part I or chapter 4 of 
     part II of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (as the case 
     may be), for such purposes as--
       (i) project and sector assistance activities; or
       (ii) debt and deficit financing; or
       (B) for the administrative requirements of the United 
     States Government.
       (3) Programming accountability.--USAID shall take all 
     necessary steps to ensure that the equivalent of the local 
     currencies disbursed pursuant to subsection (a)(2)(A) from 
     the separate account established pursuant to subsection 
     (a)(1) are used for the purposes agreed upon pursuant to 
     subsection (a)(2).
       (4) Termination of assistance programs.--Upon termination 
     of assistance to a country under chapter 1 or 10 of part I or 
     chapter 4 of part II of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 
     (as the case may be), any unencumbered balances of funds 
     which remain in a separate account established pursuant to 
     subsection (a) shall be disposed of for such purposes as may 
     be agreed to by the government of that country and the United 
     States Government.
       (b) Separate Accounts for Cash Transfers.--
       (1) In general.--If assistance is made available to the 
     government of a foreign country, under chapter 1 or 10 of 
     part I or chapter 4 of part II of the Foreign Assistance Act 
     of 1961, as cash transfer assistance or as nonproject sector 
     assistance, that country shall be required to maintain such 
     funds in a separate account and not commingle with any other 
     funds.
       (2) Applicability of other provisions of law.--Such funds 
     may be obligated and expended notwithstanding provisions of 
     law which are inconsistent with the nature of this 
     assistance, including provisions which are referenced in the 
     Joint Explanatory Statement of the Committee of Conference 
     accompanying House Joint Resolution 648 (House Report No. 98-
     1159).
       (3) Notification.--At least 15 days prior to obligating any 
     such cash transfer or nonproject sector assistance, the 
     President shall submit a notification through the regular 
     notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations, 
     which shall include a detailed description of how the funds 
     proposed to be made available will be used, with a discussion 
     of the United States interests that will be served by such 
     assistance (including, as appropriate, a description of the 
     economic policy reforms that will be promoted by such 
     assistance).
       (4) Exemption.--Nonproject sector assistance funds may be 
     exempt from the requirements of paragraph (1) only through 
     the regular notification procedures of the Committees on 
     Appropriations.

                       eligibility for assistance

       Sec. 7027. (a) Assistance Through Nongovernmental 
     Organizations.--Restrictions contained in this or any other 
     Act with respect to assistance for a country shall not be 
     construed to restrict assistance in support of programs of 
     nongovernmental organizations from funds appropriated by this 
     Act to

[[Page H4738]]

     carry out the provisions of chapters 1, 10, 11, and 12 of 
     part I and chapter 4 of part II of the Foreign Assistance Act 
     of 1961 and from funds appropriated under the heading 
     ``Assistance for Europe, Eurasia and Central Asia'':  
     Provided, That before using the authority of this subsection 
     to furnish assistance in support of programs of 
     nongovernmental organizations, the President shall notify the 
     Committees on Appropriations pursuant to the regular 
     notification procedures, including a description of the 
     program to be assisted, the assistance to be provided, and 
     the reasons for furnishing such assistance:  Provided 
     further, That nothing in this subsection shall be construed 
     to alter any existing statutory prohibitions against abortion 
     or involuntary sterilizations contained in this or any other 
     Act.
       (b) Public Law 480.--During fiscal year 2024, restrictions 
     contained in this or any other Act with respect to assistance 
     for a country shall not be construed to restrict assistance 
     under the Food for Peace Act (Public Law 83-480; 7 U.S.C. 
     1721 et seq.):  Provided, That none of the funds appropriated 
     to carry out title I of such Act and made available pursuant 
     to this subsection may be obligated or expended except as 
     provided through the regular notification procedures of the 
     Committees on Appropriations.
       (c) Exception.--This section shall not apply--
       (1) with respect to section 620A of the Foreign Assistance 
     Act of 1961 or any comparable provision of law prohibiting 
     assistance to countries that support international terrorism; 
     or
       (2) with respect to section 116 of the Foreign Assistance 
     Act of 1961 or any comparable provision of law prohibiting 
     assistance to the government of a country that violates 
     internationally recognized human rights.

                  impact on jobs in the united states

       Sec. 7028.  None of the funds appropriated or otherwise 
     made available under titles III through VI of this Act may be 
     obligated or expended to provide--
       (1) any financial incentive to a business enterprise 
     currently located in the United States for the purpose of 
     inducing such an enterprise to relocate outside the United 
     States if such incentive or inducement is likely to reduce 
     the number of employees of such business enterprise in the 
     United States because United States production is being 
     replaced by such enterprise outside the United States;
       (2) assistance for any program, project, or activity that 
     contributes to the violation of internationally recognized 
     workers' rights, as defined in section 507(4) of the Trade 
     Act of 1974, of workers in the recipient country, including 
     any designated zone or area in that country:  Provided, That 
     the application of section 507(4)(D) and (E) of such Act (19 
     U.S.C. 2467(4)(D) and (E)) should be commensurate with the 
     level of development of the recipient country and sector, and 
     shall not preclude assistance for the informal sector in such 
     country, micro and small-scale enterprise, and smallholder 
     agriculture;
       (3) any assistance to an entity outside the United States 
     if such assistance is for the purpose of directly relocating 
     or transferring jobs from the United States to other 
     countries and adversely impacts the labor force in the United 
     States; or
       (4) for the enforcement of any rule, regulation, policy, or 
     guidelines implemented pursuant to the Supplemental 
     Guidelines for High Carbon Intensity Projects approved by the 
     Export-Import Bank of the United States on December 12, 2013, 
     when enforcement of such rule, regulation, policy, or 
     guidelines would prohibit, or have the effect of prohibiting, 
     any coal-fired or other power-generation project the purpose 
     of which is to--
       (A) provide affordable electricity in International 
     Development Association (IDA)-eligible countries and IDA-
     blend countries; and
       (B) increase exports of goods and services from the United 
     States or prevent the loss of jobs from the United States.

                  international financial institutions

       Sec. 7029. (a) Compensation.--None of the funds 
     appropriated under title V of this Act may be made as payment 
     to any international financial institution while the United 
     States executive director to such institution is compensated 
     by the institution at a rate which, together with whatever 
     compensation such executive director receives from the United 
     States, is in excess of the rate provided for an individual 
     occupying a position at level IV of the Executive Schedule 
     under section 5315 of title 5, United States Code, or while 
     any alternate United States executive director to such 
     institution is compensated by the institution at a rate in 
     excess of the rate provided for an individual occupying a 
     position at level V of the Executive Schedule under section 
     5316 of title 5, United States Code.
       (b) Human Rights.--The Secretary of the Treasury shall 
     instruct the United States executive director of each 
     international financial institution to use the voice and vote 
     of the United States to promote human rights due diligence 
     and risk management, as appropriate, in connection with any 
     loan, grant, policy, or strategy of such institution.
       (c) Fraud and Corruption.--The Secretary of the Treasury 
     shall instruct the United States executive director of each 
     international financial institution to use the voice of the 
     United States to include in loan, grant, and other financing 
     agreements improvements in borrowing countries' financial 
     management and judicial capacity to investigate, prosecute, 
     and punish fraud and corruption.
       (d) Beneficial Ownership Information.--The Secretary of the 
     Treasury shall instruct the United States executive director 
     of each international financial institution to use the voice 
     of the United States to encourage such institution to 
     collect, verify, and publish, to the maximum extent 
     practicable, beneficial ownership information (excluding 
     proprietary information) for any corporation or limited 
     liability company, other than a publicly listed company, that 
     receives funds from any such financial institution.
       (e) Whistleblower Protections.--The Secretary of the 
     Treasury shall instruct the United States executive director 
     of each international financial institution to use the voice 
     of the United States to encourage such institution to 
     effectively implement and enforce policies and procedures 
     which meet or exceed best practices in the United States for 
     the protection of whistleblowers from retaliation, 
     including--
       (1) protection against retaliation for internal and lawful 
     public disclosure;
       (2) legal burdens of proof;
       (3) statutes of limitation for reporting retaliation;
       (4) access to binding independent adjudicative bodies, 
     including shared cost and selection external arbitration; and
       (5) results that eliminate the effects of proven 
     retaliation, including provision for the restoration of prior 
     employment.
       (f) Grievance Mechanisms and Procedures.--The Secretary of 
     the Treasury shall instruct the United States executive 
     director of each international financial institution to use 
     the voice of the United States to support independent 
     investigative and adjudicative mechanisms and procedures that 
     meet or exceed best practices in the United States to provide 
     due process and fair compensation, including the right to 
     reinstatement, for employees who are subjected to harassment, 
     discrimination, retaliation, false allegations, or other 
     misconduct.
       (g) Capital Increases.--None of the funds appropriated by 
     this Act may be made available to support a new capital 
     increase for an international financial institution unless 
     the President submits a budget request for such increase to 
     Congress and determines and reports to the Committees on 
     Appropriations that--
       (1) the institution has completed a thorough analysis of 
     the development challenges facing the relevant geographical 
     region, the role of the institution in addressing such 
     challenges and its role relative to other financing partners, 
     and the steps to be taken to enhance the efficiency and 
     effectiveness of the institution; and
       (2) the governors of such institution have approved the 
     capital increase.
       (h) Opposition to Lending to the People's Republic of 
     China.--The Secretary of the Treasury shall instruct the 
     United States executive director at each multilateral 
     development bank to use the voice and vote of the United 
     States to oppose any loan, extension of financial assistance, 
     or technical assistance by such bank to the People's Republic 
     of China.
       (i) Contributions to Financial Intermediary Funds.--The 
     Secretary of the Treasury shall ensure that no United States 
     contribution to a financial intermediary fund may be used to 
     provide any loan, extension of financial assistance, or 
     technical assistance to the People's Republic of China or to 
     any country or region subject to comprehensive sanctions by 
     the United States.
       (j) Report to Congress and Withholding.--
       (1) Not later than 120 days after the date of enactment of 
     this Act, the Secretary of the Treasury shall submit a report 
     to the Committees on Appropriations indicating the amount of 
     funds that a financial intermediary fund is budgeting for the 
     year in which the report is submitted for a country or region 
     described in subsection (i).
       (2) If a report under paragraph (1) indicates that a 
     financial intermediary fund plans to spend funds for a 
     country or region described under subsection (i), including 
     through projects implemented by a multilateral development 
     bank, then 10 percent of the United States contribution to 
     such bank shall be withheld from obligation for the remainder 
     of the fiscal year in which the report is submitted.
       (k) Guidance on Multilateral Development Banks.--None of 
     the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this 
     Act under the heading ``Multilateral Assistance'' may be used 
     to implement, administer, or otherwise carry out Executive 
     Order 14008 (relating to Executive Order on Tackling the 
     Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad), including the memorandum 
     entitled ``Guidance on Fossil Fuel Energy at the Multilateral 
     Development Banks'', issued by the Department of the Treasury 
     on August 16, 2021.

                          technology security

       Sec. 7030. (a) Insecure Communications Networks.--Funds 
     appropriated by this Act shall be made available for 
     programs, including through the Digital Connectivity and 
     Cybersecurity Partnership, to--
       (1) advance the adoption of secure, next-generation 
     communications networks and services, including 5G, and 
     cybersecurity policies, in countries receiving assistance 
     under this Act and prior Acts making appropriations for the 
     Department of State, foreign operations, and related 
     programs;

[[Page H4739]]

       (2) counter the establishment of insecure communications 
     networks and services, including 5G, promoted by the People's 
     Republic of China and other state-backed enterprises that are 
     subject to undue or extrajudicial control by their country of 
     origin; and
       (3) provide policy and technical training on deploying 
     open, interoperable, reliable, and secure networks to 
     information communication technology professionals in 
     countries receiving assistance under this Act, as 
     appropriate:
       Provided, That such funds, including funds appropriated 
     under the heading ``Economic Support Fund'', may be used to 
     strengthen civilian cybersecurity and information and 
     communications technology capacity, including participation 
     of foreign law enforcement and military personnel in non-
     military activities, notwithstanding any other provision of 
     law and following consultation with the Committees on 
     Appropriations.
       (b) CHIPS for America International Technology Security and 
     Innovation Fund.--
       (1) Within 45 days of enactment of this Act, the Secretary 
     of State shall allocate amounts made available from the 
     Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) 
     for America International Technology Security and Innovation 
     Fund for fiscal year 2024 pursuant to the transfer authority 
     in section 102(c)(1) of the CHIPS Act of 2022 (division A of 
     Public Law 117-167), to the accounts specified and in the 
     amounts specified, in the table titled ``CHIPS for America 
     International Technology Security and Innovation Fund'' in 
     the report accompanying this Act:  Provided, That such funds 
     shall be subject to prior consultation with, and the regular 
     notification procedures of, the Committees on Appropriations: 
      Provided further, That amounts transferred to the Export-
     Import Bank of the United States and the United States 
     International Development Finance Corporation pursuant to the 
     transfer authority in section 102(c)(1) of the CHIPS Act of 
     2022 (division A of Public Law 117-167) may be made available 
     for the costs of direct loans and loan guarantees, including 
     the cost of modifying such loans, as defined in section 502 
     of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974.
       (2) Neither the President nor his designee may allocate any 
     amounts that are made available for any fiscal year under 
     section 102(c)(2) of the CHIPS Act of 2022 if there is in 
     effect an Act making or continuing appropriations for part of 
     a fiscal year for the Department of State, Foreign 
     Operations, and Related Programs:  Provided, That in any 
     fiscal year, the matter preceding this proviso shall not 
     apply to the allocation, apportionment, or allotment of 
     amounts for continuing administration of programs allocated 
     using funds transferred from the CHIPS for America 
     International Technology Security and Innovation Fund, which 
     may be allocated pursuant to the transfer authority in 
     section 102(c)(1) of the CHIPS Act of 2022 only in amounts 
     that are no more than the allocation for such purposes in 
     paragraph (1) of this subsection.
       (3) Concurrent with the annual budget submission of the 
     President for fiscal year 2025, the Secretary of State shall 
     submit to the Committees on Appropriations proposed 
     allocations by account and by program, project, or activity, 
     with detailed justifications, for amounts made available 
     under section 102(c)(2) of the CHIPS Act of 2022 for fiscal 
     year 2025.
       (4) The Secretary of State shall provide the Committees on 
     Appropriations quarterly reports on the status of balances of 
     projects and activities funded by the CHIPS for America 
     International Technology Security and Innovation Fund for 
     amounts allocated pursuant to paragraph (1) of this 
     subsection, including all uncommitted, committed, and 
     unobligated funds.

     financial management, budget transparency, and anti-corruption

       Sec. 7031. (a) Limitation on Direct Government-to-
     Government Assistance.--
       (1) Requirements.--Funds appropriated by this Act may be 
     made available for direct government-to-government assistance 
     only if--
       (A)(i) each implementing agency or ministry to receive 
     assistance has been assessed and is considered to have the 
     systems required to manage such assistance and any identified 
     vulnerabilities or weaknesses of such agency or ministry have 
     been addressed;
       (ii) the recipient agency or ministry employs and utilizes 
     staff with the necessary technical, financial, and management 
     capabilities;
       (iii) the recipient agency or ministry has adopted 
     competitive procurement policies and systems;
       (iv) effective monitoring and evaluation systems are in 
     place to ensure that such assistance is used for its intended 
     purposes;
       (v) no level of acceptable fraud is assumed; and
       (vi) the government of the recipient country is taking 
     steps to publicly disclose on an annual basis its national 
     budget, to include income and expenditures;
       (B) the recipient government is in compliance with the 
     principles set forth in section 7013 of this Act;
       (C) the recipient agency or ministry is not headed or 
     controlled by an organization designated as a foreign 
     terrorist organization under section 219 of the Immigration 
     and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1189);
       (D) the Government of the United States and the government 
     of the recipient country have agreed, in writing, on clear 
     and achievable objectives for the use of such assistance, 
     which should be made available on a cost-reimbursable basis;
       (E) the recipient government is taking steps to protect the 
     rights of civil society, including freedoms of expression, 
     association, and assembly; and
       (F) the government of the recipient country is taking steps 
     to reduce corruption.
       (2) Consultation and notification.--In addition to the 
     requirements in paragraph (1), funds may only be made 
     available for direct government-to-government assistance 
     subject to prior consultation with, and the regular 
     notification procedures of, the Committees on Appropriations: 
      Provided, That such notification shall contain an 
     explanation of how the proposed activity meets the 
     requirements of paragraph (1):  Provided further, That the 
     requirements of this paragraph shall only apply to direct 
     government-to-government assistance in excess of $5,000,000 
     and all funds available for cash transfer, budget support, 
     and cash payments to individuals.
       (3) Suspension of assistance.--The Administrator of the 
     United States Agency for International Development or the 
     Secretary of State, as appropriate, shall suspend any direct 
     government-to-government assistance if the Administrator or 
     the Secretary has credible information of material misuse of 
     such assistance, unless the Administrator or the Secretary 
     reports to the Committees on Appropriations that it is in the 
     national interest of the United States to continue such 
     assistance, including a justification, or that such misuse 
     has been appropriately addressed.
       (4) Submission of information.--The Secretary of State 
     shall submit to the Committees on Appropriations, concurrent 
     with the fiscal year 2025 congressional budget justification 
     materials, amounts planned for assistance described in 
     paragraph (1) by country, proposed funding amount, source of 
     funds, and type of assistance.
       (5) Debt service payment prohibition.--None of the funds 
     made available by this Act may be used by the government of 
     any foreign country for debt service payments owed by any 
     country to any international financial institution or to the 
     Government of the People's Republic of China.
       (b) National Budget and Contract Transparency.--
       (1) Minimum requirements of fiscal transparency.--The 
     Secretary of State shall continue to update and strengthen 
     the ``minimum requirements of fiscal transparency'' for each 
     government receiving assistance appropriated by this Act, as 
     identified in the report required by section 7031(b) of the 
     Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs 
     Appropriations Act, 2014 (division K of Public Law 113-76).
       (2) Determination and report.--For each government 
     identified pursuant to paragraph (1), the Secretary of State, 
     not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this 
     Act, shall make or update any determination of ``significant 
     progress'' or ``no significant progress'' in meeting the 
     minimum requirements of fiscal transparency, and make such 
     determinations publicly available in an annual ``Fiscal 
     Transparency Report'' to be posted on the Department of State 
     website:  Provided, That such report shall include the 
     elements included under this section in the report 
     accompanying this Act.
       (3) Assistance.--Funds appropriated under title III of this 
     Act shall be made available for programs and activities to 
     assist governments identified pursuant to paragraph (1) to 
     improve budget transparency and to support civil society 
     organizations in such countries that promote budget 
     transparency.
       (c) Anti-Kleptocracy and Human Rights.--
       (1) Ineligibility.--
       (A) Officials of foreign governments and their immediate 
     family members about whom the Secretary of State has credible 
     information have been involved, directly or indirectly, in 
     significant corruption, including corruption related to the 
     extraction of natural resources, or a gross violation of 
     human rights, including the wrongful detention of locally 
     employed staff of a United States diplomatic mission or a 
     United States citizen or national, shall be ineligible for 
     entry into the United States.
       (B) Concurrent with the application of subparagraph (A), 
     the Secretary shall, as appropriate, refer the matter to the 
     Office of Foreign Assets Control, Department of the Treasury, 
     to determine whether to apply sanctions authorities in 
     accordance with United States law to block the transfer of 
     property and interests in property, and all financial 
     transactions, in the United States involving any person 
     described in such subparagraph.
       (C) The Secretary shall also publicly or privately 
     designate or identify the officials of foreign governments 
     and their immediate family members about whom the Secretary 
     has such credible information without regard to whether the 
     individual has applied for a visa.
       (2) Exception.--Individuals shall not be ineligible for 
     entry into the United States pursuant to paragraph (1) if 
     such entry would further important United States law 
     enforcement objectives or is necessary to permit the United 
     States to fulfill its obligations under the United Nations 
     Headquarters Agreement:  Provided, That nothing in paragraph 
     (1) shall be construed to derogate from United States

[[Page H4740]]

     Government obligations under applicable international 
     agreements.
       (3) Waiver.--The Secretary may waive the application of 
     paragraph (1) if the Secretary determines that the waiver 
     would serve a compelling national interest or that the 
     circumstances which caused the individual to be ineligible 
     have changed sufficiently.
       (4) Report.--Not later than 30 days after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, and every 90 days thereafter until 
     September 30, 2025, the Secretary of State shall submit a 
     report, including a classified annex if necessary, to the 
     appropriate congressional committees and the Committees on 
     the Judiciary describing the information related to 
     corruption or violation of human rights concerning each of 
     the individuals found ineligible in the previous 12 months 
     pursuant to paragraph (1)(A) as well as the individuals who 
     the Secretary designated or identified pursuant to paragraph 
     (1)(B), or who would be ineligible but for the application of 
     paragraph (2), a list of any waivers provided under paragraph 
     (3), and the justification for each waiver.
       (d) Extraction of Natural Resources.--
       (1) Assistance.--Funds appropriated by this Act may be made 
     available to promote and support transparency and 
     accountability of expenditures and revenues related to the 
     extraction of natural resources, including by strengthening 
     implementation and monitoring of the Extractive Industries 
     Transparency Initiative, implementing and enforcing section 
     8204 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 
     (Public Law 110-246; 122 Stat. 2052) and the amendments made 
     by such section, and to prevent the sale of conflict 
     diamonds, and for technical assistance to promote independent 
     audit mechanisms and support civil society participation in 
     natural resource management.
       (2) Prohibition.--None of the funds appropriated by this 
     Act under title III may be made available to support mining 
     activities related to the extraction of minerals until the 
     Secretary of State certifies and reports to the appropriate 
     congressional committees that comparable mining activities 
     are permitted in areas in the United States which were 
     allowable prior to 2023: Provided, That the restriction in 
     this paragraph shall not apply to United States entities.
       (e) Foreign Assistance Website.--Funds appropriated by this 
     Act under titles I and II, and funds made available for any 
     independent agency in title III, as appropriate, shall be 
     made available to support the provision of additional 
     information on United States Government foreign assistance on 
     the ``ForeignAssistance.gov'' website: Provided, That all 
     Federal agencies funded under this Act shall provide such 
     information on foreign assistance, upon request and in a 
     timely manner, to the Department of State and the United 
     States Agency for International Development.

                           democracy programs

       Sec. 7032. (a) Funding.--Of the funds appropriated by this 
     Act under the headings ``Development Assistance'', ``Economic 
     Support Fund'', ``Democracy Fund'', ``Assistance for Europe, 
     Eurasia and Central Asia'', and ``International Narcotics 
     Control and Law Enforcement'', $2,900,000,000 shall be made 
     available for democracy programs.
       (b) Authorities.--
       (1) Availability.--Funds made available by this Act for 
     democracy programs pursuant to subsection (a) and under the 
     heading ``National Endowment for Democracy'' may be made 
     available notwithstanding any other provision of law, and 
     with regard to the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), 
     any regulation.
       (2) Beneficiaries.--Funds made available by this Act for 
     the NED are made available pursuant to the authority of the 
     National Endowment for Democracy Act (title V of Public Law 
     98-164), including all decisions regarding the selection of 
     beneficiaries.
       (c) Definition of Democracy Programs.--For purposes of 
     funds appropriated by this Act, the term ``democracy 
     programs'' means programs that support: outcomes of improved 
     democratic governance; credible and observable electoral 
     processes; strong, multi-party political systems with rights 
     to contest government; rule of law; freedoms of expression, 
     assembly, association, and religion; human rights, including 
     property rights; activities by non-governmental organizations 
     and other civil society, including independent media, that 
     promote the outcomes described in this subsection.
       (d) Program Prioritization.--Funds made available for 
     support to strengthen government institutions, including 
     ministries, should be prioritized for countries demonstrating 
     strong separation of powers, checks and balances, rule of 
     law, and credible and observable electoral processes.
       (e) Restrictions on Foreign Government Interference.--With 
     respect to the provision of assistance for democracy programs 
     in this Act, the organizations implementing such assistance, 
     the specific nature of the assistance, and the participants 
     in such programs shall not be subject to prior approval by 
     the government of any foreign country.
       (f) Informing Programming.--The Secretary of State, 
     Administrator of the United States Agency for International 
     Development, and President of the NED should coordinate on 
     plans for democracy programs supported with funds 
     appropriated by this Act during joint regional and country 
     planning for fiscal year 2024.

                    international religious freedom

       Sec. 7033. (a) International Religious Freedom Office.--
     Funds appropriated by this Act under the heading ``Diplomatic 
     Programs'' shall be made available for the Office of 
     International Religious Freedom, Department of State.
       (b) Assistance.--(1) Of the funds appropriated by this Act 
     under the headings ``Economic Support Fund'', ``Democracy 
     Fund'', and ``International Broadcasting Operations'', not 
     less than $50,000,000 shall be made available for 
     international religious freedom programs: Provided, That 
     funds made available by this Act under the headings 
     ``Economic Support Fund'' and ``Democracy Fund'' pursuant to 
     this section shall be the responsibility of the Ambassador-
     at-Large for International Religious Freedom, in consultation 
     with other relevant United States Government officials, and 
     shall be subject to prior consultation with the Committees on 
     Appropriations.
       (2) Funds appropriated by this Act under the headings 
     ``International Disaster Assistance'' and ``Migration and 
     Refugee Assistance'' shall be made available for humanitarian 
     assistance for vulnerable and persecuted ethnic and religious 
     minorities
       (c) Authority.--Funds appropriated by this Act and prior 
     Acts making appropriations for the Department of State, 
     foreign operations, and related programs under the heading 
     ``Economic Support Fund'' may be made available 
     notwithstanding any other provision of law for assistance for 
     ethnic and religious minorities in Iraq and Syria.
       (d) Designation of Non-State Actors.--Section 7033(e) of 
     the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related 
     Programs Appropriations Act, 2017 (division J of Public Law 
     115-31) shall continue in effect during fiscal year 2024.

                           special provisions

       Sec. 7034. (a) Victims of War, Displaced Children, and 
     Displaced Burmese.--Funds appropriated in title III of this 
     Act that are made available for victims of war, displaced 
     children, displaced Burmese, and to combat trafficking in 
     persons and assist victims of such trafficking may be made 
     available notwithstanding any other provision of law.
       (b) Forensic Assistance.--
       (1) Funds appropriated by this Act under the heading 
     ``Economic Support Fund'' shall be made available for 
     forensic anthropology assistance related to the exhumation 
     and identification of victims of war crimes, crimes against 
     humanity, and genocide, which shall be administered by the 
     Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, 
     Department of State.
       (2) Of the funds appropriated by this Act under the heading 
     ``International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement'', not 
     less than $10,000,000 shall be made available for DNA 
     forensic technology programs to combat human trafficking in 
     Central America and Mexico.
       (c) World Food Programme.--Funds managed by the Bureau for 
     Humanitarian Assistance, United States Agency for 
     International Development from this Act may be made available 
     as a general contribution to the World Food Programme.
       (d) Directives and Authorities.--
       (1) Research and training.--Funds appropriated by this Act 
     under the heading ``Assistance for Europe, Eurasia and 
     Central Asia'' shall be made available to carry out the 
     Program for Research and Training on Eastern Europe and the 
     Independent States of the Former Soviet Union as authorized 
     by the Soviet-Eastern European Research and Training Act of 
     1983 (22 U.S.C. 4501 et seq.).
       (2) Genocide victims memorial sites.--Funds appropriated by 
     this Act and prior Acts making appropriations for the 
     Department of State, foreign operations, and related programs 
     under the headings ``Economic Support Fund'' and ``Assistance 
     for Europe, Eurasia and Central Asia'' may be made available 
     as contributions to establish and maintain memorial sites of 
     genocide, subject to the regular notification procedures of 
     the Committees on Appropriations.
       (3) Special envoy for holocaust issues.--Funds appropriated 
     by this Act under the heading ``Diplomatic Programs'' may be 
     made available for the Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues 
     notwithstanding the limitation of section 7064(e)(3) of this 
     Act.
       (4) Private sector partnerships.--Of the funds appropriated 
     by this Act under the headings ``Development Assistance'' and 
     ``Economic Support Fund'' that are made available for private 
     sector partnerships, including partnerships with 
     philanthropic foundations, up to $50,000,000 may remain 
     available until September 30, 2026:  Provided, That funds 
     made available pursuant to this paragraph may only be made 
     available following prior consultation with, and the regular 
     notification procedures of, the Committees on Appropriations.
       (5) Innovation.--The USAID Administrator may use funds 
     appropriated by this Act under title III to make innovation 
     incentive awards in accordance with the terms and conditions 
     of section 7034(e)(4) of the Department of State, Foreign 
     Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2019 
     (division F of Public Law 116-6):  Provided, That each 
     individual award may not exceed $100,000.
       (6) Exchange visitor program.--None of the funds made 
     available by this Act may be used to modify the Exchange 
     Visitor Program administered by the Department of State to 
     implement the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 
     1961 (Public Law 87-256; 22 U.S.C. 2451 et seq.), except 
     through the formal rulemaking process pursuant to the 
     Administrative Procedure Act

[[Page H4741]]

     (5 U.S.C. 551 et seq.) and notwithstanding the exceptions to 
     such rulemaking process in such Act:  Provided, That funds 
     made available for such purpose shall only be made available 
     after consultation with, and subject to the regular 
     notification procedures of, the Committees on Appropriations, 
     regarding how any proposed modification would affect the 
     public diplomacy goals of, and the estimated economic impact 
     on, the United States:  Provided further, That such 
     consultation shall take place not later than 30 days prior to 
     the publication in the Federal Register of any regulatory 
     action modifying the Exchange Visitor Program.
       (7) Payments.--Funds appropriated by this Act and prior 
     Acts making appropriations for the Department of State, 
     foreign operations, and related programs under the headings 
     ``Diplomatic Programs'' and ``Operating Expenses'', except 
     for funds designated by Congress as an emergency requirement 
     pursuant to a concurrent resolution on the budget or the 
     Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, 
     are available to provide payments pursuant to section 
     901(i)(2) of title IX of division J of the Further 
     Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 (22 U.S.C. 
     2680b(i)(2)):  Provided, That funds made available pursuant 
     to this paragraph shall be subject to prior consultation with 
     the Committees on Appropriations.
       (e) Partner Vetting.--Prior to initiating a partner vetting 
     program, providing a direct vetting option, or making a 
     significant change to the scope of an existing partner 
     vetting program, the Secretary of State and USAID 
     Administrator, as appropriate, shall consult with the 
     Committees on Appropriations:  Provided, That the Secretary 
     and the Administrator shall provide a direct vetting option 
     for prime awardees in any partner vetting program initiated 
     or significantly modified after the date of enactment of this 
     Act, unless the Secretary or Administrator, as applicable, 
     informs the Committees on Appropriations on a case-by-case 
     basis that a direct vetting option is not feasible for such 
     program:  Provided further, That the Secretary and the 
     Administrator may restrict the award of, terminate, or cancel 
     contracts, grants, or cooperative agreements or require an 
     awardee to restrict the award of, terminate, or cancel a sub-
     award based on information in connection with a partner 
     vetting program.
       (f) International Child Abductions.--The Secretary of State 
     should withhold funds appropriated under title III of this 
     Act for assistance for the central government of any country 
     that is not taking appropriate steps to comply with the 
     Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child 
     Abductions, done at the Hague on October 25, 1980:  Provided, 
     That the Secretary shall report to the Committees on 
     Appropriations within 15 days of withholding funds under this 
     subsection.
       (g) Transfer of Funds for Extraordinary Protection.--The 
     Secretary of State may transfer to, and merge with, funds 
     under the heading ``Protection of Foreign Missions and 
     Officials'' unobligated balances of expired funds 
     appropriated under the heading ``Diplomatic Programs'' for 
     fiscal year 2024, at no later than the end of the fifth 
     fiscal year after the last fiscal year for which such funds 
     are available for the purposes for which appropriated:  
     Provided, That not more than $50,000,000 may be transferred.
       (h) Extension of Authorities.--
       (1) Incentives for critical posts.--The authority contained 
     in section 1115(d) of the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 
     2009 (Public Law 111-32) shall remain in effect through 
     September 30, 2024.
       (2) Special inspector general for afghanistan 
     reconstruction competitive status.--Notwithstanding any other 
     provision of law, any employee of the Special Inspector 
     General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) who completes 
     at least 12 months of continuous service after enactment of 
     this Act or who is employed on the date on which SIGAR 
     terminates, whichever occurs first, shall acquire competitive 
     status for appointment to any position in the competitive 
     service for which the employee possesses the required 
     qualifications.
       (3) Transfer of balances.--Section 7081(h) of the 
     Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs 
     Appropriations Act, 2017 (division J of Public Law 115-31) 
     shall continue in effect during fiscal year 2024.
       (4) Protective services.--Section 7071 of the Department of 
     State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs 
     Appropriations Act, 2022 (division K of Public Law 117-103) 
     shall continue in effect during fiscal year 2024 and shall be 
     applied to funds appropriated by this Act by substituting 
     ``$40,000,000'' for ``$30,000,000''.
       (5) Extension of loan guarantees to israel.--Chapter 5 of 
     title I of the Emergency Wartime Supplemental Appropriations 
     Act, 2003 (Public Law 108-11; 117 Stat. 576) is amended under 
     the heading ``Loan Guarantees to Israel''--
       (A) in the matter preceding the first proviso, by striking 
     ``September 30, 2028'' and inserting ``September 30, 2029''; 
     and
       (B) in the second proviso, by striking ``September 30, 
     2028'' and inserting ``September 30, 2029''.
       (6) Extension of certain personal services contract 
     authority.--The authority provided in section 2401 of 
     division C of the Extending Government Funding and Delivering 
     Emergency Assistance Act (Public Law 117-43) shall remain in 
     effect through September 30, 2024.
       (7) Extension of certain requirements.--During the current 
     fiscal year, sections (2), (3), and (4) of the PEPFAR 
     Extension Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-305) shall be applied 
     by substituting ``2024'' for ``2023'' each place it occurs.
       (i) Monitoring and Evaluation.--
       (1) Beneficiary feedback.--Funds appropriated by this Act 
     that are made available for monitoring and evaluation of 
     assistance under the headings ``Development Assistance'', 
     ``International Disaster Assistance'', and ``Migration and 
     Refugee Assistance'' shall be made available for the regular 
     and systematic collection of feedback obtained directly from 
     beneficiaries to enhance the quality and relevance of such 
     assistance:  Provided, That the Secretary of State and USAID 
     Administrator shall regularly conduct oversight to ensure 
     that such feedback is collected and used by implementing 
     partners to maximize the cost-effectiveness and utility of 
     such assistance.
       (2) Ex-post evaluations.--Of the funds appropriated by this 
     Act under titles III and IV, not less than $10,000,000 should 
     be made available for ex-post evaluations of the 
     effectiveness and sustainability of United States Government-
     funded assistance programs.
       (j) HIV/AIDS Working Capital Fund.--Funds available in the 
     HIV/AIDS Working Capital Fund established pursuant to section 
     525(b)(1) of the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and 
     Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2005 (Public Law 108-
     447) may be made available for pharmaceuticals and other 
     products for child survival, malaria, and tuberculosis to the 
     same extent as HIV/AIDS pharmaceuticals and other products, 
     subject to the terms and conditions in such section:  
     Provided, That the authority in section 525(b)(5) of the 
     Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs 
     Appropriations Act, 2005 (Public Law 108-447) shall be 
     exercised by the Assistant Administrator for Global Health, 
     USAID, with respect to funds deposited for such non-HIV/AIDS 
     pharmaceuticals and other products, and shall be subject to 
     the regular notification procedures of the Committees on 
     Appropriations:  Provided further, That the Secretary of 
     State shall include in the congressional budget justification 
     an accounting of budgetary resources, disbursements, 
     balances, and reimbursements related to such fund.
       (k) Loans, Consultation, and Notification.--
       (1) Loan guarantees.--Funds appropriated under the headings 
     ``Economic Support Fund'' and ``Assistance for Europe, 
     Eurasia and Central Asia'' by this Act and prior Acts making 
     appropriations for the Department of State, foreign 
     operations, and related programs may be made available for 
     the costs, as defined in section 502 of the Congressional 
     Budget Act of 1974, of loan guarantees for Egypt, Jordan, 
     Small Island Developing States, and Ukraine, which are 
     authorized to be provided:  Provided, That amounts made 
     available under this paragraph for the costs of such 
     guarantees shall not be considered assistance for the 
     purposes of provisions of law limiting assistance to a 
     country.
       (2) Foreign military financing direct loans.--During fiscal 
     year 2024, direct loans under section 23 of the Arms Export 
     Control Act may be made available for North Atlantic Treaty 
     Organization (NATO) or Major Non-NATO Allies, notwithstanding 
     section 23(c)(1) of the Arms Export Control Act, gross 
     obligations for the principal amounts of which shall not 
     exceed $8,000,000,000:  Provided,  That funds appropriated 
     under the heading ``Foreign Military Financing Program'' in 
     this Act and prior Acts making appropriations for the 
     Department of State, foreign operations, and related 
     programs, including balances that were previously designated 
     by the Congress for Overseas Contingency Operation/Global War 
     on Terrorism pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(ii) of the 
     Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, 
     may be made available for the costs, as defined in section 
     502 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, of such loans:  
     Provided further, That such costs, including the cost of 
     modifying such loans, shall be as defined in section 502 of 
     the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 and may include the 
     costs of selling, reducing, or cancelling any amounts owed to 
     the United States or any agency of the United States:  
     Provided further, That the Government of the United States 
     may charge fees for such loans, which shall be collected from 
     borrowers in accordance with section 502(7) of the 
     Congressional Budget Act of 1974:  Provided further, That no 
     funds made available to the North Atlantic Treaty 
     Organization (NATO) or Major Non-NATO Allies by this or any 
     other appropriations Act for this fiscal year or prior fiscal 
     years may be used for payment of any fees associated with 
     such loans:  Provided further, That such loans shall be 
     repaid in not more than 12 years, including a grace period of 
     up to one year on repayment of principal:  Provided further, 
     That amounts made available under this paragraph for such 
     costs shall not be considered assistance for the purposes of 
     provisions of law limiting assistance to a country.
       (3) Foreign military financing loan guarantees.--Funds 
     appropriated under the heading ``Foreign Military Financing 
     Program'' in this Act and prior Acts making appropriations 
     for the Department of State, foreign operations, and related 
     programs, including balances that were previously designated 
     by the Congress for Overseas Contingency Operations/Global 
     War on Terrorism

[[Page H4742]]

     pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(ii) of the Balanced Budget 
     and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, may be made 
     available, notwithstanding the third proviso under such 
     heading, for the costs of loan guarantees under section 24 of 
     the Arms Export Control Act for North Atlantic Treaty 
     Organization (NATO) or Major Non-NATO Allies:  Provided,  
     That such funds are available to subsidize gross obligations 
     for the principal amount of commercial loans, and total loan 
     principal, any part of which is to be guaranteed, not to 
     exceed $8,000,000,000:  Provided further, That no loan 
     guarantee with respect to any one borrower may exceed 80 
     percent of the loan principal:  Provided further, That any 
     loan guaranteed under this paragraph may not be subordinated 
     to another debt contracted by the borrower or to any other 
     claims against the borrower in the case of default:  Provided 
     further, That repayment in United States dollars of any loan 
     guaranteed under this paragraph shall be required within a 
     period not to exceed 12 years after the loan agreement is 
     signed:  Provided further, That the Government of the United 
     States may charge fees for such loan guarantees, as may be 
     determined, notwithstanding section 24 of the Arms Export 
     Control Act, which shall be collected from borrowers or third 
     parties on behalf of such borrowers in accordance with 
     section 502(7) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974:  
     Provided further, That amounts made available under this 
     paragraph for the costs of such guarantees shall not be 
     considered assistance for the purposes of provisions of law 
     limiting assistance to a country.
       (4) Limitation.--Prior to offering Foreign Military 
     Financing Program loans or loan guarantees to Major Non-NATO 
     Allies, the Secretary of State shall determine and report to 
     the appropriate congressional committees that such partners 
     do not support any foreign adversary as defined by 15 CFR 
     Sec.  7.4.
       (5) Consultation and notification.--Funds made available 
     pursuant to the authorities of this subsection shall be 
     subject to prior consultation with the appropriate 
     congressional committees and the regular notification 
     procedures of the Committees on Appropriations.
       (l) Local Works.--
       (1) Funding.--Of the funds appropriated by this Act under 
     the headings ``Development Assistance'' and ``Economic 
     Support Fund'', not less than $50,000,000 shall be made 
     available for Local Works pursuant to section 7080 of the 
     Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs 
     Appropriations Act, 2015 (division J of Public Law 113-235), 
     which may remain available until September 30, 2028.
       (2) Eligible entities.--For the purposes of section 7080 of 
     the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related 
     Programs Appropriations Act, 2015 (division J of Public Law 
     113-235), ``eligible entities'' shall be defined as small 
     local, international, and United States-based nongovernmental 
     organizations, educational institutions, and other small 
     entities that have received less than a total of $5,000,000 
     from USAID over the previous 5 fiscal years:  Provided, That 
     departments or centers of such educational institutions may 
     be considered individually in determining such eligibility.
       (m) Definitions.--
       (1) Appropriate congressional committees.--Unless otherwise 
     defined in this Act, for purposes of this Act the term 
     ``appropriate congressional committees'' means the Committees 
     on Appropriations and Foreign Relations of the Senate and the 
     Committees on Appropriations and Foreign Affairs of the House 
     of Representatives.
       (2) Funds appropriated by this act and prior acts.--Unless 
     otherwise defined in this Act, for purposes of this Act the 
     term ``funds appropriated by this Act and prior Acts making 
     appropriations for the Department of State, foreign 
     operations, and related programs'' means funds that remain 
     available for obligation, and have not expired.
       (3) International financial institutions.--In this Act 
     ``international financial institutions'' means the 
     International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the 
     International Development Association, the International 
     Finance Corporation, the Inter-American Development Bank, the 
     International Monetary Fund, the International Fund for 
     Agricultural Development, the Asian Development Bank, the 
     Asian Development Fund, the Inter-American Investment 
     Corporation, the North American Development Bank, the 
     European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the African 
     Development Bank, the African Development Fund, and the 
     Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency.
       (4) Spend plan.--In this Act, the term ``spend plan'' means 
     a plan for the uses of funds appropriated for a particular 
     entity, country, program, purpose, or account and which shall 
     include, at a minimum, a description of--
       (A) realistic and sustainable goals, criteria for measuring 
     progress, and a timeline for achieving such goals;
       (B) amounts and sources of funds by account;
       (C) how such funds will complement other ongoing or planned 
     programs; and
       (D) implementing partners, to the maximum extent 
     practicable.
       (5) Successor operating unit.--Any reference to a 
     particular operating unit or office in this Act or prior Acts 
     making appropriations for the Department of State, foreign 
     operations, and related programs shall be deemed to include 
     any successor operating unit performing the same or similar 
     functions.
       (6) USAID.--In this Act, the term ``USAID'' means the 
     United States Agency for International Development.

                      law enforcement and security

       Sec. 7035. (a) Assistance.--
       (1) Community-based police assistance.--Funds made 
     available under titles III and IV of this Act to carry out 
     the provisions of chapter 1 of part I and chapters 4 and 6 of 
     part II of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, may be used, 
     notwithstanding section 660 of that Act, to enhance the 
     effectiveness and accountability of civilian police authority 
     through training and technical assistance in human rights, 
     the rule of law, anti-corruption, strategic planning, and 
     through assistance to foster civilian police roles that 
     support democratic governance, including assistance for 
     programs to prevent conflict, respond to disasters, address 
     violence against women and girls, and foster improved police 
     relations with the communities they serve.
       (2) Combat casualty care.--
       (A) Consistent with the objectives of the Foreign 
     Assistance Act of 1961 and the Arms Export Control Act, funds 
     appropriated by this Act under the headings ``Peacekeeping 
     Operations'' and ``Foreign Military Financing Program'' shall 
     be made available for combat casualty training and equipment 
     in an amount above the prior fiscal year.
       (B) The Secretary of State shall offer combat casualty care 
     training and equipment as a component of any package of 
     lethal assistance funded by this Act with funds appropriated 
     under the headings ``Peacekeeping Operations'' and ``Foreign 
     Military Financing Program'':  Provided, That the requirement 
     of this subparagraph shall apply to a country in conflict, 
     unless the Secretary determines that such country has in 
     place, to the maximum extent practicable, functioning combat 
     casualty care treatment and equipment that meets or exceeds 
     the standards recommended by the Committee on Tactical Combat 
     Casualty Care:  Provided further, That any such training and 
     equipment for combat casualty care shall be made available 
     through an open and competitive process.
       (b) Authorities.--
       (1) Reconstituting civilian police authority.--In providing 
     assistance with funds appropriated by this Act under section 
     660(b)(6) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, support for 
     a nation emerging from instability may be deemed to mean 
     support for regional, district, municipal, or other sub-
     national entity emerging from instability, as well as a 
     nation emerging from instability.
       (2) Disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration.--
     Section 7034(d) of the Department of State, Foreign 
     Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2015 
     (division J of Public Law 113-235) shall continue in effect 
     during fiscal year 2024.
       (3) Commercial leasing of defense articles.--
     Notwithstanding any other provision of law, and subject to 
     the regular notification procedures of the Committees on 
     Appropriations, the authority of section 23(a) of the Arms 
     Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2763) may be used to provide 
     financing to Israel, Egypt, the North Atlantic Treaty 
     Organization (NATO), and Major Non-NATO Allies for the 
     procurement by leasing (including leasing with an option to 
     purchase) of defense articles from United States commercial 
     suppliers, not including Major Defense Equipment (other than 
     helicopters and other types of aircraft having possible 
     civilian application), if the President determines that there 
     are compelling foreign policy or national security reasons 
     for those defense articles being provided by commercial lease 
     rather than by government-to-government sale under such Act.
       (4) Special defense acquisition fund.--Not to exceed 
     $900,000,000 may be obligated pursuant to section 51(c)(2) of 
     the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2795(c)(2)) for the 
     purposes of the Special Defense Acquisition Fund (the Fund), 
     to remain available for obligation until September 30, 2026:  
     Provided, That the provision of defense articles and defense 
     services to foreign countries or international organizations 
     from the Fund shall be subject to the concurrence of the 
     Secretary of State.
       (5) Extension of war reserves stockpile authority.--
       (A) Section 12001(d) of the Department of Defense 
     Appropriations Act, 2005 (Public Law 108-287; 118 Stat. 1011) 
     is amended by striking ``2025'' and inserting ``2026''.
       (B) Section 514(b)(2)(A) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 
     1961 (22 U.S.C. 2321h(b)(2)(A)) is amended by striking ``or 
     2025'' and inserting ``2025 and 2026''.
       (6) Technical amendments.--
       (A) Notwithstanding Section 503(a)(3) of Public Law 87-195 
     (22 U.S.C. 2311(a)(3)), the procurement of defense articles 
     and services funded on a non-repayable basis under section 23 
     of the Arms Export Control Act may be priced to include the 
     costs of salaries of members of the Armed Forces of the 
     United States engaged in security assistance activities 
     pursuant to 10 U.S.C. 341 (relating to the State Partnership 
     Program):  Provided, That this section shall only apply to 
     funds that remain available for obligation in fiscal year 
     2024.
       (B) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, equipment 
     procured with funds appropriated by this Act or prior Acts 
     making appropriations for the Department of State, foreign 
     operations, and related programs

[[Page H4743]]

     under the heading ``Pakistan Counterinsurgency Capability 
     Fund'' may be used for any other program and in any region: 
     Provided, That use of this authority shall be subject to 
     prior consultation with the Committees on Appropriations.
       (c) Limitations.--
       (1) Child soldiers.--Funds appropriated by this Act should 
     not be used to support any military training or operations 
     that include child soldiers.
       (2) Landmines and cluster munitions.--
       (A) Authority.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, 
     demining equipment available to the United States Agency for 
     International Development and the Department of State and 
     used in support of the clearance of landmines and unexploded 
     ordnance for humanitarian purposes may be disposed of on a 
     grant basis in foreign countries, subject to such terms and 
     conditions as the Secretary of State may prescribe.
       (B) Cluster munitions.--No military assistance shall be 
     furnished for cluster munitions, no defense export license 
     for cluster munitions may be issued, and no cluster munitions 
     or cluster munitions technology shall be sold or transferred, 
     unless--
       (i) the submunitions of the cluster munitions, after 
     arming, do not result in more than 1 percent unexploded 
     ordnance across the range of intended operational 
     environments, and the agreement applicable to the assistance, 
     transfer, or sale of such cluster munitions or cluster 
     munitions technology specifies that the cluster munitions 
     will only be used against clearly defined military targets 
     and will not be used where civilians are known to be present 
     or in areas normally inhabited by civilians; or
       (ii) such assistance, license, sale, or transfer is for the 
     purpose of demilitarizing or permanently disposing of such 
     cluster munitions.
       (3) Crowd control.--If the Secretary of State has 
     information that a unit of a foreign security force uses 
     excessive force to repress peaceful expression or assembly 
     concerning corruption, harm to the environment or human 
     health, or the fairness of electoral processes, or in 
     countries that are undemocratic or undergoing democratic 
     transition, the Secretary shall promptly determine if such 
     information is credible:  Provided, That if the information 
     is determined to be credible, funds appropriated by this Act 
     should not be used for tear gas, small arms, light weapons, 
     ammunition, or other items for crowd control purposes for 
     such unit, unless the Secretary of State determines that the 
     foreign government is taking effective measures to bring the 
     responsible members of such unit to justice.
       (d) Reports.--
       (1) Security assistance report.--Not later than 120 days 
     after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
     State shall submit to the Committees on Appropriations a 
     report on funds obligated and expended during fiscal year 
     2023, by country and purpose of assistance, under the 
     headings ``Peacekeeping Operations'', ``International 
     Military Education and Training'', and ``Foreign Military 
     Financing Program''.
       (2) Annual foreign military training report.--For the 
     purposes of implementing section 656 of the Foreign 
     Assistance Act of 1961, the term ``military training provided 
     to foreign military personnel by the Department of Defense 
     and the Department of State'' shall be deemed to include all 
     military training provided by foreign governments with funds 
     appropriated to the Department of Defense or the Department 
     of State, except for training provided by the government of a 
     country designated by section 517(b) of such Act (22 U.S.C. 
     2321k(b)) as a Major Non-North Atlantic Treaty Organization 
     ally:  Provided, That such third-country training shall be 
     clearly identified in the report submitted pursuant to 
     section 656 of such Act.

                    combating trafficking in persons

       Sec. 7036. (a) Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in 
     Persons.--Of the funds appropriated by this Act under the 
     heading ``Diplomatic Programs'', not less than $25,000,000 
     shall be made available for the Office to Monitor and Combat 
     Trafficking in Persons.
       (b) Programs to Combat Trafficking in Persons.--Of the 
     funds appropriated by this Act under the headings 
     ``Development Assistance'', ``Economic Support Fund'', 
     ``Assistance for Europe, Eurasia and Central Asia'', and 
     ``International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement'', not 
     less than $123,900,000 shall be made available for activities 
     to combat trafficking in persons internationally, including 
     for the Program to End Modern Slavery, of which not less than 
     $92,000,000 shall be from funds made available under the 
     heading ``International Narcotics Control and Law 
     Enforcement'':  Provided, That funds made available by this 
     Act under the headings ``Development Assistance'', ``Economic 
     Support Fund'', and ``Assistance for Europe, Eurasia and 
     Central Asia'' that are made available for activities to 
     combat trafficking in persons should be obligated and 
     programmed consistent with the country-specific 
     recommendations included in the annual Trafficking in Persons 
     Report, and shall be coordinated with the Office to Monitor 
     and Combat Trafficking in Persons, Department of State.
       (c) Training.--Of the funds made available by this Act, not 
     less than $1,000,000 shall be made available to further 
     develop, standardize, and update training for all United 
     States Government personnel under Chief of Mission authority 
     posted at United States embassies and consulates abroad, on 
     recognizing signs of human trafficking, and protocols for 
     reporting such cases.
       (d) Conferences.--Funds appropriated by this Act that are 
     made available for international conferences may not be made 
     available for such conferences in Tier 3 countries, as 
     defined by section 104 of the Victims of Trafficking and 
     Violence Protection Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-386), unless 
     the purpose of the conference is to combat human trafficking 
     or is in the United States national security interest, as 
     determined by the Secretary of State.

                         palestinian statehood

       Sec. 7037. (a) Limitation on Assistance.--None of the funds 
     appropriated under titles III through VI of this Act may be 
     provided to support a Palestinian state unless the Secretary 
     of State determines and certifies to the appropriate 
     congressional committees that--
       (1) the governing entity of a new Palestinian state--
       (A) has demonstrated a firm commitment to peaceful co-
     existence with the State of Israel; and
       (B) is taking appropriate measures to counter terrorism and 
     terrorist financing in the West Bank and Gaza, including the 
     dismantling of terrorist infrastructures, and is cooperating 
     with appropriate Israeli and other appropriate security 
     organizations; and
       (2) the Palestinian Authority (or the governing entity of a 
     new Palestinian state) is working with other countries in the 
     region to vigorously pursue efforts to establish a just, 
     lasting, and comprehensive peace in the Middle East that will 
     enable Israel and an independent Palestinian state to exist 
     within the context of full and normal relationships, which 
     should include--
       (A) termination of all claims or states of belligerency;
       (B) respect for and acknowledgment of the sovereignty, 
     territorial integrity, and political independence of every 
     state in the area through measures including the 
     establishment of demilitarized zones;
       (C) their right to live in peace within secure and 
     recognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force;
       (D) freedom of navigation through international waterways 
     in the area; and
       (E) a framework for achieving a just settlement of the 
     refugee problem.
       (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that 
     the governing entity should enact a constitution assuring the 
     rule of law, an independent judiciary, and respect for human 
     rights for its citizens, and should enact other laws and 
     regulations assuring transparent and accountable governance.
       (c) Waiver.--The President may waive subsection (a) if the 
     President determines that it is important to the national 
     security interest of the United States to do so.
       (d) Exemption.--The restriction in subsection (a) shall not 
     apply to assistance intended to help reform the Palestinian 
     Authority and affiliated institutions, or the governing 
     entity, in order to help meet the requirements of subsection 
     (a), consistent with the provisions of section 7040 of this 
     Act (``Limitation on Assistance for the Palestinian 
     Authority'').

 prohibition on assistance to the palestinian broadcasting corporation

       Sec. 7038.  None of the funds appropriated or otherwise 
     made available by this Act may be used to provide equipment, 
     technical support, consulting services, or any other form of 
     assistance to the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation.

                 assistance for the west bank and gaza

       Sec. 7039. (a) Oversight.--For fiscal year 2024, 30 days 
     prior to the initial obligation of funds for the bilateral 
     West Bank and Gaza Program, the Secretary of State shall 
     certify to the Committees on Appropriations that procedures 
     have been established to assure the Comptroller General of 
     the United States will have access to appropriate United 
     States financial information in order to review the uses of 
     United States assistance for the Program funded under the 
     heading ``Economic Support Fund'' for the West Bank and Gaza.
       (b) Vetting.--Prior to the obligation of funds appropriated 
     by this Act under the heading ``Economic Support Fund'' for 
     assistance for the West Bank and Gaza, the Secretary of State 
     shall take all appropriate steps to ensure that such 
     assistance is not provided to or through any individual, 
     private or government entity, or educational institution that 
     the Secretary knows or has reason to believe advocates, 
     plans, sponsors, engages in, or has engaged in, terrorist 
     activity nor, with respect to private entities or educational 
     institutions, those that have as a principal officer of the 
     entity's governing board or governing board of trustees any 
     individual that has been determined to be involved in, or 
     advocating terrorist activity or determined to be a member of 
     a designated foreign terrorist organization:  Provided, That 
     the Secretary of State shall, as appropriate, establish 
     procedures specifying the steps to be taken in carrying out 
     this subsection and shall terminate assistance to any 
     individual, entity, or educational institution which the 
     Secretary has determined to be involved in or advocating 
     terrorist activity.
       (c) Prohibition.--
       (1) Recognition of acts of terrorism.--None of the funds 
     appropriated under titles III through VI of this Act for 
     assistance under the West Bank and Gaza Program may be made 
     available for--

[[Page H4744]]

       (A) the purpose of recognizing or otherwise honoring 
     individuals who commit, or have committed acts of terrorism; 
     and
       (B) any educational institution located in the West Bank or 
     Gaza that is named after an individual who the Secretary of 
     State determines has committed an act of terrorism.
       (2) Security assistance and reporting requirement.--
     Notwithstanding any other provision of law, none of the funds 
     made available by this or prior appropriations Acts, 
     including funds made available by transfer, may be made 
     available for obligation for security assistance for the West 
     Bank and Gaza until the Secretary of State reports to the 
     Committees on Appropriations on--
       (A) the benchmarks that have been established for security 
     assistance for the West Bank and Gaza and on the extent of 
     Palestinian compliance with such benchmarks; and
       (B) the steps being taken by the Palestinian Authority to 
     end torture and other cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment 
     of detainees, including by bringing to justice members of 
     Palestinian security forces who commit such crimes.
       (d) Oversight by the United States Agency for International 
     Development.--
       (1) The Administrator of the United States Agency for 
     International Development shall ensure that Federal or non-
     Federal audits of all contractors and grantees, and 
     significant subcontractors and sub-grantees, under the West 
     Bank and Gaza Program, are conducted at least on an annual 
     basis to ensure, among other things, compliance with this 
     section.
       (2) Of the funds appropriated by this Act, up to $1,500,000 
     may be used by the Office of Inspector General of the United 
     States Agency for International Development for audits, 
     investigations, and other activities in furtherance of the 
     requirements of this subsection:  Provided, That such funds 
     are in addition to funds otherwise available for such 
     purposes.
       (e) Comptroller General of the United States Audit.--
     Subsequent to the certification specified in subsection (a), 
     the Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct an 
     audit and an investigation of the treatment, handling, and 
     uses of all funds for the bilateral West Bank and Gaza 
     Program, including all funds provided as cash transfer 
     assistance, in fiscal year 2024 under the heading ``Economic 
     Support Fund'', and such audit shall address--
       (1) the extent to which such Program complies with the 
     requirements of subsections (b) and (c); and
       (2) an examination of all programs, projects, and 
     activities carried out under such Program, including both 
     obligations and expenditures.
       (f) Notification Procedures.--Funds made available in this 
     Act for West Bank and Gaza shall be subject to the regular 
     notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations.

         limitation on assistance for the palestinian authority

       Sec. 7040. (a) Prohibition of Funds.--None of the funds 
     appropriated by this Act to carry out the provisions of 
     chapter 4 of part II of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 
     may be obligated or expended with respect to providing funds 
     to the Palestinian Authority.
       (b) Waiver.--The prohibition included in subsection (a) 
     shall not apply if the President certifies in writing to the 
     Speaker of the House of Representatives, the President pro 
     tempore of the Senate, and the Committees on Appropriations 
     that waiving such prohibition is important to the national 
     security interest of the United States.
       (c) Period of Application of Waiver.--Any waiver pursuant 
     to subsection (b) shall be effective for no more than a 
     period of 6 months at a time and shall not apply beyond 12 
     months after the enactment of this Act.
       (d) Report.--Whenever the waiver authority pursuant to 
     subsection (b) is exercised, the President shall submit a 
     report to the Committees on Appropriations detailing the 
     justification for the waiver, the purposes for which the 
     funds will be spent, and the accounting procedures in place 
     to ensure that the funds are properly disbursed:  Provided, 
     That the report shall also detail the steps the Palestinian 
     Authority has taken to arrest terrorists, confiscate weapons 
     and dismantle the terrorist infrastructure.
       (e) Certification.--If the President exercises the waiver 
     authority under subsection (b), the Secretary of State must 
     certify and report to the Committees on Appropriations prior 
     to the obligation of funds that the Palestinian Authority has 
     established a single treasury account for all Palestinian 
     Authority financing and all financing mechanisms flow through 
     this account, no parallel financing mechanisms exist outside 
     of the Palestinian Authority treasury account, and there is a 
     single comprehensive civil service roster and payroll, and 
     the Palestinian Authority is acting to counter incitement of 
     violence against Israelis and is supporting activities aimed 
     at promoting peace, coexistence, and security cooperation 
     with Israel.
       (f) Prohibition to Hamas and the Palestine Liberation 
     Organization.--
       (1) None of the funds appropriated in titles III through VI 
     of this Act may be obligated for salaries of personnel of the 
     Palestinian Authority located in Gaza or may be obligated or 
     expended for assistance to Hamas or any entity effectively 
     controlled by Hamas, any power-sharing government of which 
     Hamas is a member, or that results from an agreement with 
     Hamas and over which Hamas exercises undue influence.
       (2) Notwithstanding the limitation of paragraph (1), 
     assistance may be provided to a power-sharing government only 
     if the President certifies and reports to the Committees on 
     Appropriations that such government, including all of its 
     ministers or such equivalent, has publicly accepted and is 
     complying with the principles contained in section 620K(b)(1) 
     (A) and (B) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as 
     amended.
       (3) The President may exercise the authority in section 
     620K(e) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as added by 
     the Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act of 2006 (Public Law 109-
     446) with respect to this subsection.
       (4) Whenever the certification pursuant to paragraph (2) is 
     exercised, the Secretary of State shall submit a report to 
     the Committees on Appropriations within 120 days of the 
     certification and every quarter thereafter on whether such 
     government, including all of its ministers or such equivalent 
     are continuing to comply with the principles contained in 
     section 620K(b)(1) (A) and (B) of the Foreign Assistance Act 
     of 1961, as amended:  Provided, That the report shall also 
     detail the amount, purposes and delivery mechanisms for any 
     assistance provided pursuant to the abovementioned 
     certification and a full accounting of any direct support of 
     such government.
       (5) None of the funds appropriated under titles III through 
     VI of this Act may be obligated for assistance for the 
     Palestine Liberation Organization.

                      middle east and north africa

       Sec. 7041. (a) Egypt.--
       (1) Assistance.--Of the funds appropriated by this Act for 
     assistance for Egypt--
       (A) not less than $125,000,000 shall be made available from 
     funds under the heading ``Economic Support Fund'', of which 
     not less than $40,000,000 should be made available for higher 
     education programs, including not less than $15,000,000 for 
     scholarships for Egyptian students with high financial need 
     to attend not-for-profit institutions of higher education in 
     Egypt that are currently accredited by a regional accrediting 
     agency recognized by the United States Department of 
     Education, or meets standards equivalent to those required 
     for United States institutional accreditation by a regional 
     accrediting agency recognized by such Department:  Provided, 
     That such funds shall be made available for democracy 
     programs, and for development programs in the Sinai.
       (B) not less than $1,300,000,000 shall be made available 
     from funds under the heading ``Foreign Military Financing 
     Program'', to remain available until September 30, 2025:  
     Provided, That such funds may be transferred to an interest 
     bearing account in the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
       (2) Additional Security Assistance.--In addition to funds 
     made available pursuant to paragraph (1), not less than 
     $75,000,000 of the funds appropriated under the heading 
     ``Foreign Military Financing Program'' shall be made 
     available for assistance for Egypt.
       (3) Certification and report.--Funds appropriated by this 
     Act that are available for assistance for Egypt may be made 
     available notwithstanding any other provision of law 
     restricting assistance for Egypt, except for this subsection 
     and section 620M of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, and 
     may only be made available for assistance for the Government 
     of Egypt if the Secretary of State certifies and reports to 
     the Committees on Appropriations that such government is--
       (A) sustaining the strategic relationship with the United 
     States; and
       (B) meeting its obligations under the 1979 Egypt-Israel 
     Peace Treaty.
       (b) Iran.--
       (1) Funding.--Funds appropriated by this Act under the 
     headings ``Diplomatic Programs'', ``Economic Support Fund'', 
     and ``Nonproliferation, Anti-terrorism, Demining and Related 
     Programs'' shall be made available by the Secretary of 
     State--
       (A) to support the United States policy to prevent Iran 
     from achieving the capability to produce or otherwise obtain 
     a nuclear weapon;
       (B) to support an expeditious response to any violation of 
     United Nations Security Council Resolutions or to efforts 
     that advance Iran's nuclear program;
       (C) to support the implementation and enforcement of 
     sanctions against Iran for support of nuclear weapons 
     development, terrorism, human rights abuses, and ballistic 
     missile and weapons proliferation; and
       (D) for democracy programs in support of the aspirations of 
     the Iranian people.
       (2) Reports.--
       (A) Semi-annual report.--The Secretary of State shall 
     submit to the Committees on Appropriations the semi-annual 
     report required by section 135(d)(4) of the Atomic Energy Act 
     of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 2160e(d)(4)), as added by section 2 of the 
     Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015 (Public Law 114-
     17).
       (B) Sanctions report.--Not later than 180 days after the 
     date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in 
     consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury, shall submit 
     to the appropriate congressional committees a report on--
       (i) the status of United States bilateral sanctions on 
     Iran;
       (ii) the reimposition and renewed enforcement of secondary 
     sanctions; and
       (iii) the impact such sanctions have had on Iran's 
     destabilizing activities throughout the Middle East.
       (3) Limitations.--None of the funds appropriated by this 
     Act may be--

[[Page H4745]]

       (A) used to implement or enforce a future agreement with 
     the Government of Iran relating to the nuclear program of 
     Iran, or a renewal of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action 
     adopted on October 18, 2015, until such agreement is 
     transmitted to Congress pursuant to section 135 of the Iran 
     Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015 (42 U.S.C. 2160e) and 
     such agreement is subject to the advice and consent of the 
     Senate as a treaty and has received the concurrence of two-
     thirds of Senators concurring;
       (B) made available to any foreign entity or person that is 
     subject to United Nations or United States bilateral 
     sanctions with respect to the Government of Iran or an entity 
     organized under the laws of Iran or otherwise subject to the 
     jurisdiction of such government; or
       (C) used to revoke the designation of the Islamic 
     Revolutionary Guard Corps as a Foreign Terrorist Organization 
     pursuant to section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality 
     Act (8 U.S.C. 1189).
       (c) Iraq.--
       (1) Purposes.--Funds appropriated under titles III and IV 
     of this Act shall be made available for assistance for Iraq 
     for--
       (A) bilateral economic assistance and international 
     security assistance, including in the Kurdistan Region of 
     Iraq;
       (B) stabilization assistance;
       (C) programs to support government transparency and 
     accountability, judicial independence, protect the right of 
     due process, and combat corruption;
       (D) humanitarian assistance, including in the Kurdistan 
     Region of Iraq;
       (E) programs to protect and assist religious and ethnic 
     minority populations; and
       (F) programs to increase United States private sector 
     investment.
       (2) Limitation.--Funds appropriated by this Act under 
     titles III through VI may not be made available to an 
     organization or entity controlled by, or an affiliate of, the 
     Badr Organization or to any other organization or entity for 
     which the Secretary of State has credible information is a 
     proxy of Iran.
       (d) Israel.--Of the funds appropriated by this Act under 
     the heading ``Foreign Military Financing Program'', not less 
     than $3,300,000,000 shall be available for grants only for 
     Israel which shall be disbursed within 30 days of enactment 
     of this Act:  Provided, That to the extent that the 
     Government of Israel requests that funds be used for such 
     purposes, grants made available for Israel under this heading 
     shall, as agreed by the United States and Israel, be 
     available for advanced weapons systems, of which not less 
     than $725,300,000 shall be available for the procurement in 
     Israel of defense articles and defense services, including 
     research and development.
       (e) Jordan.--Of the funds appropriated by this Act under 
     titles III and IV, not less than $1,650,000,000 shall be made 
     available for assistance for Jordan, of which not less than 
     $845,100,000 shall be made available for budget support for 
     the Government of Jordan and not less than $425,000,000 shall 
     be made available under the heading ``Foreign Military 
     Financing Program''.
       (f) Lebanon.--
       (1) Limitation.--None of the funds appropriated by this Act 
     may be made available for the Lebanese Internal Security 
     Forces (ISF) or the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) if the ISF or 
     the LAF is controlled by a foreign terrorist organization, as 
     designated pursuant to section 219 of the Immigration and 
     Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1189).
       (2) Security assistance.--
       (A) Funds appropriated by this Act under the headings 
     ``International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement'' and 
     ``Foreign Military Financing Program'' that are made 
     available for assistance for Lebanon may be made available 
     for programs and equipment for the ISF and the LAF to address 
     security and stability requirements in areas affected by 
     conflict in Syria, following consultation with the 
     appropriate congressional committees.
       (B) Funds appropriated by this Act under the heading 
     ``Foreign Military Financing Program'' that are made 
     available for assistance for Lebanon may only be made 
     available for programs to--
       (i) professionalize the LAF to mitigate internal and 
     external threats from non-state actors, including Hizballah;
       (ii) strengthen the security of borders and combat 
     terrorism, including training and equipping the LAF to secure 
     the borders of Lebanon and address security and stability 
     requirements in areas affected by conflict in Syria, 
     interdicting arms shipments, and preventing the use of 
     Lebanon as a safe haven for terrorist groups; and
       (iii) implement United Nations Security Council Resolution 
     1701:
       Provided, That prior to obligating funds made available by 
     this subparagraph for assistance for the LAF, the Secretary 
     of State shall submit to the Committees on Appropriations a 
     spend plan, including actions to be taken to ensure equipment 
     provided to the LAF is used only for the intended purposes, 
     except such plan may not be considered as meeting the 
     notification requirements under section 7015 of this Act or 
     under section 634A of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961:  
     Provided further, That any notification submitted pursuant to 
     such section shall include any funds specifically intended 
     for lethal military equipment.
       (g) Morocco.--Funds appropriated under titles III and IV of 
     this Act shall be made available for assistance for Morocco.
       (h) Saudi Arabia.--
       (1) None of the funds appropriated by this Act under the 
     heading ``International Military Education and Training'' 
     should be made available for assistance for the Government of 
     Saudi Arabia.
       (2) None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made 
     available by this Act and prior Acts making appropriations 
     for the Department of State, foreign operations, and related 
     programs should be obligated or expended by the Export-Import 
     Bank of the United States to guarantee, insure, or extend (or 
     participate in the extension of) credit in connection with 
     the export of nuclear technology, equipment, fuel, materials, 
     or other nuclear technology-related goods or services to 
     Saudi Arabia unless the Government of Saudi Arabia--
       (A) has in effect a nuclear cooperation agreement pursuant 
     to section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 
     2153);
       (B) has committed to renounce uranium enrichment and 
     reprocessing on its territory under that agreement; and
       (C) has signed and implemented an Additional Protocol to 
     its Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement with the International 
     Atomic Energy Agency.
       (i) Syria.--
       (1) Non-lethal assistance.--Funds appropriated by this Act 
     under titles III and IV may be made available, 
     notwithstanding any other provision of law, for non-lethal 
     stabilization assistance to address the needs of civilians 
     affected by conflict in Syria.
       (2) Limitations.--Funds made available pursuant to 
     paragraph (1) of this subsection--
       (A) may not be made available for a project or activity 
     that supports or otherwise legitimizes the Government of 
     Iran, foreign terrorist organizations (as designated pursuant 
     to section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 
     U.S.C. 1189)), or a proxy of Iran in Syria;
       (B) may not be made available for activities that further 
     the strategic objectives of the Government of the Russian 
     Federation that the Secretary of State determines may 
     threaten or undermine United States national security 
     interests; and
       (C) may not be used in areas of Syria controlled by a 
     government led by Bashar al-Assad or associated forces or 
     made available to an organization or entity effectively 
     controlled by an official or immediate family member of an 
     official of such government.
       (3) Monitoring, oversight, consultation, and 
     notification.--
       (A) Prior to the obligation of funds appropriated by this 
     Act and made available for assistance for Syria, the 
     Secretary of State shall take all practicable steps to ensure 
     that mechanisms are in place for monitoring, oversight, and 
     control of such assistance inside Syria.
       (B) Section 7015(j) of this Act regarding the notification 
     of assistance diverted or destroyed shall apply to funds made 
     available for assistance for Syria.
       (C) Funds made available pursuant to this subsection may 
     only be made available following consultation with the 
     appropriate congressional committees and shall be subject to 
     the regular notification procedures of the Committees on 
     Appropriations:  Provided, That such consultation shall 
     include the steps taken to comply with subparagraph (A).
       (j) West Bank and Gaza.--
       (1) Report on assistance.--Prior to the initial obligation 
     of funds made available by this Act under the heading 
     ``Economic Support Fund'' for assistance for the West Bank 
     and Gaza, the Secretary of State shall report to the 
     Committees on Appropriations that the purpose of such 
     assistance is to--
       (A) advance Middle East peace;
       (B) improve security in the region;
       (C) continue support for transparent and accountable 
     government institutions;
       (D) promote a private sector economy; or
       (E) address urgent humanitarian needs.
       (2) Limitations.--
       (A) None of the funds appropriated under the heading 
     ``Economic Support Fund'' in this Act may be made available 
     for assistance for the Palestinian Authority, if after the 
     date of enactment of this Act--
       (i) the Palestinians obtain the same standing as member 
     states or full membership as a state in the United Nations or 
     any specialized agency thereof outside an agreement 
     negotiated between Israel and the Palestinians; or
       (ii) the Palestinians initiate an International Criminal 
     Court (ICC) judicially authorized investigation, or actively 
     support such an investigation, that subjects Israeli 
     nationals to an investigation for alleged crimes against 
     Palestinians.
       (B)(i) The President may waive the provisions of section 
     1003 of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 
     1988 and 1989 (Public Law 100-204) if the President 
     determines and certifies in writing to the Speaker of the 
     House of Representatives, the President pro tempore of the 
     Senate, and the appropriate congressional committees that the 
     Palestinians have not, after the date of enactment of this 
     Act--
       (I) obtained in the United Nations or any specialized 
     agency thereof the same standing as member states or full 
     membership as a state outside an agreement negotiated between 
     Israel and the Palestinians;
       (II) initiated or actively supported an ICC investigation 
     against Israeli nationals for alleged crimes against 
     Palestinians; and
       (III) initiated any further action, whether directly or 
     indirectly, based on an Advisory

[[Page H4746]]

     Opinion of the International Court of Justice that undermines 
     direct negotiations to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian 
     conflict, including matters related to final status and 
     Israel's longstanding security rights and responsibilities.
       (ii) Not less than 90 days after the President is unable to 
     make the certification pursuant to clause (i) of this 
     subparagraph, the President may waive section 1003 of Public 
     Law 100-204 if the President determines and certifies in 
     writing to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the 
     President pro tempore of the Senate, and the Committees on 
     Appropriations that the Palestinians have entered into direct 
     and meaningful negotiations with Israel:  Provided, That any 
     waiver of the provisions of section 1003 of Public Law 100-
     204 under clause (i) of this subparagraph or under previous 
     provisions of law must expire before the waiver under this 
     clause may be exercised.
       (iii) Any waiver pursuant to this subparagraph shall be 
     effective for no more than a period of 6 months at a time and 
     shall not apply beyond 12 months after the enactment of this 
     Act.
       (3) Application of taylor force act.--Funds appropriated by 
     this Act under the heading ``Economic Support Fund'' that are 
     made available for assistance for the West Bank and Gaza 
     shall be made available consistent with section 1004(a) of 
     the Taylor Force Act (title X of division S of Public Law 
     115-141).
       (4) Security report.--The reporting requirements in section 
     1404 of the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 (Public Law 
     110-252) shall apply to funds made available by this Act, 
     including a description of modifications, if any, to the 
     security strategy of the Palestinian Authority.
       (5) Incitement report.--Not later than 90 days after the 
     date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall 
     submit a report to the appropriate congressional committees 
     detailing steps taken by the Palestinian Authority to counter 
     incitement of violence against Israelis and to promote peace 
     and coexistence with Israel.
       (6) Office requirements.--The Office of Palestinian Affairs 
     in Jerusalem shall report directly to the United States 
     Ambassador to Israel, consistent with the operations of the 
     previous Palestinian Affairs Unit, and may not administer or 
     manage funds appropriated under title III of this Act.

                                 africa

       Sec. 7042. (a) Counter Illicit Armed Groups.--Funds 
     appropriated by this Act shall be made available for programs 
     and activities in areas affected by the Lord's Resistance 
     Army (LRA) or other illicit armed groups in Eastern 
     Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Central African 
     Republic, including to improve physical access, 
     telecommunications infrastructure, and early-warning 
     mechanisms and to support the disarmament, demobilization, 
     and reintegration of former LRA combatants, especially child 
     soldiers.
       (b) Ethiopia.--Funds appropriated by this Act that are made 
     available for assistance for Ethiopia should be used to 
     support--
       (1) implementation of the cessation of hostilities 
     agreement in Tigray;
       (2) political dialogues and confidence building measures to 
     end other conflicts in the country;
       (3) civil society and protect human rights;
       (4) efforts to provide unimpeded access to humanitarian 
     assistance;
       (5) investigations and prosecutions of gross violations of 
     human rights; and
       (6) restoration of basic services in areas impacted by 
     conflict.
       (c) Malawi.--Funds appropriated by this Act and prior Acts 
     making appropriations for the Department of State, foreign 
     operations, and related programs that are made available for 
     higher education programs in Malawi shall be made available 
     for higher education and workforce development programs in 
     agriculture as described under this section in the report 
     accompanying this Act.
       (d) Power Africa All-of-the-above Energy Policy.--None of 
     the funds appropriated under title III of this Act may be 
     made available for renewable energy programs as part of Power 
     Africa until the Administrator of the United States Agency 
     for International Development certifies and reports to the 
     appropriate congressional committees that no less than the 
     total funds allocated for renewable energy during the 
     previous fiscal year has been allocated in fiscal year 2024 
     for other sources of energy included in paragraph (8) of 
     section 3 of the Electrify Africa Act of 2015 (Public Law 
     114-121).
       (e) South Sudan.--None of the funds appropriated by this 
     Act under title IV may be made available for assistance for 
     the central Government of South Sudan, except to support 
     implementation of outstanding issues of the Comprehensive 
     Peace Agreement, mutual arrangements related to post-
     referendum issues associated with such Agreement, or any 
     other viable peace agreement in South Sudan:  Provided, That 
     funds appropriated by this Act and prior Acts making 
     appropriations for the Department of State, foreign 
     operations, and related programs that are made available for 
     any new program, project, or activity in South Sudan shall be 
     subject to prior consultation with the appropriate 
     congressional committees.
       (f) Sudan.--Funds appropriated by this Act and prior Acts 
     making appropriations for the Department of State, foreign 
     operations, and related programs that are made available for 
     any new program, project, or activity in Sudan shall be 
     subject to prior consultation with the appropriate 
     congressional committees and the regular notification 
     procedures of the Committees on Appropriations.
       (g) Zimbabwe.--
       (1) Instruction.--The Secretary of the Treasury shall 
     instruct the United States executive director of each 
     international financial institution to vote against any 
     extension by the respective institution of any loan or grant 
     to the Government of Zimbabwe, except to meet basic human 
     needs or to promote democracy, unless the Secretary of State 
     certifies and reports to the Committees on Appropriations 
     that the rule of law has been restored, including respect for 
     ownership and title to property, and freedoms of expression, 
     association, and assembly.
       (2) Limitation.--None of the funds appropriated by this Act 
     shall be made available for assistance for the central 
     Government of Zimbabwe, except for health and education, 
     unless the Secretary of State certifies and reports as 
     required in paragraph (1).

                       east asia and the pacific

       Sec. 7043. (a) Burma.--
       (1) Uses of funds.--Funds appropriated by this Act under 
     the heading ``Economic Support Fund'' may be made available 
     for assistance for Burma to support implementation of 
     paragraphs (1) through (7) of section 5575 of the BURMA Act 
     of 2022 (subtitle E of title LV of division E of Public Law 
     117-263), and, which--
       (A) may be made available notwithstanding any other 
     provision of law that restricts assistance to countries, 
     except for the limitations of section 5576 of such Act and 
     section 7008 of this Act, and following consultation with the 
     appropriate congressional committees;
       (B) may be made available for support for the 
     administrative operations and programs of entities that 
     support peaceful efforts to establish an inclusive and 
     representative democracy in Burma and a federal union to 
     foster equality and justice among Burma's diverse ethnic 
     groups;
       (C) shall be made available for programs to promote ethnic 
     and religious tolerance, unity, and accountability and to 
     combat violence against women and girls across Burma, and 
     among Burmese displaced and refugee populations in the 
     region;
       (D) shall be made available for community-based 
     organizations with experience operating in Thailand and may 
     be made available elsewhere outside of Burma to provide food, 
     medical, and other humanitarian assistance to internally 
     displaced persons in Burma, in addition to assistance for 
     Burmese refugees from funds appropriated by this Act under 
     the heading ``Migration and Refugee Assistance''; and
       (E) shall be made available for programs and activities to 
     investigate and document violations of human rights in Burma 
     committed by the military junta and its affiliated militias.
       (2) International security assistance.--None of the funds 
     appropriated by this Act under the headings ``International 
     Military Education and Training'' and ``Foreign Military 
     Financing Program'' may be made available for assistance for 
     Burma.
       (3) Limitations.--None of the funds appropriated by this 
     Act that are made available for assistance for Burma may be 
     made available to the State Administration Council or any 
     organization or entity controlled by, or an affiliate of, the 
     armed forces of Burma, or to any individual or organization 
     that has committed a gross violation of human rights or 
     advocates violence against ethnic or religious groups or 
     individuals in Burma, as determined by the Secretary of State 
     for programs administered by the Department of State and the 
     United States Agency for International Development or the 
     President of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) for 
     programs administered by NED.
       (4) Consultation.--Any new program or activity in Burma 
     initiated in fiscal year 2024 shall be subject to prior 
     consultation with the appropriate congressional committees.
       (b) Cambodia.--
       (1) Certification and exceptions.--
       (A) Certification.--None of the funds appropriated by this 
     Act that are made available for assistance for the Government 
     of Cambodia may be obligated or expended unless the Secretary 
     of State certifies and reports to the Committees on 
     Appropriations that such Government is taking effective steps 
     to--
       (i) strengthen regional security and stability, 
     particularly regarding territorial disputes in the South 
     China Sea and the enforcement of international sanctions with 
     respect to North Korea;
       (ii) assert its sovereignty against interference by the 
     People's Republic of China, including by verifiably 
     maintaining the neutrality of Ream Naval Base, other military 
     installations in Cambodia, and dual use facilities such as 
     the runway at the Dara Sakor development project;
       (iii) cease violence, threats, and harassment against civil 
     society and the political opposition in Cambodia, and dismiss 
     any politically motivated criminal charges against critics of 
     the government; and
       (iv) respect the rights, freedoms, and responsibilities 
     enshrined in the Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia as 
     enacted in 1993.
       (B) Exceptions.--The certification required by subparagraph 
     (A) shall not apply to funds appropriated by this Act and 
     made

[[Page H4747]]

     available for programs to strengthen the sovereignty of 
     Cambodia, and programs to educate and inform the people of 
     Cambodia of the influence activities of the People's Republic 
     of China in Cambodia.
       (2) Uses of funds.--Funds appropriated under title III of 
     this Act for assistance for Cambodia shall be made available 
     for--
       (A) research, documentation, and education programs 
     associated with the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia; and
       (B) programs in the Khmer language to monitor, map, and 
     publicize the efforts by the People's Republic of China to 
     expand its influence in Cambodia.
       (c) Indo-Pacific Strategy and the Asia Reassurance 
     Initiative Act of 2018.--
       (1) Diplomatic engagement.--Of the funds appropriated under 
     title I of this Act, not less than $1,238,255,000 should be 
     made available to support implementation of the Indo-Pacific 
     Strategy and the Asia Reassurance Initiative Act of 2018 
     (Public Law 115-409): Provided, That funds under the heading 
     ``Diplomatic Program'' that are allocated pursuant to this 
     paragraph may be transferred to, and merged with, funds under 
     the heading ``Related Programs'' in title I of this Act and 
     under the heading ``Operating Expenses'' in title II of this 
     Act to carry out the purposes of this paragraph: Provided 
     further, That the transfer authority of this paragraph is in 
     addition to any other transfer authority provided by this Act 
     or any other Act and shall be subject to prior consultation 
     with, and the regular notification procedures of, the 
     Committees on Appropriations.
       (2) Assistance.--Of the funds appropriated under titles III 
     and IV of this Act, not less than $2,161,745,000 shall be 
     made available to support implementation of the Indo-Pacific 
     Strategy and the Asia Reassurance Initiative Act of 2018 
     (Public Law 115-409).
       (3) Countering prc influence fund.--Of the funds 
     appropriated by this Act under the headings ``Development 
     Assistance'', ``Economic Support Fund'', ``International 
     Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement'', ``Nonproliferation, 
     Anti-terrorism, Demining and Related Programs'', and 
     ``Foreign Military Financing Program'', not less than 
     $400,000,000 shall be made available for a Countering PRC 
     Influence Fund to counter the influence of the Government of 
     the People's Republic of China and the Chinese Communist 
     Party and entities acting on their behalf globally, which 
     shall be subject to prior consultation with the Committees on 
     Appropriations:  Provided, That such funds are in addition to 
     amounts otherwise made available for such purposes:  Provided 
     further, That up to 10 percent of such funds shall be held in 
     reserve to respond to unanticipated opportunities to counter 
     PRC influence:  Provided further, That the uses of such funds 
     shall be the joint responsibility of the Secretary of State 
     and the USAID Administrator, and shall be allocated as 
     described under this section in the report accompanying this 
     Act:  Provided further, That funds made available pursuant to 
     this paragraph under the heading ``Foreign Military Financing 
     Program'' may remain available until September 30, 2025:  
     Provided further, That funds appropriated by this Act for 
     such Fund under the headings ``International Narcotics 
     Control and Law Enforcement'', ``Nonproliferation, Anti-
     terrorism, Demining and Related Programs'', and ``Foreign 
     Military Financing Program'' may be transferred to, and 
     merged with, funds appropriated under such headings:  
     Provided further, That such transfer authority is in addition 
     to any other transfer authority provided by this Act or any 
     other Act, and is subject to the regular notification 
     procedures of the Committees on Appropriations.
       (4) Restriction on uses of funds.--None of the funds 
     appropriated by this Act and prior Acts making appropriations 
     for the Department of State, foreign operations, and related 
     programs may be made available for any project or activity 
     that directly supports or promotes--
       (A) the Belt and Road Initiative or any dual-use 
     infrastructure projects of the People's Republic of China; or
       (B) the use of technology, including biotechnology, 
     digital, telecommunications, and cyber, developed by the 
     People's Republic of China unless the Secretary of State, in 
     consultation with the USAID Administrator and the heads of 
     other Federal agencies, as appropriate, determines that such 
     use does not adversely impact the national security of the 
     United States.
       (5) Maps.--None of the funds made available by this Act 
     should be used to create, procure, or display any map that 
     inaccurately depicts the territory and social and economic 
     system of Taiwan and the islands or island groups 
     administered by Taiwan authorities.
       (d) North Korea.--
       (1) Cybersecurity.--None of the funds appropriated by this 
     Act or prior Acts making appropriations for the Department of 
     State, foreign operations, and related programs may be made 
     available for assistance for the central government of a 
     country the Secretary of State determines and reports to the 
     appropriate congressional committees engages in significant 
     transactions contributing materially to the malicious cyber-
     intrusion capabilities of the Government of North Korea:  
     Provided, That the Secretary of State shall submit the report 
     required by section 209 of the North Korea Sanctions and 
     Policy Enhancement Act of 2016 (Public Law 114-122; 22 U.S.C. 
     9229) to the Committees on Appropriations:  Provided further, 
     That the Secretary of State may waive the application of the 
     restriction in this paragraph with respect to assistance for 
     the central government of a country if the Secretary 
     determines and reports to the appropriate congressional 
     committees that to do so is important to the national 
     security interest of the United States, including a 
     description of such interest served.
       (2) Broadcasts.--Funds appropriated by this Act under the 
     heading ``International Broadcasting Operations'' shall be 
     made available to maintain broadcasting hours into North 
     Korea at levels not less than the prior fiscal year.
       (3) Human rights.--Funds appropriated by this Act under the 
     headings ``Economic Support Fund'' and ``Democracy Fund'' 
     shall be made available for the promotion of human rights in 
     North Korea:  Provided, That the authority of section 
     7032(b)(1) of this Act shall apply to such funds.
       (4) Limitation on use of funds.--None of the funds made 
     available by this Act under the heading ``Economic Support 
     Fund'' may be made available for assistance for the 
     Government of North Korea.
       (e) Pacific Islands Countries.--
       (1) Operations.--Funds appropriated under title I in this 
     Act and prior Acts making appropriations for the Department 
     of State, foreign operations, and related programs may be 
     made available for establishing and operating diplomatic 
     facilities in Kiribati, Tonga, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu, 
     subject to section 7015(a)(3) of this Act and following 
     consultation with the Committees on Appropriations.
       (2) Assistance.--Of the funds appropriated by this Act 
     under the headings ``Development Assistance'', ``Economic 
     Support Fund'', ``International Narcotics Control and Law 
     Enforcement'', ``Nonproliferation, Anti-terrorism, Demining 
     and Related Programs'', and ``Foreign Military Financing 
     Program'', not less than $175,000,000 shall be made available 
     for assistance for Pacific Islands countries following 
     consultation with the Committees on Appropriations:  
     Provided, That funds made available pursuant to this 
     paragraph shall be made available for joint development and 
     security programs between the United States and such 
     countries in coordination with regional allies and partners, 
     including Taiwan.
       (f) People's Republic of China.--
       (1) Prohibition.--
       (A) None of the funds appropriated by this Act may be made 
     available for assistance for the Government of People's 
     Republic of China or the Chinese Communist Party.
       (B) None of the funds made available by this Act shall be 
     used to implement, administer, carry out, modify, revise, or 
     enforce any action that directly supports or facilitates 
     forced labor or other violations of human rights, crimes 
     against humanity, or genocide in the People's Republic of 
     China.
       (2) Hong kong.--
       (A) Democracy programs.--Of the funds appropriated by this 
     Act under the first paragraph under the heading ``Democracy 
     Fund'', not less than $5,000,000 shall be made available for 
     democracy and Internet freedom programs for Hong Kong, 
     including legal and other support for democracy activists.
       (B) Report.--The report required under section 
     7043(f)(3)(C) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, 
     and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2021 (division K of 
     Public Law 116-260) shall be updated and submitted to the 
     Congress in the manner described.
       (g) Philippines.--Of the funds appropriated by this Act 
     under the heading ``Foreign Military Financing Program'', not 
     less than $40,000,000 shall be made available for assistance 
     for the Philippines.
       (h) Taiwan.--
       (1) Global cooperation and training framework.--Of the 
     funds appropriated by this Act under the heading ``Economic 
     Support Fund'', not less than $4,000,000 shall be made 
     available for the Global Cooperation and Training Framework, 
     which shall be administered by the American Institute in 
     Taiwan, and shall be apportioned and allotted to the American 
     Institute in Taiwan not later than 60 days after the date of 
     enactment of this Act.
       (2) Foreign military financing program.--Of the funds 
     appropriated by this Act under the heading ``Foreign Military 
     Financing Program'', not less than $500,000,000 shall be made 
     available for assistance for Taiwan, as authorized by section 
     5502(h) of the Taiwan Enhanced Resilience Act (subtitle A of 
     title LV of division E of Public Law 117-263):  Provided, 
     That the Secretary of State, in coordination with the 
     Secretary of Defense, shall prioritize the delivery of 
     defense articles and services for Taiwan.
       (3) Foreign military financing program loan and loan 
     guarantee authority.--Funds appropriated by this Act and 
     prior Acts making appropriations for the Department of State, 
     foreign operations, and related programs under the heading 
     ``Foreign Military Financing Program'', except for amounts 
     designated as an emergency requirement pursuant to a 
     concurrent resolution on the budget or the Balanced Budget 
     and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, may be made 
     available for the costs, as defined in section 502 of the 
     Congressional Budget Act of 1974, of direct loans and loan 
     guarantees for Taiwan, as authorized by section 5502(g) of 
     the Taiwan Enhanced Resilience Act (subtitle A of title LV of 
     division E of Public Law 117-263).

[[Page H4748]]

       (4) Fellowship program.--Funds appropriated by this Act 
     under the heading ``Payment to the American Institute in 
     Taiwan'' shall be made available to establish a Taiwan 
     Fellowship Program.
       (5) Consultation.--Not later than 60 days after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall consult 
     with the Committees on Appropriations on the uses of funds 
     made available pursuant to this subsection:  Provided, That 
     such funds shall be subject to the regular notification 
     procedures of the Committees on Appropriations.
       (i) Tibet.--
       (1) Programs for tibetan communities.--
       (A) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, of the 
     funds appropriated by this Act under the heading ``Economic 
     Support Fund'', not less than $10,000,000 shall be made 
     available to nongovernmental organizations with experience 
     working with Tibetan communities to support activities which 
     preserve cultural traditions and promote sustainable 
     development, education, and environmental conservation in 
     Tibetan communities in the Tibet Autonomous Region and in 
     other Tibetan communities in China, as authorized by section 
     346(d) of the Tibetan Policy and Support Act of 2020 
     (subtitle E of title III of division FF of Public Law 116-
     260).
       (B) Of the funds appropriated by this Act under the heading 
     ``Economic Support Fund'', not less than $8,000,000 shall be 
     made available for programs to promote and preserve Tibetan 
     culture and language in the refugee and diaspora Tibetan 
     communities, development, and the resilience of Tibetan 
     communities and the Central Tibetan Administration in India 
     and Nepal, and to assist in the education and development of 
     the next generation of Tibetan leaders from such communities, 
     as authorized by section 346(e) of the Tibetan Policy and 
     Support Act of 2020 (subtitle E of title III of division FF 
     of Public Law 116-260):  Provided, That such funds are in 
     addition to amounts made available in subparagraph (A) for 
     programs inside Tibet.
       (C) Of the funds appropriated by this Act under the heading 
     ``Economic Support Fund'', not less than $5,000,000 shall be 
     made available for programs to strengthen the capacity of the 
     Central Tibetan Administration, as authorized by section 
     346(f) of the Tibetan Policy and Support Act of 2020 
     (subtitle E of title III of division FF of Public Law 116-
     260), of which not less than $2,000,000 shall be provided to 
     address economic growth and capacity building activities, 
     including for displaced Tibetan refugee families in India and 
     Nepal to help them meet basic needs:  Provided, That such 
     funds shall be administered by USAID.

                         south and central asia

       Sec. 7044. (a) Afghanistan.--
       (1) Restriction.--None of the funds appropriated by this 
     Act and prior Acts making appropriations for the Department 
     of State, foreign operations, and related programs and made 
     available for assistance for Afghanistan may be made 
     available for--
       (A) assistance to the Taliban; or
       (B) a United States contribution to a multi-donor trust 
     fund for Afghanistan unless the Secretary of State certifies 
     and reports to the appropriate congressional committees that 
     such contribution will not benefit the Taliban, directly or 
     indirectly.
       (2) Afghan women-led organizations.--Funds appropriated by 
     this Act that are made available for assistance for 
     Afghanistan shall be made available for a program for Afghan 
     women-led organizations to support education, human rights, 
     and economic livelihoods in Afghanistan: Provided, That such 
     program shall be co-designed by Afghan women.
       (3) Afghan students.--Funds appropriated under title III of 
     this Act and prior Acts making appropriations for the 
     Department of State, foreign operations, and related programs 
     shall be made available to--
       (A) support the higher education of students from 
     Afghanistan studying outside of the country, including the 
     costs of reimbursement to institutions hosting such students, 
     as appropriate:  Provided, That the Secretary of State and 
     the Administrator of the United States Agency for 
     International Development, as appropriate, shall consult with 
     the Committees on Appropriations prior to the initial 
     obligation of funds for such purposes; and
       (B) provide modified learning opportunities for women and 
     girls in Afghanistan, including but not limited to, efforts 
     to expand internet access, online schooling, and distribution 
     of educational content.
       (b) Pakistan.--
       (1) Limitation.--Funds appropriated by this Act under the 
     heading ``Foreign Military Financing Program'' that are made 
     available for assistance for Pakistan may only be made 
     available to support counterterrorism and counterinsurgency 
     capabilities in Pakistan.
       (2) Withholding.--Of the funds appropriated under titles 
     III and IV of this Act that are made available for assistance 
     for Pakistan, $33,000,000 shall be withheld from obligation 
     until the Secretary of State reports to the appropriate 
     congressional committees that Dr. Shakil Afridi has been 
     released from prison and cleared of all charges relating to 
     the assistance provided to the United States in locating 
     Osama bin Laden.
       (c) Sri Lanka.--
       (1) Assistance.--Funds appropriated under title III of this 
     Act shall be made available for assistance for Sri Lanka for 
     democracy and economic development programs, particularly in 
     areas recovering from ethnic and religious conflict.
       (2) Certification.--Funds appropriated by this Act for 
     assistance for the central Government of Sri Lanka may be 
     made available only if the Secretary of State certifies and 
     reports to the Committees on Appropriations that such 
     Government is taking effective and consistent steps to--
       (A) protect the rights and freedoms of the people of Sri 
     Lanka regardless of ethnicity and religious belief, including 
     by investigating violations of human rights and the laws of 
     war and holding perpetrators of such violations accountable;
       (B) engage in the fundamental, systemic, political, 
     economic, military, and legal reform necessary to recover 
     from the current financial collapse and to prevent conflict 
     and economic crises in the future;
       (C) increase transparency and accountability in governance 
     and combat corruption;
       (D) assert its sovereignty against influence by the 
     People's Republic of China; and
       (E) promote reconciliation between ethnic and religious 
     groups, particularly arising from past conflict in Sri Lanka:
       Provided, That the limitations of this paragraph shall not 
     apply to funds made available for humanitarian assistance and 
     disaster relief; to protect human rights, locate and identify 
     missing persons, and assist victims of torture and trauma; to 
     promote justice, accountability, and reconciliation; to 
     enhance maritime security and domain awareness; to promote 
     fiscal transparency and sovereignty; and for International 
     Military Education and Training.
       (3) Limitation.--Funds appropriated by this Act that are 
     made available for assistance for the Sri Lankan armed forces 
     may only be made available for humanitarian assistance, 
     disaster relief, instruction in human rights and related 
     curricula development, maritime security and domain 
     awareness, including professionalization and training for the 
     navy and coast guard, and for programs and activities under 
     the heading ``International Military Education and 
     Training''.

                    latin america and the caribbean

       Sec. 7045. (a) Assistance for Latin America and the 
     Caribbean.--
       (1) Assistance.--Funds appropriated by this Act under 
     titles III and IV and made available for countries in Latin 
     America and the Caribbean shall be prioritized for countries 
     and programs that are--
       (A) countering fentanyl and other narcotics trafficking;
       (B) respecting norms of democracy, constitutional order, 
     and human rights;
       (C) cooperating in the countering of regional and global 
     authoritarian threats; and
       (D) demonstrating commitment and progress in offsetting 
     large-scale migration and human trafficking from or through 
     the Western Hemisphere.
       (2) Strategic priorities.--Not later than 30 days after the 
     date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall 
     consult with the appropriate congressional committees on a 
     hemispheric plan to further the strategic priorities 
     contained in paragraph (1):  Provided, That such plan shall 
     include baseline definitions for the requirements in 
     subparagraphs (A), (B), (C), and (D).
       (b) Central America.--
       (1) Assistance.--Funds appropriated under titles III and IV 
     of this Act shall be made available for assistance for 
     countries in Central America, including Panama and Costa 
     Rica, and shall be allocated to address the unique 
     circumstances of each country in support of United States 
     security interests in the region.
       (2) Limitation on Assistance to Certain Central 
     Governments.--
       (A) Of the funds made available pursuant to paragraph (1), 
     50 percent of such funds that are made available for 
     assistance for each of the central governments of El 
     Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, may only be obligated 
     after the Secretary of State certifies and reports to the 
     Committees on Appropriations that such government is--
       (i) cooperating with the United States to counter drug 
     trafficking, human trafficking and smuggling, and other 
     illicit transnational crime;
       (ii) cooperating with the United States and other 
     governments in the region to facilitate the return, 
     repatriation, and reintegration of migrants arriving at the 
     southwest border of the United States who do not qualify for 
     asylum, consistent with international law;
       (iii) taking demonstrable actions to secure national 
     borders and stem mass migration towards Mexico and the United 
     States, including positive governance related to combating 
     crime and violence, building economic opportunity, improving 
     services, and protecting human rights;
       (iv) improving strategies to combat money laundering and 
     other global financial crimes, and counter corruption, 
     including investigating and prosecuting government officials, 
     military personnel, and police officers credibly alleged to 
     be corrupt;
       (v) improving rule of law and taking positive steps to 
     counter impunity; and
       (vi) improving the conditions for businesses to operate and 
     invest, including investment-friendly tax reform, transparent 
     and expeditious dispute resolution, and legal frameworks 
     protecting private property rights.
       (B) Exceptions.--The limitation of subparagraph (A) shall 
     not apply to funds appropriated by this Act that are made 
     available for--
       (i) judicial entities to combat corruption and impunity;

[[Page H4749]]

       (ii) investigation of human rights abuses;
       (iii) support for women's economic empowerment;
       (iv) prevention of violence against women and girls;
       (v) security assistance to combat transnational crime, 
     including narcotics trafficking;
       (vi) security assistance to protect national borders; and
       (vii) security assistance associated with migration 
     protection.
       (c) Colombia.--
       (1) Limitation.--None of the funds appropriated by this Act 
     and prior Acts making appropriations for the Department of 
     State, foreign operations, and related programs that are made 
     available for assistance for Colombia may be made available 
     for--
       (A) reparation payments or cash subsidies outlined in the 
     2016 Peace Accords; and
       (B) alternative development assistance on properties where 
     substances deemed illegal under the Controlled Substance Act 
     of 1970 are grown, produced, imported, or distributed.
       (2) Oversight.--Of the funds appropriated by this Act and 
     prior Acts making appropriations for the Department of State, 
     foreign operations, and related programs under the heading 
     ``Economic Support Fund'', up to $1,000,000 may be used by 
     the Inspector General of the United States Agency for 
     International Development for audits and other activities 
     related to compliance with the limitations in paragraph (1):  
     Provided, That such funds are in addition to funds otherwise 
     available for such purposes.
       (3) Authority.--Aircraft supported by funds made available 
     by this Act and prior Acts making appropriations for the 
     Department of State, foreign operations, and related programs 
     and made available for assistance for Colombia may be used to 
     transport personnel and supplies involved in drug eradication 
     and interdiction, including security for such activities.
       (d) Cuba.--
       (1) Democracy Programs.--Of the funds appropriated by this 
     Act under the heading ``Economic Support Fund'', not less 
     than $30,000,000 shall be made available to promote democracy 
     and strengthen civil society in Cuba, including to support 
     political prisoners, and shall be administered by the United 
     States Agency for International Development, the National 
     Endowment for Democracy, and the Bureau for Democracy Human 
     Rights and Labor, Department of State:  Provided, That no 
     funds shall be obligated for business promotion, economic 
     reform, entrepreneurship, or any other assistance that is not 
     democracy building as expressly authorized in the Cuban 
     Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act of 1996 and 
     the Cuban Democracy Act of 1992.
       (2) Office of Cuba Broadcasting.--Not less than 50 percent 
     of broadcast production of the Office of Cuba Broadcasting 
     shall be allocated for medium- and short-wave broadcasting.
       (e) Cuban Doctors.--
       (1) Report.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit a 
     report to the appropriate congressional committees listing 
     the countries and international organizations for which the 
     Secretary has credible information are directly paying the 
     Government of Cuba for coerced and trafficked labor of Cuban 
     medical professionals:  Provided, That such report shall be 
     submitted in unclassified form but may include a classified 
     annex.
       (2) Limitation.--None of the funds appropriated by this Act 
     under title III may be made available for assistance for the 
     central government of a country or international organization 
     that is listed in the report required by paragraph (1).
       (3) Resumption of Assistance.--The Secretary may resume 
     assistance to the government of a country or international 
     organization listed in the report required by paragraph (1) 
     if the Secretary determines and reports to the appropriate 
     congressional committees that such government or 
     international organization no longer pays the Government of 
     Cuba for coerced and trafficked labor of Cuban medical 
     professionals.
       (f) Facilitating Irresponsible Migration.--
       (1) None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made 
     available by this Act may be used to encourage, mobilize, 
     publicize, or manage mass-migration caravans towards the 
     United States southwest border:  Provided, That not later 
     than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
     Secretary of State shall report to the appropriate 
     congressional committees with analysis on the organization 
     and funding of mass-migration caravans in the Western 
     Hemisphere.
       (2) None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made 
     available by this Act may be made available to designate 
     foreign nationals residing in Mexico and awaiting entry into 
     the United States on the Mexico side of the United States 
     border as of May 19, 2023 for Priority 2 processing under the 
     refugee resettlement priority system unless such Priority 2 
     designation is expressly authorized by a subsequent Act of 
     Congress.
       (g) Haiti.--
       (1) Assistance.--Funds appropriated by this Act under 
     titles III and IV shall be made available for assistance for 
     Haiti to support the basic needs of the Haitian people.
       (2) Certification.--Funds appropriated by this Act that are 
     made available for assistance for Haiti may only be made 
     available for the central Government of Haiti if the 
     Secretary of State certifies and reports to the appropriate 
     congressional committees by January 1, 2025 that credible 
     elections have been held in Haiti and it is in the national 
     interest of the United States to provide such assistance.
       (3) Exceptions.--Notwithstanding paragraph (1), funds may 
     be made available to support--
       (A) free and fair elections;
       (B) anti-gang police and administration of justice 
     programs, including to reduce pre-trial detention and 
     eliminate inhumane prison conditions;
       (C) public health, food security, subsistence farmers, 
     water and sanitation, education, and other programs to meet 
     basic human needs; and
       (D) disaster relief and recovery.
       (4) Consultation.--Funds appropriated by this Act and prior 
     Acts making appropriations for the Department of State, 
     foreign operations, and related programs that are made 
     available for assistance for Haiti shall be subject to prior 
     consultation with the Committees on Appropriations: Provided, 
     That the requirement of this paragraph shall also apply to 
     any funds from such Acts that are made available for support 
     for an international security force in Haiti.
       (5) Haitian coast guard.--The Government of Haiti shall be 
     eligible to purchase defense articles and services under the 
     Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2751 et seq.) for the 
     Coast Guard.
       (h) Mexico.--
       (1) Of the funds appropriated under title IV in this Act 
     that are made available for assistance for Mexico, 15 percent 
     shall be withheld from obligation until the Secretary of 
     State certifies and reports to the appropriate congressional 
     committees that the Government of Mexico has taken steps to--
       (A) reduce the amount of fentanyl arriving at the United 
     States-Mexico border; and
       (B) dismantle and hold accountable transnational criminal 
     organizations.
       (2) Prior to the initial obligation of funds made available 
     for assistance for Mexico under the heading ``Economic 
     Support Fund'', but not later than 30 days after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall report to the 
     appropriate congressional committees on how such funds are 
     strategically aligned to address the proliferation of 
     fentanyl and other opioids from Mexico to the United States.
       (i) Nicaragua.--Funds appropriated by this Act that are 
     made available for assistance for Nicaragua shall only be 
     made available for democracy promotion, including to support 
     religious freedom.
       (j) Organization of American States.--The Secretary of 
     State shall reduce funds appropriated by this Act under the 
     headings ``Development Assistance'' and ``Economic Support 
     Fund'' that are made available for assistance for Member 
     States of the Organization of American States (OAS) by an 
     amount equal to the amount of arrears in excess of 100 
     percent of 2023 assessed quotas, as of the date of enactment 
     of this Act, and re-apply such amount to the Coordinating 
     Office of the OAS General Secretariat: Provided, That the 
     Secretary of State may waive the requirement of this 
     subsection for a Member State if the Secretary determines and 
     reports to the Committees on Appropriations that it is 
     important to the national security interest of the United 
     States.
       (k) The Caribbean.--Of the funds appropriated by this Act 
     under titles III and IV, not less than $97,500,000 shall be 
     made available for the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative:  
     Provided, That funds made available above the fiscal year 
     2023 level shall be prioritized for countries within the 
     transit zones of illicit drug shipments toward the United 
     States, that have increased interdiction of illicit drugs, 
     and are most directly impacted by the crisis in Haiti.
       (l) Venezuela.--
       (1) Assistance.--
       (A) Of the funds appropriated by this Act under the heading 
     ``Economic Support Fund'', $50,000,000 shall be made 
     available for democracy programs for Venezuela.
       (B) Of the funds made available pursuant to subparagraph 
     (A) that are allocated for electoral-related activities, 50 
     percent may only be obligated after the Secretary of State 
     certifies and reports to the appropriate congressional 
     committees that elections related to such activities--
       (i) allow for the diaspora from Venezuela to participate; 
     and
       (ii) are open for credible, unaccompanied international 
     observation.
       (C) Funds shall be made available for assistance for 
     communities in countries supporting or otherwise impacted by 
     migrants from Venezuela:  Provided, That such amounts are in 
     addition to funds otherwise made available for assistance for 
     such countries and are subject to the regular notification 
     procedures of the Committees on Appropriations.
       (2) Limitations.--None of the funds appropriated by this 
     Act may be used to negotiate the lifting of sanctions on the 
     purchase or trade of gold extracted from Venezuela until the 
     Secretary of State submits a report to the appropriate 
     congressional committees on human rights abuses, crimes 
     against humanity involving Indigenous peoples, environmental 
     harm, and patrimonial theft associated with state-sponsored 
     and illegal gold extraction from Venezuela's Orinoco Mining 
     Arc and in national parks and reserves in Venezuela, 
     including the Canaima National Park, and following 
     consultation with such committees.

[[Page H4750]]

       (m) Withholding.--Of the funds appropriated by this Act 
     under the heading ``Diplomatic Programs'' and made available 
     for the Office of the Secretary, 15 percent shall be withheld 
     from obligation until the Secretary of State reports to the 
     appropriate congressional committees that negotiations have 
     begun with each of the governments listed in section 302 of 
     H.R. 2, as passed by the House of Representatives on May 5, 
     2023, to carry out the directives of such section:  Provided, 
     That such report shall detail the status of such negotiations 
     with each government.

                           europe and eurasia

       Sec. 7046. (a) Georgia.--Funds appropriated by this Act 
     under titles III and IV may be made available for assistance 
     for Georgia.
       (b) Ukraine.--
       (1) Strategy requirement.--Not later than 60 days after the 
     date of enactment of this Act, the President shall submit to 
     the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the President 
     Pro Tempore of the Senate, and the appropriate congressional 
     committees a strategy to prioritize United States national 
     security interests and respond to Russian aggression in 
     Ukraine and its impact on the region, which shall include an 
     explanation of how United States assistance for Ukraine and 
     affected countries in the region advances the objectives of 
     such strategy:  Provided, That such strategy shall include 
     clear goals, benchmarks, timelines, and strategic objectives 
     with respect to funds appropriated by this Act and prior Acts 
     making appropriations for the Department of State, foreign 
     operations, and related programs that are made available for 
     assistance for Ukraine:  Provided further,  That such 
     strategy shall also include details on the staffing 
     requirements necessary to carry out such strategy.
       (2) Purpose.--
       (A) Funds appropriated under titles I and II of this Act 
     shall be made available to support additional staff in 
     Ukraine and neighboring countries to conduct monitoring and 
     oversight of funds and ensure the safety and security of 
     United States personnel.
       (B) Funds appropriated under titles III through VI of this 
     Act and made available for assistance for Ukraine shall only 
     be made available to support the ability of the Government of 
     Ukraine to--
       (i) defend their sovereignty and withstand the impacts of 
     Russia's invasion;
       (ii) combat corruption; and
       (iii) promote transparency and democracy.
       (3) In-person monitoring.--Funds appropriated by this Act 
     under the headings ``Economic Support Fund'', ``Assistance 
     for Europe, Eurasia and Central Asia'', ``International 
     Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement'', and 
     ``Nonproliferation, Anti-Terrorism, Demining and Related 
     Programs'', and made available for project-based assistance 
     for Ukraine may not be obligated for any project or activity 
     that is--
       (A) not regularly accessible for the purpose of conducting 
     effective oversight in accordance with applicable federal 
     statutes and regulations; and
       (B) conducted in areas where project and resource 
     disbursement monitoring cannot be performed by United States 
     personnel or by vetted third party monitors unless the 
     Secretary of State, in consultation with the Administrator of 
     the United States Agency for International Development, 
     certifies and reports to the appropriate congressional 
     committees that to do so is in the national security interest 
     of the United States:  Provided, That such report shall 
     include a detailed justification for waiving such 
     limitations.
       (4) Cost matching.--
       (A) At any time during fiscal years 2024 and 2025, no 
     United States contribution from funds appropriated under 
     title III of this Act to the Government of Ukraine may cause 
     the total amount of United States Government contributions 
     from funds appropriated under title III of this Act to the 
     Government of Ukraine to exceed 50 percent of the total 
     amount of non-defense funds contributed to the Government of 
     Ukraine from all sources.
       (B) The President may waive the limitation of subparagraph 
     (A) if the President determines that the limitation included 
     therein threatens the national security interest of the 
     United States.
       (C) The President shall notify the appropriate 
     congressional committees not less than 5 days before making 
     the determination in subparagraph (B) and shall include in 
     the notification--
       (i) a detailed justification as to why the limitation of 
     subparagraph (A) threatens the national security interest of 
     the United States; and
       (ii) an explanation as to why other donors to the 
     Government of Ukraine are unable to match United States 
     assistance.
       (D) If the President makes the determination described in 
     subparagraph (B), the Secretary of State shall submit a 
     report to Speaker of the House of Representatives, the 
     President Pro Tempore of the Senate, and the appropriate 
     congressional committees every 120 days for the duration of 
     such determination detailing steps taken to increase other 
     donor contributions and an update to the justification 
     required by subparagraph (C).
       (5) Certification.--Not later than 15 days prior to the 
     initial obligation of funds made available for assistance for 
     Ukraine under the headings ``Economic Support Fund'', 
     ``Assistance for Europe, Eurasia and Central Asia'', 
     ``International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement'', 
     ``Nonproliferation, Anti-Terrorism, Demining and Related 
     Programs'', and ``Foreign Military Financing Program'', the 
     Secretary of State, following consultation with the USAID 
     Administrator, shall certify and report to the appropriate 
     congressional committees that mechanisms for monitoring and 
     oversight of funds are in place and functioning across all 
     programs and activities to ensure accountability of such 
     funds to prevent waste, fraud, abuse, diversion, and 
     corruption, including such mechanisms as--
       (A) use of third-party monitors;
       (B) enhanced end-use monitoring;
       (C) external and independent audits and evaluations;
       (D) randomized spot checks; and
       (E) regular reporting on outcomes achieved and progress 
     made toward stated program objectives.
       (6) Continuation.--The requirements of section 1705 of the 
     Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2023 
     (division M of Public Law 117-328) shall apply to funds 
     appropriated by this Act under title III that are made 
     available for assistance for Ukraine for such purposes.
       (7) Notification requirement.--Notifications submitted 
     pursuant to the requirement of section 7015(f) of this Act 
     with respect to assistance for Ukraine shall include for each 
     program notified, as applicable--
       (A) the total amount made available for such program by 
     account and fiscal year;
       (B) any amount that remains unobligated for such program;
       (C) any amount that is obligated but unexpended for such 
     program; and
       (D) any amount committed but not yet notified for such 
     program.
       (8) Obligation report.--Not later than 60 days after the 
     date of enactment of this Act and every 90 days thereafter 
     until all such funds have been expended, the Secretary of 
     State and the USAID Administrator shall provide a 
     comprehensive report to the appropriate congressional 
     committees on assistance for Ukraine since February 24, 2022 
     that includes total amounts--
       (A) made available by account and fiscal year;
       (B) that remain unobligated;
       (C) that is obligated but unexpended; and
       (D) that is committed but not yet notified.
       (9) Oversight reports.--Not later than 90 days after the 
     date of enactment of this Act and every 90 days thereafter 
     until all such funds have been expended, the Secretary of 
     State, in coordination with the USAID Administrator, shall 
     report to the appropriate congressional committees on the use 
     and planned uses of funds provided for Ukraine, including 
     categories and amounts, the intended results and the results 
     achieved, a summary of other donor contributions, and a 
     description of the efforts undertaken by the Secretary and 
     Administrator to increase other donor contributions:  
     Provided, That such reports shall also include the metrics 
     established to measure such results and determine 
     effectiveness of funds provided and a detailed description of 
     coordination and information sharing with the Offices of the 
     Inspectors General, including a full accounting of any 
     reported allegations of waste, fraud, abuse, and corruption, 
     steps taken to verify such allegations, and steps taken to 
     address all verified allegations.
       (10) Public availability.--The requirements of paragraphs 
     (1), (8), and (9) shall be publicly posted on the Department 
     of State and the USAID website not later than 5 days after 
     submission:  Provided, That the reports shall be easily 
     accessible and centrally located on such websites.
       (c) Territorial Integrity.--None of the funds appropriated 
     by this Act may be made available for assistance for a 
     government of an Independent State of the former Soviet Union 
     if such government directs any action in violation of the 
     territorial integrity or national sovereignty of any other 
     Independent State of the former Soviet Union, such as those 
     violations included in the Helsinki Final Act:  Provided, 
     That except as otherwise provided in section 7047(a) of this 
     Act, funds may be made available without regard to the 
     restriction in this subsection if the President determines 
     that to do so is in the national security interest of the 
     United States:  Provided further, That prior to executing the 
     authority contained in the previous proviso, the Secretary of 
     State shall consult with the Committees on Appropriations on 
     how such assistance supports the national security interest 
     of the United States.
       (d) Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act.--Section 907 of 
     the FREEDOM Support Act (22 U.S.C. 5812 note) shall not apply 
     to--
       (1) activities to support democracy or assistance under 
     title V of the FREEDOM Support Act (22 U.S.C. 5851 et seq.) 
     and section 1424 of the Defense Against Weapons of Mass 
     Destruction Act of 1996 (50 U.S.C. 2333) or non-proliferation 
     assistance;
       (2) any assistance provided by the Trade and Development 
     Agency under section 661 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 
     1961;
       (3) any activity carried out by a member of the United 
     States and Foreign Commercial Service while acting within his 
     or her official capacity;
       (4) any insurance, reinsurance, guarantee, or other 
     assistance provided by the United States International 
     Development Finance Corporation as authorized by the BUILD 
     Act of 2018 (division F of Public Law 115-254);
       (5) any financing provided under the Export-Import Bank Act 
     of 1945 (Public Law 79-173); or
       (6) humanitarian assistance.
       (e) Turkey.--None of the funds made available by this Act 
     may be used to facilitate or

[[Page H4751]]

     support the sale of defense articles or defense services to 
     the Turkish Presidential Protection Directorate (TPPD) under 
     chapter 2 of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2761 et 
     seq.) unless the Secretary of State determines and reports to 
     the appropriate congressional committees that members of the 
     TPPD who are named in the July 17, 2017, indictment by the 
     Superior Court of the District of Columbia, and against whom 
     there are pending charges, have returned to the United States 
     to stand trial in connection with the offenses contained in 
     such indictment or have otherwise been brought to justice:  
     Provided, That the limitation in this paragraph shall not 
     apply to the use of funds made available by this Act for the 
     security of borders, for North Atlantic Treaty Organization 
     or coalition operations, or to enhance the protection of 
     United States officials and facilities in Turkey.

              countering russian influence and aggression

       Sec. 7047. (a) Prohibition.--None of the funds appropriated 
     by this Act may be made available for assistance for the 
     central Government of the Russian Federation.
       (b) Annexation of Territory.--
       (1) Prohibition.--None of the funds appropriated by this 
     Act may be made available for assistance for the central 
     government of a country that the Secretary of State 
     determines and reports to the Committees on Appropriations 
     has taken affirmative steps intended to support or be 
     supportive of the Russian Federation annexation of Crimea or 
     other territory in Ukraine:  Provided, That except as 
     otherwise provided in subsection (a), the Secretary may waive 
     the restriction on assistance required by this paragraph if 
     the Secretary determines and reports to such Committees that 
     to do so is in the national interest of the United States, 
     and includes a justification for such interest.
       (2) Limitation.--None of the funds appropriated by this Act 
     may be made available for--
       (A) the implementation of any action or policy that 
     recognizes the sovereignty of the Russian Federation over 
     Crimea or other territory in Ukraine;
       (B) the facilitation, financing, or guarantee of United 
     States Government investments in Crimea or other territory in 
     Ukraine under the control of the Russian Federation or 
     Russian-backed forces, if such activity includes the 
     participation of Russian Government officials, or other 
     Russian owned or controlled financial entities; or
       (C) assistance for Crimea or other territory in Ukraine 
     under the control of the Russian Federation or Russian-backed 
     forces, if such assistance includes the participation of 
     Russian Government officials, or other Russian owned or 
     controlled financial entities.
       (3) International financial institutions.--The Secretary of 
     the Treasury shall instruct the United States executive 
     director of each international financial institution to use 
     the voice and vote of the United States to oppose any 
     assistance by such institution (including any loan, credit, 
     grant, or guarantee) for any program that violates the 
     sovereignty or territorial integrity of Ukraine.
       (4) Duration.--The requirements and limitations of this 
     subsection shall cease to be in effect if the Secretary of 
     State determines and reports to the appropriate congressional 
     committees that the Government of Ukraine has reestablished 
     sovereignty over Crimea and other territory in Ukraine under 
     the control of the Russian Federation or Russian-backed 
     forces.
       (c) Occupation of the Georgian Territories of Abkhazia and 
     Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia.--
       (1) Prohibition.--None of the funds appropriated by this 
     Act may be made available for assistance for the central 
     government of a country that the Secretary of State 
     determines and reports to the Committees on Appropriations 
     has recognized the independence of, or has established 
     diplomatic relations with, the Russian Federation occupied 
     Georgian territories of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region/South 
     Ossetia:  Provided, That the Secretary shall publish on the 
     Department of State website a list of any such central 
     governments in a timely manner:  Provided further, That the 
     Secretary may waive the restriction on assistance required by 
     this paragraph if the Secretary determines and reports to the 
     Committees on Appropriations that to do so is in the national 
     interest of the United States, and includes a justification 
     for such interest.
       (2) Limitation.--None of the funds appropriated by this Act 
     may be made available to support the Russian Federation 
     occupation of the Georgian territories of Abkhazia and 
     Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia.
       (3) International financial institutions.--The Secretary of 
     the Treasury shall instruct the United States executive 
     director of each international financial institution to use 
     the voice and vote of the United States to oppose any 
     assistance by such institution (including any loan, credit, 
     grant, or guarantee) for any program that violates the 
     sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia.
       (d) Countering Russian Influence Fund.--Of the funds 
     appropriated by this Act under the headings ``Assistance for 
     Europe, Eurasia and Central Asia'', ``International Narcotics 
     Control and Law Enforcement'', ``International Military 
     Education and Training'', and ``Foreign Military Financing 
     Program'', not less than $300,000,000 shall be made available 
     to carry out the purposes of the Countering Russian Influence 
     Fund, as authorized by section 254 of the Countering Russian 
     Influence in Europe and Eurasia Act of 2017 (Public Law 115-
     44; 22 U.S.C. 9543) and notwithstanding the country 
     limitation in subsection (b) of such section, and programs to 
     enhance the capacity of law enforcement and security forces 
     in countries in Europe, Eurasia, and Central Asia and 
     strengthen security cooperation between such countries and 
     the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, 
     as appropriate:  Provided, That funds made available pursuant 
     to this paragraph under the heading ``Foreign Military 
     Financing Program'' may remain available until September 30, 
     2025.
       (e) Funding Limitation.--None of the funds made available 
     by this Act may be used to remove prohibitions related to 
     transactions involving the Central Bank of the Russian 
     Federation, the National Wealth Fund of the Russian 
     Federation, or the Ministry of Finance of the Russian 
     Federation unless the Secretary of State certifies and 
     reports to the appropriate congressional committees that the 
     Government of Ukraine has entered into an agreement with the 
     Government of the Russian Federation resolving compensation 
     to Ukraine by the Russian Federation for damages resulting 
     from the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation.

                             united nations

       Sec. 7048. (a) Transparency and Accountability.--Of the 
     funds appropriated by this Act that are available for 
     contributions to the United Nations (including the Department 
     of Peacekeeping Operations), international organizations, or 
     any United Nations agency, 15 percent may not be obligated 
     for such organization, department, or agency until the 
     Secretary of State determines and reports to the appropriate 
     congressional committees that the organization, department, 
     or agency is--
       (1) posting on a publicly available website, consistent 
     with privacy regulations and due process, regular financial 
     and programmatic audits of such organization, department, or 
     agency, and providing the United States Government with 
     necessary access to such financial and performance audits;
       (2) effectively implementing and enforcing policies and 
     procedures which meet or exceed best practices in the United 
     States for the protection of whistleblowers from retaliation, 
     including--
       (A) protection against retaliation for internal and lawful 
     public disclosures;
       (B) legal burdens of proof;
       (C) statutes of limitation for reporting retaliation;
       (D) access to binding independent adjudicative bodies, 
     including shared cost and selection of external arbitration; 
     and
       (E) results that eliminate the effects of proven 
     retaliation, including provision for the restoration of prior 
     employment; and
       (3) effectively implementing and enforcing policies and 
     procedures on the appropriate use of travel funds, including 
     restrictions on first-class and business-class travel.
       (b) Restrictions on United Nations Delegations and 
     Organizations.--
       (1) Restrictions on united states delegations.--None of the 
     funds made available by this Act may be used to pay expenses 
     for any United States delegation to any specialized agency, 
     body, or commission of the United Nations if such agency, 
     body, or commission is chaired or presided over by a country, 
     the government of which the Secretary of State has 
     determined, for purposes of section 1754(c) of the Export 
     Reform Control Act of 2018 (50 U.S.C. 4813(c)), supports 
     international terrorism.
       (2) Restrictions on contributions.--None of the funds made 
     available by this Act may be used by the Secretary of State 
     as a contribution to any organization, agency, commission, or 
     program within the United Nations system if such 
     organization, agency, commission, or program is chaired or 
     presided over by a country the government of which the 
     Secretary of State has determined, for purposes of section 
     620A of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, section 40 of the 
     Arms Export Control Act, section 1754(c) of the Export Reform 
     Control Act of 2018 (50 U.S.C. 4813(c)), or any other 
     provision of law, is a government that has repeatedly 
     provided support for acts of international terrorism.
       (c) United Nations Human Rights Council.--
       (1) None of the funds appropriated by this Act and prior 
     Acts making appropriations for the Department of State, 
     foreign operations, and related programs may be made 
     available in support of the United Nations Human Rights 
     Council unless the Secretary of State determines and reports 
     to the appropriate congressional committees that 
     participation in the Council is important to the national 
     security interest of the United States and that such Council 
     is taking significant steps to remove Israel as a permanent 
     agenda item and ensure integrity in the election of members 
     to such Council:  Provided, That such report shall include a 
     description of the national security interest served and 
     provide a detailed reform agenda, including a timeline to 
     remove Israel as a permanent agenda item and ensure integrity 
     in the election of members to such Council:  Provided 
     further, That the Secretary of State shall withhold, from 
     funds appropriated by this Act and prior Acts making 
     appropriations for the Department of State, foreign 
     operations, and related programs made available under the 
     heading ``Contributions to International Organizations'' in 
     title I of such acts for a contribution to the United Nations 
     Regular Budget, the United States proportionate share of the 
     total annual

[[Page H4752]]

     amount of the United Nations Regular Budget funding for the 
     United Nations Human Rights Council until such determination 
     and report is made:  Provided further, That if the Secretary 
     is unable to make such determination and report, such amounts 
     may be reprogrammed for purposes other than the United 
     Nations Regular Budget, subject to the regular notification 
     procedures of the Committees on Appropriations:  Provided 
     further, That the Secretary shall report to the Committees on 
     Appropriations not later than September 30, 2024, on the 
     resolutions considered in the United Nations Human Rights 
     Council during the previous 12 months, and on steps taken to 
     remove Israel as a permanent agenda item and to improve the 
     quality of membership through competitive elections.
       (2) None of the funds appropriated by this Act or prior 
     Acts making appropriations for the Department of State, 
     foreign operations, and related programs may be made 
     available for the United Nations International Commission of 
     Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East 
     Jerusalem, and Israel.
       (d) United Nations Relief and Works Agency.--Prior to each 
     obligation of funds for the United Nations Relief and Works 
     Agency (UNRWA), the Secretary of State shall certify and 
     report to the appropriate congressional committees, in 
     writing, on whether UNRWA is--
       (1) utilizing Operations Support Officers in the West Bank, 
     Gaza, and other fields of operation to inspect UNRWA 
     installations and reporting any inappropriate use;
       (2) acting promptly to address any staff or beneficiary 
     violation of its own policies (including the policies on 
     neutrality and impartiality of employees) and the legal 
     requirements under section 301(c) of the Foreign Assistance 
     Act of 1961;
       (3) implementing procedures to maintain the neutrality of 
     its facilities, including implementing a no-weapons policy, 
     and conducting regular inspections of its installations, to 
     ensure they are only used for humanitarian or other 
     appropriate purposes;
       (4) taking necessary and appropriate measures to ensure it 
     is operating in compliance with the conditions of section 
     301(c) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and continuing 
     regular reporting to the Department of State on actions it 
     has taken to ensure conformance with such conditions;
       (5) not engaging in operations with financial institutions 
     or related entities in violation of relevant United States 
     law, and is taking steps to improve the financial 
     transparency of the organization;
       (6) in compliance with the United Nations Board of 
     Auditors' biennial audit requirements and is implementing in 
     a timely fashion the Board's recommendations; and
       (7) establishing or updating, and implementing procedures 
     to--
       (A) prevent the use of UNRWA resources for disseminating 
     anti-American, anti-Israel, or anti-Semitic rhetoric; or 
     incitement of violence; and
       (B) ensure the content of all educational materials 
     currently taught in UNRWA-administered schools and summer 
     camps is consistent with the values of human rights, dignity, 
     and tolerance and does not induce incitement of violence or 
     antisemitism.
       (e) Prohibition of Payments to United Nations Members.--
     None of the funds appropriated or made available pursuant to 
     titles III through VI of this Act for carrying out the 
     Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, may be used to pay in whole 
     or in part any assessments, arrearages, or dues of any member 
     of the United Nations or, from funds appropriated by this Act 
     to carry out chapter 1 of part I of the Foreign Assistance 
     Act of 1961, the costs for participation of another country's 
     delegation at international conferences held under the 
     auspices of multilateral or international organizations.
       (f) Reports.--
       (1) Not later than 45 days after the date of enactment of 
     this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit a report to the 
     Committees on Appropriations detailing the amount of funds 
     available for obligation or expenditure in fiscal year 2024 
     for contributions to any organization, department, agency, or 
     program within the United Nations system or any international 
     program that are withheld from obligation or expenditure due 
     to any provision of law:  Provided, That the Secretary shall 
     update such report each time additional funds are withheld by 
     operation of any provision of law:  Provided further, That 
     the reprogramming of any withheld funds identified in such 
     report, including updates thereof, shall be subject to prior 
     consultation with, and the regular notification procedures 
     of, the Committees on Appropriations.
       (2) Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of 
     this Act, the Secretary shall submit a report to the 
     appropriate congressional committees on United Nations 
     buildings and facilities, as described under this section in 
     the report accompanying this Act.
       (g) Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in Peacekeeping 
     Operations.--The Secretary of State shall, to the maximum 
     extent practicable, withhold assistance to any unit of the 
     security forces of a foreign country if the Secretary has 
     credible information that such unit has engaged in sexual 
     exploitation or abuse, including while serving in a United 
     Nations peacekeeping operation, until the Secretary 
     determines that the government of such country is taking 
     effective steps to hold the responsible members of such unit 
     accountable and to prevent future incidents:  Provided, That 
     the Secretary shall promptly notify the government of each 
     country subject to any withholding of assistance pursuant to 
     this paragraph, and shall notify the appropriate 
     congressional committees of such withholding not later than 
     10 days after a determination to withhold such assistance is 
     made:  Provided further, That the Secretary shall, to the 
     maximum extent practicable, assist such government in 
     bringing the responsible members of such unit to justice.
       (h) Additional Availability.--Subject to the regular 
     notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations, 
     funds appropriated by this Act which are returned or not made 
     available due to the second proviso under the heading 
     ``Contributions for International Peacekeeping Activities'' 
     in title I of this Act or section 307(a) of the Foreign 
     Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2227(a)), shall remain 
     available for obligation until September 30, 2025:  Provided, 
     That the requirement to withhold funds for programs in Burma 
     under section 307(a) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 
     shall not apply to funds appropriated by this Act.
       (i) Procurement Restrictions.--None of the funds 
     appropriated by this Act and prior Acts making appropriations 
     for the Department of State, foreign operations, and related 
     programs may be used for the procurement by any entity of the 
     United Nations system or any other multilateral organization 
     of goods or services originating in or produced by any person 
     in the Russian Federation, including any entity that is a 
     shell or front company organized to disguise or obscure 
     financial activity relating to such goods or services.
       (j) Accountability Requirement.--Not later than 30 days 
     after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
     State, in coordination with the Administrator of the United 
     States Agency for International Development, shall seek to 
     enter into written agreements with each international 
     organization that receives funding appropriated by this Act 
     to provide timely access to the Inspectors General of the 
     Department of State and the United States Agency for 
     International Development and the Comptroller General of the 
     United States to such organization's financial data and other 
     information, including investigative records and reports of 
     sexual misconduct, relevant to United States contributions to 
     such organization, as determined by the Inspectors and 
     Comptroller General:  Provided,  That not later than 180 days 
     after the date of enactment of this Act, the Inspectors and 
     Comptroller General shall consult with the appropriate 
     congressional committees on the implementation of such 
     requirements.
       (k) World Health Organization.--None of the funds 
     appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be 
     made available for the World Health Organization.
       (l) International Conventions.--None of the funds provided 
     by this Act shall be made available to implement or support 
     any international convention, agreement, protocol, legal 
     instrument, or agreed outcome with legal force drafted by the 
     intergovernmental negotiating body of the World Health 
     Assembly or any other United Nations body until such 
     instrument has been subject to the requirements of article 
     II, section 2, clause 2 of the Constitution of the United 
     States, which requires the advice and consent of the Senate, 
     with two-thirds of Senators concurring.

                           arms trade treaty

       Sec. 7049.  None of the funds appropriated by this Act may 
     be obligated or expended to implement the Arms Trade Treaty 
     until the Senate approves a resolution of ratification for 
     the Treaty.

                        global internet freedom

       Sec. 7050. (a) Funding.--Of the funds available for 
     obligation during fiscal year 2024 under the headings 
     ``International Broadcasting Operations'', ``Economic Support 
     Fund'', ``Democracy Fund'', and ``Assistance for Europe, 
     Eurasia and Central Asia'', not less than $94,000,000 shall 
     be made available for programs to promote Internet freedom 
     globally, as authorized by section 9707 of the Department of 
     State Authorization Act 2022 (title XCVII of division I of 
     Public Law 117-263).
       (b) Coordination and Spend Plans.--After consultation among 
     the relevant agency heads to coordinate and de-conflict 
     planned activities, but not later than 90 days after the date 
     of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State and the 
     Chief Executive Officer of the United States Agency for 
     Global Media, in consultation with the President of the Open 
     Technology Fund, shall submit to the Committees on 
     Appropriations spend plans for funds made available by this 
     Act for programs to promote Internet freedom globally, which 
     shall include a description of safeguards established by 
     relevant agencies to ensure that such programs are not used 
     for illicit purposes:  Provided, That the Department of State 
     spend plan shall include funding for all such programs for 
     all relevant Department of State and United States Agency for 
     International Development offices and bureaus.

 torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment

       Sec. 7051.  None of the funds made available by this Act 
     may be used to support or justify the use of torture and 
     other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment by 
     any official or contract employee of the United States 
     Government.

                aircraft transfer, coordination, and use

       Sec. 7052. (a) Transfer Authority.--Notwithstanding any 
     other provision of law or

[[Page H4753]]

     regulation, aircraft procured with funds appropriated by this 
     Act and prior Acts making appropriations for the Department 
     of State, foreign operations, and related programs under the 
     headings ``Diplomatic Programs'', ``International Narcotics 
     Control and Law Enforcement'', ``Andean Counterdrug 
     Initiative'', and ``Andean Counterdrug Programs'' may be used 
     for any other program and in any region.
       (b) Property Disposal.--The authority provided in 
     subsection (a) shall apply only after the Secretary of State 
     determines and reports to the Committees on Appropriations 
     that the equipment is no longer required to meet programmatic 
     purposes in the designated country or region:  Provided, That 
     any such transfer shall be subject to prior consultation 
     with, and the regular notification procedures of, the 
     Committees on Appropriations.
       (c) Aircraft Coordination.--
       (1) Authority.--The uses of aircraft purchased or leased by 
     the Department of State and the United States Agency for 
     International Development with funds made available in this 
     Act or prior Acts making appropriations for the Department of 
     State, foreign operations, and related programs shall be 
     coordinated under the authority of the appropriate Chief of 
     Mission:  Provided, That such aircraft may be used to 
     transport, on a reimbursable or non-reimbursable basis, 
     Federal and non-Federal personnel supporting Department of 
     State and USAID programs and activities:  Provided further, 
     That official travel for other agencies for other purposes 
     may be supported on a reimbursable basis, or without 
     reimbursement when traveling on a space available basis:  
     Provided further, That funds received by the Department of 
     State in connection with the use of aircraft owned, leased, 
     or chartered by the Department of State may be credited to 
     the Working Capital Fund of the Department and shall be 
     available for expenses related to the purchase, lease, 
     maintenance, chartering, or operation of such aircraft.
       (2) Scope.--The requirement and authorities of this 
     subsection shall only apply to aircraft, the primary purpose 
     of which is the transportation of personnel.
       (d) Aircraft Operations and Maintenance.--To the maximum 
     extent practicable, the costs of operations and maintenance, 
     including fuel, of aircraft funded by this Act shall be borne 
     by the recipient country.

   parking fines and real property taxes owed by foreign governments

       Sec. 7053.  The terms and conditions of section 7055 of the 
     Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs 
     Appropriations Act, 2010 (division F of Public Law 111-117) 
     shall apply to this Act:  Provided, That subsection (f)(2)(B) 
     of such section shall be applied by substituting ``September 
     30, 2023'' for ``September 30, 2009''.

                      international monetary fund

       Sec. 7054. (a) Extensions.--The terms and conditions of 
     sections 7086(b)(1) and (2) and 7090(a) of the Department of 
     State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs 
     Appropriations Act, 2010 (division F of Public Law 111-117) 
     shall apply to this Act.
       (b) Repayment.--The Secretary of the Treasury shall 
     instruct the United States Executive Director of the 
     International Monetary Fund (IMF) to seek to ensure that any 
     loan will be repaid to the IMF before other private or 
     multilateral creditors.

                              extradition

       Sec. 7055. (a) Limitation.--None of the funds appropriated 
     in this Act may be used to provide assistance (other than 
     funds provided under the headings ``Development Assistance'', 
     ``International Disaster Assistance'', ``Complex Crises 
     Fund'', ``International Narcotics Control and Law 
     Enforcement'', ``Migration and Refugee Assistance'', ``United 
     States Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance Fund'', and 
     ``Nonproliferation, Anti-terrorism, Demining and Related 
     Assistance'') for the central government of a country which 
     has notified the Department of State of its refusal to 
     extradite to the United States any individual indicted for a 
     criminal offense for which the maximum penalty is life 
     imprisonment without the possibility of parole or for killing 
     a law enforcement officer, as specified in a United States 
     extradition request.
       (b) Clarification.--Subsection (a) shall only apply to the 
     central government of a country with which the United States 
     maintains diplomatic relations and with which the United 
     States has an extradition treaty and the government of that 
     country is in violation of the terms and conditions of the 
     treaty.
       (c) Waiver.--The Secretary of State may waive the 
     restriction in subsection (a) on a case-by-case basis if the 
     Secretary certifies to the Committees on Appropriations that 
     such waiver is important to the national interest of the 
     United States.

                            enterprise funds

       Sec. 7056. (a) Notification.--None of the funds made 
     available under titles III through VI of this Act may be made 
     available for Enterprise Funds unless the appropriate 
     congressional committees are notified at least 15 days in 
     advance.
       (b) Distribution of Assets Plan.--Prior to the distribution 
     of any assets resulting from any liquidation, dissolution, or 
     winding up of an Enterprise Fund, in whole or in part, the 
     President shall submit to the appropriate congressional 
     committees a plan for the distribution of the assets of the 
     Enterprise Fund.
       (c) Transition or Operating Plan.--Prior to a transition to 
     and operation of any private equity fund or other parallel 
     investment fund under an existing Enterprise Fund, the 
     President shall submit such transition or operating plan to 
     the appropriate congressional committees.

            limitations related to global health assistance

       Sec. 7057. (a) None of the funds appropriated or otherwise 
     made available by this Act may be made available for the 
     United Nations Population Fund.
       (b) None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made 
     available by this Act for global health assistance may be 
     made available to any foreign nongovernmental organization 
     that promotes or performs abortion, except in cases of rape 
     or incest or when the life of the mother would be endangered 
     if the fetus were carried to term.

                        global health activities

       Sec. 7058. (a) In General.--Funds appropriated by titles 
     III and IV of this Act that are made available for bilateral 
     assistance for child survival activities or disease programs 
     including activities relating to research on, and the 
     prevention, treatment and control of, HIV/AIDS may be made 
     available notwithstanding any other provision of law except 
     for provisions under the heading ``Global Health Programs'' 
     and the United States Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, 
     Tuberculosis, and Malaria Act of 2003 (117 Stat. 711; 22 
     U.S.C. 7601 et seq.), as amended.
       (b) Limitation.--Of the funds appropriated by this Act, not 
     more than $461,000,000 may be made available for family 
     planning/reproductive health.
       (c) Pandemics and Other Infectious Disease Outbreaks.--
       (1) Global health security.--Funds appropriated by this Act 
     under the heading ``Global Health Programs'' shall be made 
     available for global health security programs to accelerate 
     the capacity of countries to prevent, detect, and respond to 
     infectious disease outbreaks, including by strengthening 
     public health capacity where there is a high risk of emerging 
     zoonotic infectious diseases:  Provided, That not later than 
     60 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
     Administrator of the United States Agency for International 
     Development and the Secretary of State, as appropriate, shall 
     consult with the Committees on Appropriations on the planned 
     uses of such funds.
       (2) Extraordinary measures.--If the Secretary of State 
     determines and reports to the Committees on Appropriations 
     that an international infectious disease outbreak is 
     sustained, severe, and is spreading internationally, or that 
     it is in the national interest to respond to a Public Health 
     Emergency of International Concern, not to exceed an 
     aggregate total of $200,000,000 of the funds appropriated by 
     this Act under the headings ``Global Health Programs'', 
     ``Development Assistance'', ``International Disaster 
     Assistance'', ``Complex Crises Fund'', ``Economic Support 
     Fund'', ``Democracy Fund'', ``Assistance for Europe, Eurasia 
     and Central Asia'', ``Migration and Refugee Assistance'', and 
     ``Millennium Challenge Corporation'' may be made available to 
     combat such infectious disease or public health emergency, 
     and may be transferred to, and merged with, funds 
     appropriated under such headings for the purposes of this 
     paragraph.
       (3) Emergency reserve fund.--Up to $50,000,000 of the funds 
     appropriated by this Act under the heading ``Global Health 
     Programs'' may be made available for the Emergency Reserve 
     Fund established pursuant to section 7058(c)(1) of the 
     Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs 
     Appropriations Act, 2017 (division J of Public Law 115-31):  
     Provided, That such funds shall be made available under the 
     same terms and conditions of such section.
       (4) Consultation and notification.--Funds made available by 
     this subsection shall be subject to prior consultation with 
     the appropriate congressional committees and the regular 
     notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations.
       (d) Limitations.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
     law, none of the funds made available by this Act may be made 
     available to support, directly or indirectly,--
       (1) the Wuhan Institute of Virology located in the City of 
     Wuhan in the People's Republic of China;
       (2) the EcoHealth Alliance, Inc.;
       (3) any laboratory owned or controlled by the governments 
     of the People's Republic of China, the Republic of Cuba, the 
     Islamic Republic of Iran, the Democratic People's Republic of 
     Korea, the Russian Federation, the Bolivarian Republic of 
     Venezuela under the regime of Nicolas Maduro Moros, or any 
     other country determined by the Secretary of State to be a 
     foreign adversary; or
       (4) gain-of-function research.
       (e) Childhood Cancer.--Funds appropriated under titles III 
     and VI of this Act may be made available for public-private 
     partnerships, including in coordination with relevant 
     multilateral organizations and research entities, to address 
     childhood cancer:  Provided, That the Secretary of State, in 
     consultation with the USAID Administrator, shall submit a 
     report to the appropriate congressional committees not later 
     than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act on the 
     feasibility of such partnerships:  Provided further, The 
     Secretary and Administrator shall consult with the 
     appropriate congressional committees on uses of funds

[[Page H4754]]

     for such partnerships prior to the initial obligation of 
     funds and submission of such report.

                    women's equality and empowerment

       Sec. 7059. (a) In General.--Funds appropriated by this Act 
     shall be made available to promote the equality and 
     empowerment of women and girls in United States Government 
     diplomatic and development efforts by raising the status, 
     increasing the economic participation and opportunities for 
     political leadership, and protecting the rights of women and 
     girls worldwide.
       (b) Women's Economic Empowerment.--Of the funds 
     appropriated under title III of this Act, $200,000,000 shall 
     be made available to expand economic opportunities for women 
     by increasing the number and capacity of women-owned 
     enterprises, improving property rights for women, increasing 
     women's access to financial services and capital, enhancing 
     the role of women in economic decision-making at the local, 
     national, and international levels, and improving women's 
     ability to participate in the global economy: Provided, That 
     prior to the initial obligation of funds, the Secretary of 
     State and the Administrator of the United States Agency for 
     International Development, as applicable, shall consult with 
     the Committees on Appropriations on the uses of funds made 
     available pursuant to this subsection.
       (c) Women's Leadership Program.--Of the funds appropriated 
     under title III of this Act, not less than $50,000,000 shall 
     be made available for programs specifically designed to 
     increase leadership opportunities for women in countries 
     where women and girls suffer discrimination due to law, 
     policy, or practice, by strengthening protections for women's 
     political status, expanding women's participation in 
     political parties and elections, and increasing women's 
     opportunities for leadership positions in the public and 
     private sectors at the local, provincial, and national 
     levels.
       (d) Prevention of Violence Against Women and Girls.--
       (1) Of the funds appropriated under titles III and IV of 
     this Act, not less than $250,000,000 shall be made available 
     to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls.
       (2) Funds appropriated under titles III and IV of this Act 
     that are available to train foreign police, judicial, and 
     military personnel, including for international peacekeeping 
     operations, shall address, where appropriate, prevention and 
     response to violence against women and girls and trafficking 
     in persons, and shall promote the integration of women into 
     the police and other security forces.
       (3) Funds made available pursuant to this subsection should 
     include efforts to combat a variety of forms of violence 
     against women and girls, including child marriage, rape, and 
     female genital cutting and mutilation.
       (e) Women, Peace, and Security.--Of the funds appropriated 
     by this Act under the headings ``Development Assistance'', 
     ``Economic Support Fund'', ``Assistance for Europe, Eurasia 
     and Central Asia'', and ``International Narcotics Control and 
     Law Enforcement'', $150,000,000 should be made available to 
     support a multi-year strategy to expand, and improve 
     coordination of, United States Government efforts to empower 
     women as equal partners in conflict prevention, peace 
     building, transitional processes, and reconstruction efforts 
     in countries affected by conflict or in political transition, 
     and to ensure the equal provision of relief and recovery 
     assistance to women and girls.
       (f) Prohibition.--None of the funds appropriated by this 
     Act may be made available for the Gender Equity and Equality 
     Action Fund.

                           sector allocations

       Sec. 7060. (a) Basic Education and Higher Education.--
       (1) Basic education.--
       (A) Of the funds appropriated under title III of this Act, 
     not less than $970,000,000 shall be made available for the 
     Nita M. Lowey Basic Education Fund:  Provided, That such 
     funds shall also be used for secondary education activities:  
     Provided further, That of the funds made available by this 
     paragraph, $150,000,000 should be available for the education 
     of girls in areas of conflict.
       (B) Of the funds appropriated under title III of this Act 
     for assistance for basic education programs, not less than 
     $160,000,000 shall be made available for contributions to 
     multilateral partnerships that support education.
       (2) Higher education.--Of the funds appropriated by title 
     III of this Act, not less than $285,000,000 shall be made 
     available for assistance for higher education:  Provided, 
     That of such amount, not less than $35,000,000 shall be made 
     available for new and ongoing partnerships between higher 
     education institutions in the United States and developing 
     countries focused on building the capacity of higher 
     education institutions and systems in developing countries:  
     Provided further, That of such amount and in addition to the 
     previous proviso, not less than $50,000,000 shall be made 
     available for higher education programs pursuant to section 
     7060(a)(3) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, 
     and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2021 (division K of 
     Public Law 116-260).
       (b) Conservation Programs.--
       (1) Biodiversity.--Of the funds appropriated under title 
     III of this Act, not less than $385,000,000 shall be made 
     available for biodiversity conservation programs.
       (2) Wildlife poaching and trafficking.--
       (A) Of the funds appropriated under titles III and IV of 
     this Act, not less than $125,000,000 shall be made available 
     to combat the transnational threat of wildlife poaching and 
     trafficking.
       (B) None of the funds appropriated under title IV of this 
     Act may be made available for training or other assistance 
     for any military unit or personnel that the Secretary of 
     State determines has been credibly alleged to have 
     participated in wildlife poaching or trafficking, unless the 
     Secretary reports to the appropriate congressional committees 
     that to do so is in the national security interest of the 
     United States.
       (c) Development Programs.--Of the funds appropriated by 
     this Act under the heading ``Development Assistance'', not 
     less than $18,500,000 shall be made available for United 
     States Agency for International Development cooperative 
     development programs and not less than $31,500,000 shall be 
     made available for the American Schools and Hospitals Abroad 
     program.
       (d) Disability Programs.--Funds appropriated by this Act 
     under the heading ``Development Assistance'' shall be made 
     available for programs and activities administered by USAID 
     to address the needs of, and protect and promote the rights 
     of, people with disabilities in developing countries.
       (e) Food Security and Agricultural Development.--Of the 
     funds appropriated by title III of this Act, not less than 
     $1,010,600,000 shall be made available for food security and 
     agricultural development programs to carry out the purposes 
     of the Global Food Security Act of 2016 (Public Law 114-195), 
     as amended, including for the Feed the Future Innovation 
     Labs:  Provided, That funds may be made available for a 
     contribution as authorized by section 3202 of the Food, 
     Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (Public Law 110-246), as 
     amended by section 3310 of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 
     2018 (Public Law 115-334).
       (f) Micro, Small, and Medium-Sized Enterprises.--Of the 
     funds appropriated by this Act, not less than $265,000,000 
     shall be made available to support the development of, and 
     access to financing for, micro, small, and medium-sized 
     enterprises that benefit the poor, especially women.
       (g) Water and Sanitation.--Of the funds appropriated by 
     this Act, not less than $475,000,000 shall be made available 
     for water supply and sanitation projects pursuant to section 
     136 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, of which not less 
     than $237,000,000 shall be for programs in sub-Saharan 
     Africa.
       (h) Deviation.--Unless otherwise provided for by this Act, 
     the Secretary of State and the USAID Administrator, as 
     applicable, may deviate below the minimum funding 
     requirements designated in sections 7059 and 7060 of this Act 
     by up to 10 percent, notwithstanding such designation:  
     Provided, That such deviations shall only be exercised to 
     address unforeseen or exigent circumstances, including a 
     change in country context:  Provided further, That concurrent 
     with the submission of the report required by section 653(a) 
     of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, the Secretary shall 
     submit to the Committees on Appropriations in writing any 
     proposed deviations utilizing such authority that are planned 
     at the time of submission of such report:  Provided further, 
     That any deviations proposed subsequent to the submission of 
     such report shall be subject to prior consultation with such 
     Committees:  Provided further, That not later than November 
     1, 2025, the Secretary shall submit a report to the 
     Committees on Appropriations on the use of the authority of 
     this subsection.

                          environment programs

       Sec. 7061. (a) Green Climate Fund.--None of the funds 
     appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be 
     made available as a contribution, grant, or any other payment 
     to the Green Climate Fund.
       (b) Clean Technology Fund.--None of the funds appropriated 
     or otherwise made available by this Act may be made available 
     as a contribution, grant, or any other payment to the Clean 
     Technology Fund.
       (c) Climate Damages.--None of the funds appropriated or 
     otherwise made available by this Act may be made available to 
     pay compensation to any country, organization, or individual 
     for loss and damages attributed to climate change.
       (d) Attribution.--Funds appropriated by this Act and made 
     available for the sectors and programs in sections 7032, 
     7036, 7059, and 7060 shall not be attributed to, or counted 
     toward targets for, climate change programs.
       (e) Transit Pipelines.--None of the funds appropriated or 
     otherwise made available by this Act may be used by the 
     Secretary of State to impede the uninterrupted transmission 
     of hydrocarbons by pipeline through the territory of one 
     Party not originating in the territory of that Party, for 
     delivery to the territory of the other Party as ratified by 
     The Agreement between the Government of the United States of 
     America and the Government of Canada concerning Transit 
     Pipelines, signed at Washington on January 28, 1977.
       (f) Study.--The Comptroller General of the United States 
     shall conduct a study on funds appropriated in prior Acts 
     making appropriations for the Department of State, foreign 
     operations, and related programs from fiscal years 2020 
     through 2023 made available for climate change programs and 
     whether such funds have had a direct result on lowering 
     global temperatures.

                            budget documents

       Sec. 7062. (a) Operating Plans.--Not later than 45 days 
     after the date of enactment of

[[Page H4755]]

     this Act, each department, agency, or organization funded in 
     titles I, II, and VI of this Act, and the Department of the 
     Treasury and Independent Agencies funded in title III of this 
     Act, including the Inter-American Foundation and the United 
     States African Development Foundation, shall submit to the 
     Committees on Appropriations an operating plan for funds 
     appropriated to such department, agency, or organization in 
     such titles of this Act, or funds otherwise available for 
     obligation in fiscal year 2024, that provides details of the 
     uses of such funds at the program, project, and activity 
     level:  Provided, That such plans shall include, as 
     applicable, a comparison between the congressional budget 
     justification funding levels, the most recent congressional 
     directives or approved funding levels, and the funding levels 
     proposed by the department or agency; and a clear, concise, 
     and informative description/justification:  Provided further, 
     That operating plans that include changes in levels of 
     funding for programs, projects, and activities specified in 
     the congressional budget justification, in this Act, or 
     amounts specifically designated in the respective tables 
     included in the report accompanying this Act, as applicable, 
     shall be subject to the notification and reprogramming 
     requirements of section 7015 of this Act.
       (b) Spend Plans.--
       (1) Prior to the initial obligation of funds, the Secretary 
     of State or Administrator of the United States Agency for 
     International Development, as appropriate, shall submit to 
     the Committees on Appropriations a spend plan for funds made 
     available by this Act for--
       (A) assistance for countries in Central America and the 
     Caribbean, Iraq, Pacific Islands Countries, Pakistan, and 
     Tunisia;
       (B) assistance for the Africa Regional Counterterrorism 
     program, Caribbean Basin Security Initiative, Central America 
     Regional Security Initiative, Global Peace Operations 
     Initiative, Indo-Pacific Strategy and the Countering PRC 
     Influence Fund, Partnership for Global Infrastructure and 
     Investment, Power Africa, and Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism 
     Partnership;
       (C) assistance made available pursuant to the following 
     sections in this Act: section 7032; section 7036; section 
     7047(d) (on a country-by-country basis); section 7059; and 
     subsections (a), (b), (d), (e), (f), and (g) of section 7060;
       (D) Funds provided under the heading ``International 
     Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement'' for International 
     Organized Crime and for Cybercrime and Intellectual Property 
     Rights:  Provided, That the spend plans shall include 
     bilateral and global programs funded under such heading along 
     with a brief description of the activities planned for each 
     country; and
       (E) implementation of the Global Fragility Act of 2019.
       (2) Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of 
     this Act, the Secretary of the Treasury shall submit to the 
     Committees on Appropriations a detailed spend plan for funds 
     made available by this Act under the heading ``Department of 
     the Treasury, International Affairs Technical Assistance'' in 
     title III.
       (3) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), up to 10 percent of the 
     funds contained in a spend plan required by this subsection 
     may be obligated prior to the submission of such spend plan 
     if the Secretary of State, the USAID Administrator, or the 
     Secretary of the Treasury, as applicable, determines that the 
     obligation of such funds is necessary to avoid significant 
     programmatic disruption: Provided, That not less than seven 
     days prior to such obligation, the Secretary or 
     Administrator, as appropriate, shall consult with the 
     Committees on Appropriations on the justification for such 
     obligation and the proposed uses of such funds.
       (c) Clarification.--The spend plans referenced in 
     subsection (b) shall not be considered as meeting the 
     notification requirements in this Act or under section 634A 
     of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.
       (d) Congressional Budget Justification.--The congressional 
     budget justification for Department of State operations and 
     foreign operations shall be provided to the Committees on 
     Appropriations concurrent with the date of submission of the 
     President's budget for fiscal year 2025:  Provided, That the 
     appendices for such justification shall be provided to the 
     Committees on Appropriations not later than 10 calendar days 
     thereafter.

                             reorganization

       Sec. 7063. (a) Prior Consultation and Notification.--Funds 
     appropriated by this Act, prior Acts making appropriations 
     for the Department of State, foreign operations, and related 
     programs, or any other Act may not be used to implement a 
     reorganization, redesign, or other plan described in 
     subsection (b) by the Department of State, the United States 
     Agency for International Development, or any other Federal 
     department, agency, or organization funded by this Act 
     without prior consultation by the head of such department, 
     agency, or organization with the appropriate congressional 
     committees:  Provided, That such funds shall be subject to 
     the regular notification procedures of the Committees on 
     Appropriations:  Provided further, That any such notification 
     submitted to such Committees shall include a detailed 
     justification for any proposed action:  Provided further, 
     That congressional notifications submitted in prior fiscal 
     years pursuant to similar provisions of law in prior Acts 
     making appropriations for the Department of State, foreign 
     operations, and related programs may be deemed to meet the 
     notification requirements of this section.
       (b) Description of Activities.--Pursuant to subsection (a), 
     a reorganization, redesign, or other plan shall include any 
     action to--
       (1) expand, eliminate, consolidate, or downsize covered 
     departments, agencies, or organizations, including bureaus 
     and offices within or between such departments, agencies, or 
     organizations, including the transfer to other agencies of 
     the authorities and responsibilities of such bureaus and 
     offices;
       (2) expand, eliminate, consolidate, or downsize the United 
     States official presence overseas, including at bilateral, 
     regional, and multilateral diplomatic facilities and other 
     platforms; or
       (3) expand or reduce the size of the permanent Civil 
     Service, Foreign Service, eligible family member, and locally 
     employed staff workforce of the Department of State and USAID 
     from the staffing levels previously justified to the 
     Committees on Appropriations for fiscal year 2024.

                     department of state management

       Sec. 7064. (a) Working Capital Fund.--Funds appropriated by 
     this Act or otherwise made available to the Department of 
     State for payments to the Working Capital Fund that are made 
     available for new service centers, shall be subject to the 
     regular notification procedures of the Committees on 
     Appropriations.
       (b) Certification.--
       (1) Compliance.--Not later than 45 days after the initial 
     obligation of funds appropriated under titles III and IV of 
     this Act that are made available to a Department of State 
     bureau or office with responsibility for the management and 
     oversight of such funds, the Secretary of State shall certify 
     and report to the Committees on Appropriations, on an 
     individual bureau or office basis, that such bureau or office 
     is in compliance with Department and Federal financial and 
     grants management policies, procedures, and regulations, as 
     applicable.
       (2) Considerations.--When making a certification required 
     by paragraph (1), the Secretary of State shall consider the 
     capacity of a bureau or office to--
       (A) account for the obligated funds at the country and 
     program level, as appropriate;
       (B) identify risks and develop mitigation and monitoring 
     plans;
       (C) establish performance measures and indicators;
       (D) review activities and performance; and
       (E) assess final results and reconcile finances.
       (3) Plan.--If the Secretary of State is unable to make a 
     certification required by paragraph (1), the Secretary shall 
     submit a plan and timeline detailing the steps to be taken to 
     bring such bureau or office into compliance.
       (c) Information Technology Platform.--None of the funds 
     appropriated in title I of this Act under the heading 
     ``Administration of Foreign Affairs'' may be made available 
     for a new major information technology investment without the 
     concurrence of the Chief Information Officer, Department of 
     State.
       (d) Other Matters.--
       (1) In addition to amounts appropriated or otherwise made 
     available by this Act under the heading ``Diplomatic 
     Programs''--
       (A) as authorized by section 810 of the United States 
     Information and Educational Exchange Act, not to exceed 
     $5,000,000, to remain available until expended, may be 
     credited to this appropriation from fees or other payments 
     received from English teaching, library, motion pictures, and 
     publication programs and from fees from educational advising 
     and counseling and exchange visitor programs; and
       (B) not to exceed $15,000, which shall be derived from 
     reimbursements, surcharges, and fees for use of Blair House 
     facilities.
       (2) Funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this 
     Act under the heading ``Diplomatic Programs'' are available 
     for acquisition by exchange or purchase of passenger motor 
     vehicles as authorized by law and, pursuant to section 
     1108(g) of title 31, United States Code, for the field 
     examination of programs and activities in the United States 
     funded from any account contained in title I of this Act.
       (3) Of the funds appropriated under the heading 
     ``Diplomatic Programs'' in this Act and prior Acts making 
     appropriations for the Department of State, foreign 
     operations, and related programs, $2,000,000 shall be made 
     available to carry out section 9803 of the Department of 
     State Authorization Act of 2022 (division I of Public Law 
     117-263).
       (4) Consistent with section 204 of the Admiral James W. 
     Nance and Meg Donovan Foreign Relations Authorization Act, 
     Fiscal Years 2000 and 2001 (22 U.S.C. 2452b), up to 
     $25,000,000 of the amounts made available under the heading 
     ``Diplomatic Programs'' in this Act may be obligated and 
     expended for United States participation in international 
     fairs and expositions abroad, including for construction and 
     operation of a United States pavilion at Expo 2025.
       (5) Of the funds appropriated by this Act under the heading 
     ``Diplomatic Programs'', not less than $500,000 shall be made 
     available for additional personnel for the Bureau of 
     Legislative Affairs, Department of State.
       (e) Limitations.--
       (1) None of the funds appropriated by this Act under the 
     heading ``Diplomatic Programs'' may be made available to 
     carry out

[[Page H4756]]

     the functions of the Global Engagement Center established 
     pursuant to section 1287 of the National Defense 
     Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 (22 U.S.C. 2656 note) 
     unless prior to the initial obligation of such funds--
       (A) the Secretary of State certifies and reports to the 
     appropriate congressional committees that--
       (i) no funds will be used for purposes other than 
     countering foreign propaganda and disinformation by foreign 
     state and non-state actors that threaten United States 
     national security pursuant to section 1287(i) of such Act;
       (ii) programs and activities will not be designed to 
     influence public opinion in the United States or in a manner 
     that abridges the freedom of speech or of the press of United 
     States persons enshrined in the First Amendment of the United 
     States Constitution;
       (iii) the development of tactics, techniques, and 
     procedures to expose and refute foreign propaganda and 
     disinformation and proactively support the promotion of 
     credible, fact-based narratives and policies will be directed 
     solely on audiences outside the United States; and
       (iv) the Department of State has resolved with the Office 
     of Inspector General, Department of State (OIG) and the OIG 
     has closed each of the 18 recommendations detailed in the 
     report ``Inspection of the Global Engagement Center'' (ISP I-
     22-15) dated September 2022; and
       (B) the Secretary submits to the Committees on 
     Appropriations a spend plan for the activities of the Center 
     in fiscal year 2024:  Provided, That such plan shall detail 
     amounts planned for each function authorized in section 
     1287(b) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 
     Year 2017 (22 U.S.C. 2656 note):  Provided further, That such 
     plan shall also include a list of each entity that received 
     funding in the previous fiscal year.
       (2) None of the funds appropriated by this Act under the 
     heading ``Diplomatic Programs'' may be reprogrammed for 
     support of an international conference unless such conference 
     has been previously justified in a congressional budget 
     justification:  Provided, That any such reprogramming shall 
     be subject to prior consultation with the Committees on 
     Appropriations.
       (3)(A) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, none of 
     the funds appropriated or otherwise made available under the 
     heading ``Diplomatic Programs'' in this Act and prior Acts 
     making appropriations for the Department of State, foreign 
     operations, and related programs may be made available for 
     support of a Special Envoy, Special Representative, Special 
     Coordinator, Special Negotiator, Envoy, Representative, 
     Coordinator, Special Advisor, or other position performing a 
     similar function unless such Special Envoy, Special 
     Representative, Special Coordinator, Special Negotiator, 
     Envoy, Representative, Coordinator, Special Advisor, or other 
     position performing a similar function--
       (i) is expressly authorized by statute; or
       (ii) has affirmatively received the advice and consent of 
     the Senate.
       (B) The limitations of this paragraph shall be construed to 
     include the applicable office personnel and bureau managed 
     funds of such office.
       (4) Not later than 15 days prior to entering into a 
     bilateral or multilateral agreement authorized by section 
     303(a) of the Convention on Cultural Property Implementation 
     Act (19 U.S.C. 2602) or the extension of an agreement 
     pursuant to section 303(e) of such Act, the Secretary of 
     State shall certify and report to the Committees on 
     Appropriations that any import restrictions authorized by 
     such agreement comply with the provisions of sections 302 and 
     305 of such Act.

     united states agency for international development management

       Sec. 7065. (a) Authority.--Up to $170,000,000 of the funds 
     made available in title III of this Act pursuant to or to 
     carry out the provisions of part I of the Foreign Assistance 
     Act of 1961, including funds appropriated under the heading 
     ``Assistance for Europe, Eurasia and Central Asia'', may be 
     used by the United States Agency for International 
     Development to hire and employ individuals in the United 
     States and overseas on a limited appointment basis pursuant 
     to the authority of sections 308 and 309 of the Foreign 
     Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 3948 and 3949).
       (b) Restriction.--The authority to hire individuals 
     contained in subsection (a) shall expire on September 30, 
     2025.
       (c) Program Account Charged.--The account charged for the 
     cost of an individual hired and employed under the authority 
     of this section shall be the account to which the 
     responsibilities of such individual primarily relate:  
     Provided, That funds made available to carry out this section 
     may be transferred to, and merged with, funds appropriated by 
     this Act in title II under the heading ``Operating 
     Expenses''.
       (d) Foreign Service Limited Extensions.--Individuals hired 
     and employed by USAID, with funds made available in this Act 
     or prior Acts making appropriations for the Department of 
     State, foreign operations, and related programs, pursuant to 
     the authority of section 309 of the Foreign Service Act of 
     1980 (22 U.S.C. 3949), may be extended for a period of up to 
     4 years notwithstanding the limitation set forth in such 
     section.
       (e) Disaster Surge Capacity.--Funds appropriated under 
     title III of this Act to carry out part I of the Foreign 
     Assistance Act of 1961, including funds appropriated under 
     the heading ``Assistance for Europe, Eurasia and Central 
     Asia'', may be used, in addition to funds otherwise available 
     for such purposes, for the cost (including the support costs) 
     of individuals detailed to or employed by USAID whose primary 
     responsibility is to carry out programs in response to 
     natural disasters, or man-made disasters subject to the 
     regular notification procedures of the Committees on 
     Appropriations.
       (f) Personal Services Contractors.--Funds appropriated by 
     this Act to carry out chapter 1 of part I, chapter 4 of part 
     II, and section 667 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, 
     and title II of the Food for Peace Act (Public Law 83-480; 7 
     U.S.C. 1721 et seq.), may be used by USAID to employ up to 40 
     personal services contractors in the United States, 
     notwithstanding any other provision of law, for the purpose 
     of providing direct, interim support for new or expanded 
     overseas programs and activities managed by the agency until 
     permanent direct hire personnel are hired and trained:  
     Provided, That not more than 15 of such contractors shall be 
     assigned to any bureau or office:  Provided further, That 
     such funds appropriated to carry out title II of the Food for 
     Peace Act (Public Law 83-480; 7 U.S.C. 1721 et seq.), may be 
     made available only for personal services contractors 
     assigned to the Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance.
       (g) Small Business.--In entering into multiple award 
     indefinite-quantity contracts with funds appropriated by this 
     Act, USAID may provide an exception to the fair opportunity 
     process for placing task orders under such contracts when the 
     order is placed with any category of small or small 
     disadvantaged business.
       (h) Crisis Operations Staffing.--Up to $86,000,000 of the 
     funds made available in title III of this Act pursuant to, or 
     to carry out the provisions of, part I of the Foreign 
     Assistance Act of 1961 and section 509(b) of the Global 
     Fragility Act of 2019 (title V of division J of Public Law 
     116-94) may be made available for the United States Agency 
     for International Development to appoint and employ personnel 
     in the excepted service to prevent or respond to foreign 
     crises and contexts with growing instability:  Provided, That 
     functions carried out by personnel hired under the authority 
     of this subsection shall be related to the purpose for which 
     the funds were appropriated:  Provided further, That such 
     funds are in addition to funds otherwise available for such 
     purposes and may remain attributed to any minimum funding 
     requirement for which they were originally made available:  
     Provided further, That the USAID Administrator shall 
     coordinate with the Director of the Office of Personnel 
     Management and consult with the appropriate congressional 
     committees on implementation of this provision.

  stabilization and development in regions impacted by extremism and 
                                conflict

       Sec. 7066. (a) Prevention and Stabilization Fund.--Funds 
     appropriated by this Act under the headings ``Economic 
     Support Fund'', ``International Narcotics Control and Law 
     Enforcement'', ``Nonproliferation, Anti-terrorism, Demining 
     and Related Programs'', ``Peacekeeping Operations'', and 
     ``Foreign Military Financing Program'' may be made available 
     for the Prevention and Stabilization Fund for the purposes 
     enumerated in section 509(a) of the Global Fragility Act of 
     2019 (title V of division J of Public Law 116-94).
       (b) Transitional Justice.--Funds appropriated by this Act 
     under the headings ``Economic Support Fund'' and 
     ``International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement'' may 
     be made available for programs to promote accountability for 
     genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes, which 
     shall be in addition to any other funds made available by 
     this Act for such purposes:  Provided, That such programs 
     shall include components to develop local investigative and 
     judicial skills, and to collect and preserve evidence and 
     maintain the chain of custody of evidence, including for use 
     in prosecutions, and may include the establishment of, and 
     assistance for, transitional justice mechanisms:  Provided 
     further, That such funds shall be administered by the 
     Ambassador-at-Large for the Office of Global Criminal 
     Justice, Department of State, and shall be subject to prior 
     consultation with the Committees on Appropriations:  Provided 
     further, That funds made available by this paragraph shall be 
     made available on an open and competitive basis.

                          debt-for-development

       Sec. 7067.  In order to enhance the continued participation 
     of nongovernmental organizations in debt-for-development and 
     debt-for-nature exchanges, a nongovernmental organization 
     which is a grantee or contractor of the United States Agency 
     for International Development may place in interest bearing 
     accounts local currencies which accrue to that organization 
     as a result of economic assistance provided under title III 
     of this Act and, subject to the regular notification 
     procedures of the Committees on Appropriations, any interest 
     earned on such investment shall be used for the purpose for 
     which the assistance was provided to that organization.

           extension of consular fees and related authorities

       Sec. 7068. (a) Section 1(b)(1) of the Passport Act of June 
     4, 1920 (22 U.S.C. 214(b)(1)) shall be applied through fiscal 
     year 2024 by substituting ``the costs of providing consular 
     services'' for ``such costs''.

[[Page H4757]]

       (b) Section 21009 of the Emergency Appropriations for 
     Coronavirus Health Response and Agency Operations (division B 
     of Public Law 116-136; 134 Stat. 592) shall be applied during 
     fiscal year 2024 by substituting ``2020 through 2024'' for 
     ``2020 and 2021''.
       (c) Discretionary amounts made available to the Department 
     of State under the heading ``Administration of Foreign 
     Affairs'' of this Act, and discretionary unobligated balances 
     under such heading from prior Acts making appropriations for 
     the Department of State, foreign operations, and related 
     programs, may be transferred to the Consular and Border 
     Security Programs account if the Secretary of State 
     determines and reports to the Committees on Appropriations 
     that to do so is necessary to sustain consular operations, 
     following consultation with such Committees:  Provided, That 
     such transfer authority is in addition to any transfer 
     authority otherwise available in this Act and under any other 
     provision of law:  Provided further, That no amounts may be 
     transferred from amounts designated as an emergency 
     requirement pursuant to a concurrent resolution on the budget 
     or the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 
     1985.
       (d) In addition to the uses permitted pursuant to section 
     286(v)(2)(A) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 
     1356(v)(2)(A)), for fiscal year 2024, the Secretary of State 
     may also use fees deposited into the Fraud Prevention and 
     Detection Account for the costs of providing consular 
     services.
       (e) Amounts repurposed pursuant to this section that were 
     previously designated by the Congress as an emergency 
     requirement pursuant to the Balanced Budget and Emergency 
     Deficit Control Act of 1985 or a concurrent resolution on the 
     budget are designated by the Congress as an emergency 
     requirement pursuant to legislation establishing fiscal year 
     2024 budget enforcement in the House of Representatives.

             promotion of united states economic interests

       Sec. 7069. (a) Diplomatic Engagement.--Pursuant to section 
     704 of the Championing American Business Through Diplomacy 
     Act of 2019 (title VII of division J of Public Law 116-94) 
     the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of 
     Commerce, shall prioritize the allocation of funds 
     appropriated by this Act under the heading ``Diplomatic 
     Programs'' for support of Chief of Mission diplomatic 
     engagement to foster commercial relations and safeguard 
     United States economic and business interests in the country 
     in which each Chief of Mission serves, including activities 
     and initiatives to create and maintain an enabling 
     environment, promote and protect such interests, and resolve 
     commercial disputes:  Provided, That each Mission Resource 
     Request and Bureau Resource Request shall include amounts 
     required to prioritize the activities described in this 
     subsection.
       (b) Training.--In carrying out section 705 of the 
     Championing American Business Through Diplomacy Act of 2019 
     (title VII of division J of Public Law 116-94) the Secretary 
     of State shall annually assess training needs across the 
     economic and commercial diplomacy issue areas and ensure 
     after a review of course offerings, course attendance 
     records, and course evaluation results, that current 
     offerings meet training needs.
       (c) Assistance.--The Secretary of State should direct each 
     Chief of Mission to consider how best to advance and support 
     commercial relations and the safeguarding of United States 
     business interests in the development and execution of the 
     applicable Integrated Country Strategy and the Mission 
     Resource Request for each country receiving bilateral 
     assistance from funds appropriated by this Act.

          additional limitations on operations and assistance

       Sec. 7070. (a) None of the funds appropriated or otherwise 
     made available by this Act or prior Acts making 
     appropriations for the Department of State, foreign 
     operations, and related programs may be made available for 
     drag queen workshops, performances, or documentaries.
       (b) None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made 
     available by this Act may be used to carry out any program, 
     project, or activity that teaches or trains any idea or 
     concept that condones an individual being discriminated 
     against or receiving adverse or beneficial treatment based on 
     race or sex, that condones an individual feeling discomfort, 
     guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress 
     on account of that individual's race or sex, as well as any 
     idea or concept that regards one race as inherently superior 
     to another race, the United States or its institutions as 
     being systemically racist or sexist, an individual as being 
     inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive by virtue of that 
     individual's race or sex, an individual's moral character as 
     being necessarily determined by race or sex, an individual as 
     bearing responsibility for actions committed in the past by 
     other members of the same race or sex, or meritocracy being 
     racist, sexist, or having been created by a particular race 
     to oppress another race.
       (c) None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made 
     available by this Act may be made available to implement, 
     administer, apply, enforce, or carry out Executive Order 
     13985 of January 20, 2021 (86 Fed. Reg. 7009), Executive 
     Order 14035 of June 25, 2021 (86 Fed. Reg. 34593), or 
     Executive Order 14091 of February 16, 2023 (88 Fed. Reg. 
     10825).
       (d) None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made 
     available by this Act may be obligated or expended to--
       (1) classify or facilitate the classification of any 
     communications by a United States person as misinformation, 
     disinformation, or malinformation; or
       (2) partner with or fund nonprofit or other organizations 
     that pressure or recommend private companies to censor, 
     filter, or otherwise suppress lawful and constitutionally 
     protected speech of United States persons, including 
     recommending the censoring or removal of content on social 
     media platforms.
       (e) None of the funds made available by this Act or any 
     other Act shall be used or transferred to another Federal 
     Agency, board, or commission to fund any domestic or 
     international non-governmental organization or any other 
     program, organization, or association coordinated or operated 
     by such non-governmental organization that either offers 
     counseling regarding sex change surgeries, promotes sex 
     change surgeries for any reason as an option, conducts or 
     subsidizes sex change surgeries, promotes the use of 
     medications or other substances to halt the onset of puberty 
     or sexual development of minors, or otherwise promotes 
     transgenderism.
       (f) None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made 
     available by this Act may be obligated or expended to fly or 
     display a flag over a facility of a United States Federal 
     department or agency funded by this Act other than the--
       (1) United States flag;
       (2) Foreign Service flag pursuant to 2 FAM 154.2-1;
       (3) POW/MIA flag;
       (4) flag of a State, insular area, or the District of 
     Columbia at domestic locations;
       (5) flag of an Indian Tribal government; or
       (6) sovereign flag of other countries.

                       presidential permit reform

       Sec. 7071.  Funds appropriated by this Act shall be made 
     available to carry out the responsibilities delegated to the 
     Secretary of State pursuant to Executive Order 13867 (April 
     10, 2019) or any successor Executive Order: Provided, That 
     the Secretary shall carry out such responsibilities within 
     the 60 day time period set forth in section 2 of such 
     Executive Order: Provided further, That Agency heads for whom 
     the Secretary refers such applications for pertinent 
     information or advise pursuant to such Executive Order should 
     respond not later than the 30 days: Provided further, That 
     Executive Order 13867, or any successor Executive Order, 
     should not be construed to require the application of the 
     National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 prior to the 
     Secretary providing advice to the President of the United 
     States concerning any new or amended Presidential permit 
     application.

                              rescissions

                    (including rescissions of funds)

       Sec. 7072. (a) Embassy Security, Construction, and 
     Maintenance.--Of the unobligated balances from amounts 
     available under the heading ``Embassy Security, Construction, 
     and Maintenance'' from prior Acts making appropriations for 
     the Department of State, foreign operations, and related 
     programs, $174,000,000 are rescinded.
       (b) Development Assistance.--Of the unobligated and 
     unexpended balances from amounts available under the heading 
     ``Development Assistance'' from prior Acts making 
     appropriations for the Department of State, foreign 
     operations, and related programs, $709,500,000 are rescinded.
       (c) Economic Support Fund.--Of the unobligated and 
     unexpended balances from amounts available under the heading 
     ``Economic Support Fund'' from prior Acts making 
     appropriations for the Department of State, foreign 
     operations, and related programs, $808,600,000 are rescinded.
       (d) Peace Corps.--Of the unobligated balances from amounts 
     available under the heading ``Peace Corps'' from prior Acts 
     making appropriations for the Department of State, foreign 
     operations, and related programs, $18,000,000 are rescinded.
       (e) International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement.--
     Of the unobligated, and unexpended balances from amounts 
     available under the heading ``International Narcotics Control 
     and Law Enforcement'' from prior Acts making appropriations 
     for the Department of State, foreign operations, and related 
     programs, $40,000,000 are rescinded.
       (f) Export-Import Bank of the United States.--Of the 
     unobligated balances available under the heading ``Export and 
     Investment Assistance, Export-Import Bank of the United 
     States, Subsidy Appropriation'' for tied-aid grants from 
     prior Acts making appropriations for the Department of State, 
     foreign operations, and related programs, $59,000,000 are 
     rescinded.
       (g) Section 60103.--Of the unobligated balances of amounts 
     appropriated or otherwise made available for activities of 
     the Environmental Protection Agency under section 60103 of 
     Public Law 117-169 (commonly known as the ``Inflation 
     Reduction Act of 2022''), $11,135,000,000 are hereby 
     permanently rescinded.
       (h) Restriction.--No amounts may be rescinded from amounts 
     that were previously designated by the Congress as an 
     emergency requirement pursuant to a concurrent resolution on 
     the budget or the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit 
     Control Act of 1985.

TITLE VIII--COUNTERING THE MALIGN INFLUENCE OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF 
                                 CHINA

                     BILATERAL ECONOMIC ASSISTANCE

                  Funds Appropriated to the President

                         economic support fund

       For an additional amount for ``Economic Support Fund'', 
     $1,000,000,000, to remain

[[Page H4758]]

     available until expended for programs to advance United 
     States national security interests in the Indo-Pacific and 
     counter the malign influence of the People's Republic of 
     China: Provided, That, if expressly authorized and 
     established in the Treasury of the United States, funds made 
     available under this title may be transferred to a ``Compact 
     Assistance Fund''.

                 TITLE IX--ADDITIONAL GENERAL PROVISION

                       spending reduction account

       Sec. 9001.  $0 (increased by $1,000,000,000).
       This Act may be cited as the ``Department of State, Foreign 
     Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2024''.

  The Acting CHAIR. All points of order against provisions in the bill, 
as amended, are waived.
  No further amendment to the bill, as amended, shall be in order 
except those printed in part D of House Report 118-216, amendments en 
bloc described in section 9 of House Resolution 723, and pro forma 
amendments described in section 13 of that resolution.
  Each further amendment printed in part D of the report shall be 
considered only in the order printed in the report, may be offered only 
by a Member designated in the report, shall be considered as read, 
shall be debatable for the time specified in the report equally divided 
and controlled by the proponent and an opponent, shall not be subject 
to amendment except as provided by section 13 of House Resolution 723, 
and shall not be subject to a demand for division of the question.
  It shall be in order at any time for the chair of the Committee on 
Appropriations or her designee to offer amendments en bloc consisting 
of amendments printed in the report not earlier disposed of. Amendments 
en bloc shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for 20 minutes 
equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member 
of the Committee on Appropriations or their designees, shall not be 
subject to amendment, except as provided by section 13 of House 
Resolution 723, and shall not be subject to a demand for division of 
the question.
  During consideration of the bill for amendment, the chair and ranking 
minority member of the Committee on Appropriations or their respective 
designees may offer up to 10 pro forma amendments each at any point for 
the purpose of debate.


             Amendments En Bloc Offered by Mr. Diaz-Balart

  Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Chair, pursuant to House Resolution 723, I offer 
amendments en bloc.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendments en bloc.
  Amendments en bloc consisting of amendment Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 12, 
19, 21, 24, 32, 33, 34, 35, 37 and 52 printed in part D of House Report 
118-216, offered by Mr. Diaz-Balart of Florida:


          Amendment No. 1 Offered by Mrs. Boebert of Colorado

       Page 3, line 5, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced 
     by $3,000,000)''.
       Page 44, line 7, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(increased by $3,000,000)''.
       Page 136, line 25, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(increased by $3,000,000)''.


        Amendment No. 2 Offered by Mrs. Miller of West Virginia

        Page 3, line 5, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced 
     by $1,000,000)(increased by $1,000,000)''.


        Amendment No. 3 Offered by Mr. Gottheimer of New Jersey

       Page 3, line 5, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced 
     by $1,000,000) (increased by $1,000,000)''.


          Amendment No. 4 Offered by Mr. Grothman of Wisconsin

       Page 3, line 5, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(increased by $1,000,000) (reduced by $1,000,000)''.


        Amendment No. 5 Offered by Mrs. Miller of West Virginia

       Page 3, line 7, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced 
     by $500,000) (increased by $500,000)''.


          Amendment No. 6 Offered by Mr. Molinaro of New York

       Page 3, line 22, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(increased by $5,000,000) (reduced by $5,000,000)''.


         Amendment No. 12 Offered by Mr. Grothman of Wisconsin

       Page 24, line 8, after the first dollar amount, insert 
     ``(increased by $1,000,000) (reduced by $1,000,000)''.


            Amendment No. 19 Offered by Ms. Titus of Nevada

       Page 34, line 13, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(increased by $45,000,000)(reduced by $45,000,000)''.


          amendment no. 21 offered by mr. connolly of virginia

       Page 36, line 6, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced 
     by $10,000,000) (increased by $10,000,000)''.


           amendment no. 24 offered by mr. ogles of tennessee

       Page 38, line 2, after the second dollar amount, insert 
     ``(increased by $2,700,000)''.


          amendment no. 32 offered by mr. moskowitz of florida

       Page 65, line 7, strike ``and residences'' and insert ``, 
     residences, and places of worship''.


            amendment no. 33 offered by mr. mast of florida

       Page 163, beginning line 10, strike ``; and'' and insert a 
     semicolon.
       Page 163, after line 10, insert the following new 
     subparagraph and redesignate the subsequent subparagraph 
     accordingly:
       (B) exercises full territorial jurisdiction over the Gaza 
     strip; and


           Amendment No. 34 Offered by Mr. Ogles of Tennessee

       Page 204, line 4, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(increased by $10,000,000)''.


          Amendment No. 35 Offered by Mr. Molinaro of New York

       Page 266, line 5, after the dollar amount insert 
     ``(increased by $9,000,000) (reduced by $9,000,000)''.


          Amendment No. 37 Offered by Mr. Tiffany of Wisconsin

       At the end of the bill (before the short title), insert the 
     following:
       Sec. 9002.  None of the funds made available by this Act 
     may be used in contravention of section 221 of the 
     Immigration and Nationality Technical Corrections Act of 1994 
     (Public Law 103-416; 108 Stat. 4321; 8 U.S.C. 1101 note).


           Amendment No. 52 Offered by Mr. Ogles of Tennessee

       At the end of the bill (before the short title), insert the 
     following:
       Sec. __.  None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made 
     available by this Act may be made available to create, 
     procure, or display any map that inaccurately depicts the 
     occupied country of Tibet as part of the People's Republic of 
     China.
  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 723, the gentleman 
from Florida (Mr. Diaz-Balart) and the gentlewoman from California (Ms. 
Lee) each will control 10 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida.
  Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of this bipartisan en 
bloc amendment, which represents amendments with support from both 
sides of the aisle.
  The amendment includes 15 noncontroversial amendments that advance 
the priorities of both sides, including support for Taiwan and 
addressing the passport processing backlog, which is happening 
everywhere in the country.
  Mr. Chair, I would respectfully urge my colleagues to support this 
amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this en 
bloc. There is a list of bipartisan amendments in this to address 
various Members' priorities. I appreciate the collaborative way in 
which we have agreed on this package.
  Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this, and I yield back the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Chairman, we spoke on the amendment, and I yield 
back the balance of my time.
  Mrs. MILLER of West Virginia. Mr. Chair, American frontier investors 
can be a powerful partner of the State Department and emissaries of 
American values in developing regions of the world. In these critical 
regions, they provide ideal alternative sources of capital over China 
or other authoritarian regimes. For our friends and allies with 
developing or unstable economies that China or other adversaries want 
to undermine, American investment is hard power, creating 
infrastructure, factories, boosting crop yields, industrial output, and 
jobs. In countries where America is locked in competition for 
influence, American investment in a gas plant, pipeline, or telecom 
network can sway the strategic calculation of the home government.
  We rightly hold our investors to a high standard, through the Foreign 
Corrupt Practices Act and other laws, but that higher standard makes it 
harder for them to compete against Chinese or Russian investors that 
are heavily and unfairly subsidized. In exchange, when they come under 
attack by corrupt home governments, we owe them the support of our 
diplomats and the full weight of the U.S. Federal Government.
  Diplomatic support can persuade corrupt governments to change course 
and to play by the rules, but too often, the State Department takes a 
hands-off approach.
  The hands-off approach can reach absurd heights. Even in cases where 
a kleptocratic government blatantly expropriated American investments, 
these investors took that government to arbitration and won, and then 
took that award to our United States Federal

[[Page H4759]]

Courts to get recognition of the award under the Federal Arbitration 
Act, our State Department has refused to help Americans right the wrong 
and collect the award.
  This has to stop. We are in competition with corrupt dictators all 
across the globe. American investors need to know that American 
diplomats have their back.
  I ask for your support of the amendment.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendments en bloc offered 
by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Diaz-Balart).
  The en bloc amendments were agreed to.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Chair understands that amendment No. 7 will not 
be offered.


                  Amendment No. 8 Offered by Mr. Crane

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 8 
printed part D of House Report 118-216.
  Mr. CRANE. Mr. Chair, I rise to offer amendment No. 8 as the designee 
of Mr. Biggs of Arizona.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       Page 18, line 25, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(reduced by $38,634,000)''.
       Page 296, line 17, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(increased by $38,634,000)''.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 723, the gentleman 
from Arizona (Mr. Crane) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arizona.
  Mr. CRANE. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to speak in support of this 
amendment that eliminates nearly $39 million in funding for the United 
States Institute of Peace.
  This institute funds programs located in several adversarial nations, 
including China, Pakistan, and Russia.
  Their mission is to combat violence and promote peace through 
education. However, the institute covers issue areas such as gender 
equality, LGBTQ+ rights, and climate policy--hardly topics related to 
peace between nations.
  The United States Institute of Peace claims to prioritize U.S. 
national security while using U.S. funds to counsel and mitigate feuds 
with known enemies of the United States.
  The expenses of this institute, whose mission would be better 
accomplished by nonprofits, charities, and religious groups, is an 
undue burden on the American taxpayer.
  Mr. Chair, I urge the passage of this amendment to prevent this 
unnecessary funding, and work toward getting our fiscal house in order.
  Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to 
this amendment.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, it is really hard to believe that 
you all want to eliminate funding for the Institute of Peace, P-E-A-C-
E. The Institute of Peace is one of the best tools the United States 
has to bring people together to prevent wars--government officials, 
civil society practitioners, and defense experts--to really to 
creatively solve our world's thorniest issues.
  Congress created the United States Institute of Peace for this 
purpose in 1984. USIP applies practical solutions in conflict zones, 
and provides analysis, education, and resources to those working for 
peace. Peace is patriotic, my Republican friends.
  USIP has specialized teams of mediators, trainers, and others in some 
of the world's most dangerous places and works to equip communities 
with the skills necessary to prevent or resolve their own violent 
conflicts before they threaten the United States.
  Mr. Chair, I hope they understand that peace is the only option that 
we have to war. USIP works on the ground with local partners on the 
root causes of conflict that all too frequently result in America's 
military gains or diplomatic and development investments going to 
waste.
  In a world that becomes more dangerous and complex every day, we need 
the services and the creative thinking of the United States Institute 
of Peace.
  It is hard to believe the Republicans oppose peace. I guess that says 
that war is the option for settling conflicts, and I think the American 
people are war weary and support our efforts for peace. It is really a 
shame and a disgrace that you are uncovering this issue in terms of 
your opposition to peace.
  Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. Members are reminded to direct their comments at 
the Chair.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Crane).
  The question was taken; and the Acting Chair announced that the ayes 
appeared to have it.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.
  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further 
proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Arizona will 
be postponed.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Chair understands that amendment No. 9 will not 
be offered.


                 Amendment No. 10 Offered by Mr. Crane

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 10 
printed in part D of House Report 118-216.
  Mr. CRANE. Mr. Chair, I rise to offer amendment No. 10 as the 
designee of Mr. Biggs of Arizona.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       Page 22, line 8, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced 
     by $2,908,000)''.
       Page 296, line 17, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(increased by $2,908,000)''.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 723, the gentleman 
from Arizona (Mr. Crane) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arizona.
  Mr. CRANE. Mr. Chair, I rise this morning in support of this 
amendment, which eliminates nearly $3 million in funding for the 
Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, salaries and 
expenses.
  This funding goes towards functions such as gender equality, and 
there has even been a Gender Action Plan, a Gender Unit in the 
Secretariat appointed a special representative to the Chairperson-in-
Office on gender issues.

                              {time}  1015

  The work of this Commission would probably be better done by an 
independent think tank than by a congressionally funded Commission. 
With the current debt of the U.S. being $33 trillion, we must look for 
ways to cut unnecessary spending. The work of this Commission is not 
unique to it and similar consolation, if necessary, could be found in 
third-party sources that do not affect the already distressed national 
debt.
  Mr. Chair, I urge passage of my amendment to prevent this unnecessary 
funding and work toward getting our fiscal house in order. I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to this 
amendment.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, the OSCE is the world's largest 
regional security organization and has been critical in addressing the 
violent aggression of Russia.
  The OSCE is actively engaged in conflict prevention, conventional 
arms control, peacekeeping, promoting good governance and human rights, 
rule-of-law programming, also border security measures, 
counternarcotics work, efforts to combat organized crime, 
anticorruption and anti-money laundering activities, and election 
support.
  The OSCE is currently leading a Special Monitoring Mission in 
Ukraine. This mission is an unarmed civilian mission tasked to observe 
and to report on the situation resulting from ongoing Russian 
aggression to facilitate dialogue among all parties to restore peace, 
p-e-a-c-e, and to monitor and support the implementation of the cease-
fire and other tenets of the Minsk peace agreements.
  It is the only nonpartisan international body that maintains a 
continuous presence at the line of contact between the Ukrainian Armed 
Forces and Russian-led forces in eastern Ukraine. Peace in Ukraine, 
that is p-e-a-c-e, will be through organizations like the OSCE.
  I am completely perplexed by my colleagues and can't figure out why 
they would not find this a good investment

[[Page H4760]]

of taxpayer dollars. I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment.
  Mr. Chair, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from South 
Carolina (Mr. Wilson).
  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Chairman, as we are here today, we 
appreciate so much the leadership of Chairman Mario Diaz-Balart. He was 
so correct earlier to identify the appeasement of Afghanistan has 
endangered all American families in the continuing global war on 
terrorism, with Afghanistan sadly now becoming a safe haven for 
terrorists.
  As the chairman of the Helsinki Commission, I strongly support the 
continuation of its very meaningful work. For nearly 50 years, the U.S. 
Helsinki Commission, uniquely made up of Senators and Members of 
Congress, with rotating chairmanship of House and Senate Members, has 
worked to promote American values in Europe and the former Soviet 
Union.
  Its small, professional staff support bicameral, bipartisan 
commissioners to advance American national security and national 
interests in human rights, military security, and economic cooperation 
in 57 countries. It is the fulfillment of the dream of Barry Goldwater 
and Ronald Reagan of ``Why Not Victory?''.
  The Commission has worked with fellow legislative members from each 
country to ensure respect for freedom of religion, to defend those 
persecuted from criticizing dictatorships to fight against corruption 
and to prevent human trafficking. It is a vital forum in the ongoing 
worldwide conflict between dictators with rule of gun who are opposing 
democracies with rule of law. We must stand and meet the challenge of 
power coming from the barrel of a gun.
  Commissioners have worked with countries to update their religious 
laws to allow smaller Christian and other groups to practice freely. 
Commissioners have put together numerous legislative proposals to 
counter corruption, including by highlighting the priority of 
anticorruption in U.S. foreign policy, providing further authorities to 
end the impunity enjoyed by kleptocrats and preventing them from 
entering the United States, and highlighting the work of U.S. law 
enforcement to recover stolen money hidden in America.
  Commissioners have authored much of the antihuman trafficking 
legislation here with the leadership of Chairman Chris Smith and set 
standards for preventing human trafficking internationally. Most 
recently, the Commission has focused on supporting Ukrainian children 
who have been forcibly relocated by kidnapping or who have experienced 
extreme trauma due to war.
  With only a small staff, the Commission has had a large impact. It is 
crucial that this important work continues and the Commission be funded 
for its future.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman 
from New Jersey (Mr. Smith).
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to this 
amendment. I associate myself with the remarks of my distinguished 
chairman.
  I have been on the Helsinki Commission, serving on it since 1982. It 
is a remarkable Commission. We get political prisoners out of prison. 
We did it during Soviet times. I worked with Steny Hoyer, when he was 
chair and I was ranking and also when I was chair and he was ranking 
member.
  It is truly a bipartisan Commission that promotes democracy, human 
rights, and as my good friend mentioned a moment ago, we also combat 
horrible things like human trafficking. I am the special rep for human 
trafficking, and we are making a difference, so please vote ``no'' on 
this amendment.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Crane).
  The question was taken; and the Acting Chair announced that the ayes 
appeared to have it.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.
  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further 
proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Arizona will 
be postponed.
  The Chair understands amendment No. 11 will not be offered.


                 Amendment No. 13 Offered by Mr. Crane

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 13 
printed in part D of House Report 118-216.
  Mr. CRANE. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       Page 24, line 8, after the first dollar amount, insert 
     ``(reduced by $607,404,000)''.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 723, the gentleman 
from Arizona (Mr. Crane) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arizona.
  Mr. CRANE. Mr. Chair, I rise this morning to offer my amendment to 
the State and Foreign Operations and Related Programs Appropriation Act 
which would reduce funding for USAID by 50 percent.
  USAID was established over 60 years ago with the noble intention of 
fostering the advancement of the developing world, a goal that could 
benefit the United States by creating new trade partners and stable 
neighbors. Unfortunately, current budget allocations at USAID indicate 
a shift toward a social and cultural agenda that caters to the radical 
priorities of woke global elites.
  USAID has become a front for unelected bureaucrats to impose woke 
nonsense and harmful agendas across the globe, all on the U.S. 
taxpayers' dime. We shouldn't continue to fund this organization that 
aims to undercut American values and objectives.
  Cutting USAID's funding by 50 percent would dramatically conserve 
taxpayer resources otherwise wasted abroad on programs that do little 
to nothing to advance American interests. In fact, our core interests 
are instead undermined by these programs that include climate change 
alarmism and wasting money on ridiculous studies and programs that 
promote distorted gender ideology.
  Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this amendment to 
prevent American tax dollars from being wasted on an Agency bent on 
sabotaging our best efforts around the globe. I reserve the balance of 
my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I rise in strong opposition to this 
amendment.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, the United States Agency for 
International Development's global operations are essential to 
defending United States national security, asserting United States 
leadership and foreign policy influence, and advancing stability, 
security, and prosperity worldwide.
  This account supports a direct-hire workforce focused on advancing 
the most critical and effective foreign assistance programs and 
ensuring strong relationships and stewardship and accountability of 
U.S. taxpayer dollars. A 50 percent reduction to the operating expenses 
account would devastate USAID operations, including its workforce, and 
its ability to implement critical foreign assistance and humanitarian 
assistance programs.
  At this level, the Agency would be forced to reduce permanent U.S. 
direct-hire levels by about 1,845 positions. USAID would cut 
approximately 965 Foreign Service and 880 civil service positions. This 
50 percent workforce reduction would require a reduction in force since 
eliminating the backfilling of positions lost through attrition would 
achieve only about an 8 percent cut.
  USAID would significantly reduce its presence overseas, including 
closing some missions, once again leaving this void for our 
adversaries. This would leave these missions without American personnel 
to deliver aid from the American people and ensure our national 
security through development and humanitarian assistance.
  This drastic staff cut would leave programs extremely vulnerable to 
waste, fraud, and abuse, and impair the Agency's ability to respond to 
ongoing and future natural and human crises, pandemics, and development 
challenges. It also will result in the termination of programs 
overseas, once again creating a void for our adversaries to fill.

[[Page H4761]]

  This amendment is really counterproductive. We can't short fund staff 
charged with managing our foreign assistance programs and expect them 
to be effective. If we reduce our development efforts, we are not 
countering Russia and the PRC's influence. We are, instead, opening the 
door for their expanded global influence. I urge my colleagues to 
oppose this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CRANE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Gaetz).
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentleman from Florida is recognized for 2 
minutes.

                              {time}  1030

  Mr. GAETZ. Mr. Chair, I rise in strong support of my colleague from 
Arizona's amendment to cut funding to USAID.
  For the American taxpayer watching, USAID is essentially a venture 
capital fund that Americans pay for that invests in businesses and 
economic development in other countries overseas.
  At a time when we are $33 trillion in debt and facing $2 trillion 
annual deficits in this country, it would seem to me to be an easy 
decision to reduce the investments in Albania or the developing world, 
for which we are borrowing money from China to make. That seems like an 
easy thing to do, yet our colleagues call it drastic.
  I would take the USAID fund down to zero. They would fund it to the 
tune of billions of dollars. Maybe a compromise position is that we 
would be willing to send USAID everything that was found in Senator 
Menendez' jacket.
  Maybe that is something that can bring us all together. If there is 
going to be international bribe money paid that we are going to be 
involved in, rather than sourcing it from the American taxpayer, we 
could source it from corrupt Democratic politicians. I am here to bring 
us together.
  Mr. CRANE. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. Members are reminded to refrain from engaging in 
personalities.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman 
from Florida (Mr. Diaz-Balart).
  Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Chairman, I respectfully rise in opposition.
  The gentleman from Arizona brings up, I think, really legitimate 
reasons for his concern about the out-of-control spending and, frankly, 
what this administration has done. However, because of that, the 
operating account of USAID in this bill has been significantly reduced 
below the FY 2019 enacted level.
  As the gentleman is aware, we get to the point if we do further 
reductions, that this account, frankly, stops our ability to actually 
do some serious oversight.
  While I agree with his concerns, I don't think this is the right way 
to do that. Further reductions to this account would mean less 
oversight, less efficiency, and, frankly, I think fewer positive 
outcomes.
  By the way, in the manager's amendment, we reduce it even further. I 
totally understand and look forward to working with the gentleman about 
his concern. I think we are addressing it in this bill.
  Again, it is one of those issues that I understand where he is going, 
but I think this is not the right way to do it, so I respectfully 
oppose the amendment.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Crane).
  The question was taken; and the Acting Chair announced that the ayes 
appeared to have it.
  Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.
  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further 
proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Arizona will 
be postponed.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Chair understands that amendment No. 14 will 
not be offered.


                 Amendment No. 15 Offered by Mr. Perry

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 15 
printed in part D of House Report 118-216.
  Mr. PERRY. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk as the designee 
of the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Biggs).
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       Page 25, line 21, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(reduced by $230,599,000)''.
       Page 296, line 17, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(increased by $230,599,000)''.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 723, the gentleman 
from Pennsylvania (Mr. Perry) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania.
  Mr. PERRY. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this amendment, which 
eliminates $230,599,000--a lot of money whether you are in Arizona, 
Pennsylvania, or Washington, D.C.--in funding to the U.S. Agency for 
International Development, funds appropriated to the President capital 
investment fund.
  I once again bring up the amendment to address the massive spending 
that is appropriated to USAID. The capital investment fund is for 
expenses for overseas construction and related costs and for the 
procurement and enhancement of information technology and related 
capital investments.
  We all want a new office. We all want a new computer. We all want a 
new phone. We have massive debt right now. We are going to run $2.2 
trillion behind this year alone.
  I don't know who at home when they can't pay their bills, when they 
are literally borrowing money from their enemy, goes out and spends 
more.
  We are not even talking about spending more on our own home or our 
own phone or our own computer. We are talking about spending more on 
somebody else's and, quite honestly, in many cases in places where they 
don't even like America.
  Mr. Chairman, our country is now $33 trillion in debt. How in good 
conscience can we continue with this spending?
  This is the time to invest in the United States of America and our 
constituents who are struggling to pay for their groceries, to pay for 
gasoline, to pay for their ever-rising electricity bill, and it is 
going to keep on rising.
  Your gas prices are going to keep going up, and so are your food 
prices because of the policies of this administration.
  Mr. Chairman, we don't have any more money to spend on things that 
might be great to have, might be nice to have, might make us feel good. 
We don't have the money. When you don't have the money, you don't spend 
it.
  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I claim the time in opposition to 
this amendment.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, the United States Agency for 
International Development's capital investment fund supports facility 
construction, information technology, and real property maintenance.
  These include efforts to accelerate the construction of new, secure, 
safe, and functional office facilities for USAID personnel overseas. 
Without this funding, these diplomats would be vulnerable and at 
greater risk for harm on less secured compounds.
  This fund also supports information technology security, including 
efforts critical to cybersecurity and real property maintenance and 
repairs.
  I don't hear the gentleman talking about the fact that the policy of 
countering Chinese influence costs a little bit of money, also. I think 
this provides us a bigger bang for our buck.
  Without this funding, the Agency would be unable to upgrade and 
secure the IT environment against external and internal threats that 
could damage our national security and expose personally identifiable 
information of not only Americans but the participants we assist in 
times of crisis.
  Mr. Chair, this amendment is shortsighted, and I urge my colleagues 
to oppose it. I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. PERRY. Mr. Chair, I agree with the gentlewoman from the other 
side of the aisle. We should be countering China. If we are going to 
use USAID to do that, well, that is all well and good, too, but let's 
enumerate how we are actually going to use this money to counter China.
  What we are expected to believe is that they need this money, and we 
are

[[Page H4762]]

going to counter China somewhere in Eastern Europe. Maybe we are, but 
let's make the case.
  What you are asking is the American people to borrow money from China 
to then somehow counter China and just give all these folks that are 
smarter than all the rest of us all the money, and I am sure they will 
figure it out.
  I don't know if you are keeping up with current events, but China is 
eating our lunch right now while we are spending all this money that we 
are borrowing from China.
  I think the case makes itself. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of 
my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Perry).
  The question was taken; and the Acting Chair announced that the ayes 
appeared to have it.
  Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.
  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further 
proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Pennsylvania 
will be postponed.


              Amendment No. 16 Offered by Ms. Jackson Lee

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 16 
printed in part D of House Report 118-216.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       Page 27, line 12, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(reduced by $1,000,000) (increased by $1,000,000)''.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 723, the gentlewoman 
from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Texas.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Chair, I thank the manager and the chairman and 
ranking member of this committee.
  State, foreign operations, and related programs are the face of 
America, the most powerful nation in the world, the nation that the 
world looks to for guidance and direction in the interactions of this 
world. I am saddened to say that this face has been altered and 
threatened desperately by some of the shortchanges in the funding.
  The threat to national security by abdicating U.S. leadership, and 
the underfunding of the U.N. Development Program and the U.N., the 
underfunding of the State Department, and the threat to women's health 
equality globally around the world, is why my amendment is so very 
important, and I ask my colleagues to support it.
  I thank the Rules Committee, and I thank the subcommittee, for my 
amendment is an important and potentially lifesaving amendment in an 
unfortunate and distracting approach to State and foreign relations.
  My amendment increases funds by $1 million and decreases funding by 
$1 million for the global health programs account to highlight and 
support the fight against the practice of female genital mutilation.
  I have been a dedicated champion of this and introduced legislation 
in years past supporting the elimination of this very difficult and 
ludicrous practice of mutilating young women around the world.
  Female genital mutilation or cutting, FGMC, comprises all procedures 
that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia 
or other injury to the female genital organs for nonmedical reasons.
  My colleagues may be shocked to know that some of this occurs in the 
United States of America. This practice is rooted in gender 
inequalities often linked to other elements of gender-based violence 
and discrimination, such as child marriage, and is recognized 
internationally as a violation of the human rights of women and girls. 
That is why it is so important that we fund women's global health.
  Unfortunately, this means an estimated 200 million girls and women 
alive today have been victims of FGMC, with girls 14 and younger 
representing 44 million of those who have been cut.
  For example, consider that around the world at least five girls are 
mutilated, cut, every hour. More than 3 million girls are estimated to 
be at risk right now with FGMC annually.
  The impacts of FGMC on the physical health of women and girls can 
include bleeding, infection, obstetric fistula, complications during 
childbirth, and death.
  Mr. Chair, I ask my colleagues to support the Jackson Lee amendment, 
and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I claim the time in opposition, 
although I am not opposed to the amendment.
  The Acting CHAIR. Without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized 
for 5 minutes.
  There was no objection.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, while this amendment does not have 
a budgetary effect, I thank my colleague for raising such an important 
issue for millions of women around the world.
  For more than 200 women, female genital mutilation can mean health 
problems that haunt them for the rest of their lives.
  The quest for gender equality will not be complete until women are no 
longer subjected to these practices, and I thank my colleague for 
raising this important issue.
  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Chair, let me, first of all, thank the ranking 
member, Congresswoman Barbara Lee, for her consistent, steady, and 
unrelenting commitment to world affairs as well as to the peace and 
harmony of women around the world and humanitarian practices.
  That is why this amendment and this emphasis on FGMC is so important 
because other significant barriers to combating the practice of FGMC 
include the high concentration in Pacific regions associated with 
several cultural traditions that are not tied to any one religion, so 
it spreads all over.
  I emphasize to this body that girls as young as 14 who can make no 
determination are put upon by this process. According to UNICEF, FGMC 
is reported to occur in all parts of the world but is most prevalent in 
parts of Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.
  Due to the commonality of this practice, many migrants to the U.S. 
bring the practices of FGMC with them, increasing the importance of 
combating FGMC abroad.
  As I said, it happens in the United States. My amendment prioritizes 
funding for foreign assistance to combat female genital mutilation or 
cutting, an internationally recognized violation of the human rights of 
girls and women, so that it can finally come to an end.
  With the negatives of this Defense appropriation, let's do something 
positive with the State Department appropriations.
  I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of the Jackson Lee amendment, 
notwithstanding the vast, extensive work that is going on that is 
without restraint of dealing with FGMC around the world.
  Mr. Chairman, I rise to speak in support of the Jackson Lee Amendment 
16 to H.R. 4665--Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related 
Programs Appropriations Act, 2024.
  I want to thank my colleagues on the Rules Committee for making this 
amendment in order.
  The Jackson Lee Amendment 16 is an important and potentially life-
saving amendment in an unfortunate and distracting appropriations bill.
  The Jackson Lee Amendment 16 increases funds by $1,000,000 and 
decreases funding by $1,000,000 for the Global Health Programs account 
to highlight and support the fight against the practice of Female 
Genital Mutilation.
  I have been a dedicated champion against this practice for a long 
while, working closely with former Congressman Joe Crowley of New York 
to introduce legislation targeted at supporting the elimination of this 
ludicrous practice of mutilating young women.
  Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) comprises all procedures 
that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, 
or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.
  This practice is rooted in gender inequality and is often linked to 
other elements of gender-based violence and discrimination, such as 
child marriage and recognized internationally as a violation of the 
human rights of women and girls.
  Unfortunately, this means an estimated 200 million girls and women 
alive today have been

[[Page H4763]]

victims of FGM/C, with girls 14 and younger representing 44 million of 
those who have been cut.
  For example, consider that around the world, at least five girls are 
mutilated/cut every hour and more than 3 million girls are estimated to 
be at risk of FGM/C, annually.
  The impacts of FGM/C on the physical health of women and girls can 
include bleeding, infection, obstetric fistula, complications during 
childbirth and death.
  Other significant barriers to combatting the practice of FGM/C 
include the high concentration in specific regions associated with 
several cultural traditions, that is not tied to any one religion.
  According to UNICEF, FGM/C is reported to occur in all parts of the 
world, but is most prevalent in parts of Africa, the Middle East, and 
Asia.
  Due to the commonality of this practice many migrants to the U.S. 
bring the practice of FGM/C with them, increasing the importance of 
combatting FGM/C abroad.
  Jackson Lee Amendment 16 prioritizes funding for foreign assistance 
to combat Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C), an internationally 
recognized violation of the human rights of girls and women comes to an 
end.
  While the negatives of this State appropriations bill disappointedly 
outweigh my positive amendment, I urge my colleagues to vote in favor 
of the Jackson Lee Amendment 16--notwithstanding my strong opposition 
and encouragement to vote down the underlying bill.
  Mr. Chair, I ask my colleagues to support the Jackson Lee amendment, 
and I reserve the balance of my time.

                              {time}  1045

  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman 
from Florida (Mr. Diaz-Balart).
  Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Chairman, I strongly support this amendment.
  Look, this is a horrifying practice of literally just mutilating 
women around the world. An estimated 200 million women and girls have 
undergone this form of female genital mutilation, including, by the 
way, ones who are 15 or younger.
  Mr. Chair, I don't have to tell you about the extreme psychological 
and physical harm that this does to these young girls and women.
  I thank my colleague, Representative Jackson Lee, for condemning this 
practice wherever--wherever--it is occurring. Anywhere in the world we 
should object to minors, young girls, young women, having genital 
mutilation performed for whatever reason.
  Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to strongly support this 
amendment.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Chairman, let me indicate my appreciation to the 
chairman and to the ranking member for their support of this amendment.
  I ask my colleagues to support the Jackson Lee amendment. Let's end 
FGMC against women and girls around the world forever.
  Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentlewoman from Oregon (Ms. Salinas).
  Ms. SALINAS. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to this bill for 
reasons beyond what I can list in the allotted time, but primarily 
because it would force America to abdicate its leadership role on the 
global stage.
  This bill contains too many harmful provisions to count, but for the 
benefit of the American people, I will do my best to summarize a few of 
them:
  This bill would severely reduce our ability to combat the climate 
crisis.
  It would make massive cuts to global health programming through USAID 
and the WHO.
  It would shortchange economic and humanitarian assistance and global 
peacekeeping funding.
  And as if those self-imposed restrictions on our international 
leadership weren't bad enough, my Republican colleagues are using this 
bill as a Trojan horse for more poison pill riders, just as they have 
done with other appropriations bills.
  The majority's obsession with anti-choice, anti-LGBTQ, and anti-
diversity politics precludes them from putting forth a bill that has 
any chance of becoming law.
  Specifically, their bill would reinstate the global gag rule and 
prohibit contributions to the UNPFA, restricting women and girls around 
the world from receiving the reproductive and maternal healthcare they 
need.
  They are just not content to undermine reproductive freedom at home. 
No, they need to take their draconian quest abroad to the tremendous 
shame of the majority of Americans who value reproductive freedom.
  Mr. Chair, at the appropriate time, I will offer a motion to recommit 
this bill back to committee. If the House rules permitted, I would have 
offered the motion with an important amendment to this bill.
  My amendment would strike the global gag rule and allow contributions 
to UNPFA.
  Mr. Chair, I strongly support reproductive rights and believe we 
should be a global leader guaranteeing it to all women and girls, 
regardless of where they may have been born. I hope my colleagues will 
join me in voting for the motion to recommit.
  Mr. Chair, I include in the Record the text of my amendment.
       Ms. Salinas moves to recommit the bill H.R. 4665 to the 
     Committee on Appropriations with the following amendment:
       Strike section 7057.

  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).
  The amendment was agreed to.


                 Amendment No. 17 Offered by Mr. Gaetz

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 17 
printed in part D of House Report 118-216.
  Mr. GAETZ. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       Page 27, line 12, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(reduced by $750,000,000)''.
       Page 32, line 18, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(reduced by $3,000,000,000)''.
       Page 33, line 1, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced 
     by $750,000,000)''.
       Page 296, line 17, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(increased by $4,500,000,000)''.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 723, the gentleman 
from Florida (Mr. Gaetz) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida.
  Mr. GAETZ. Mr. Chair, this amendment reduces the amount of funding 
allocated to USAID by $4.5 billion.
  As I mentioned earlier, USAID is a vehicle through which the American 
taxpayer pays for economic development in other countries. I think 
instead we should spend more money on economic development of our own 
country, and actually, if we spent less money overall, we probably 
would see less inflation, more prosperity, and the type of economic 
growth that we saw during President Trump's time in office.
  USAID may have started with laudable goals, but today, they are 
promoting abortion globally with American tax dollars. They are pushing 
President Biden's national gender strategy.
  I never thought we needed a national gender strategy, but if we need 
a national gender strategy, can we at least not spend so much money 
promoting it abroad?
  It is silly.
  The DEI programs that are embedded in The 1619 Project have been 
embraced by United Nations Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, and we 
see that continue to manifest through USAID.
  American taxpayers should focus their resources and their efforts on 
the American people and the American economy. This is a thoughtful 
reduction. It should be easily agreed to.
  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to 
this amendment.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, once again, I have no idea what my 
colleagues are trying to achieve.
  All this amendment would do is double down on the harm Russia's 
aggression has already wreaked on the poorest countries of the world 
through higher food, fertilizer, and fuel costs.
  This amendment would cut $750 million each from global health 
programs and the International Disaster Assistance accounts. These cuts 
would impose tremendous harm and suffering to the most vulnerable, 
including:
  4 million children with malaria will go untreated;
  350,000 deaths attributable to tuberculosis;

[[Page H4764]]

  13 million fewer children vaccinated resulting in a possible 115,000 
additional deaths; and
  A reduction by over 45 percent of humanitarian assistance to Sudan 
compared to FY 2023 levels.
  This doesn't sound much like pro-life to me, Mr. Chairman.
  It would also eliminate the entire Official Development Assistance 
accounts, affecting agriculture and food security programs, education, 
and clean water for millions of the most vulnerable people in the 
world.
  Development assistance is also used for Countering PRC Influence 
programs, which represents one of our most effective tools to counter 
and compete with the PRC globally.
  It is really ridiculous, it is cruel, and it is not pro-life. These 
are not funds that would be targeted to Ukraine in any significant way. 
It has no impact on the Ukraine debate and would inflict harm on 
millions of people.
  Mr. Chair, I would be happy to discuss with my colleagues about how 
we support Ukraine's pursuit of freedom, but this amendment would only 
alienate the rest of the world and forsake many of our allies' reliant 
on assistance from the United States.
  Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GAETZ. Mr. Chair, my amendment makes a $4.5 billion cut; $3.5 
billion of that stops us from retiring global debt for Ukraine.
  Now, I don't think it is an unrealistic position to say that the 
United States of America should not deficit spend to retire the debt of 
other countries.
  Think about that. We are borrowing money from China to go settle the 
debts of Ukraine that they accrued far before this war with Russia.
  My colleagues say this exists to counter the PRC. We are never going 
to out-bribe the PRC on the global scene. We are going to need another 
strategy.
  If you listen to the debate of those opposing my amendment, hear the 
substance: Oh, my goodness, people around the world are having problems 
buying food and buying fuel, and if the U.S. taxpayer would just 
sacrifice a little more, it might be easier to buy food and fuel in 
other countries.
  I have a message for my Democratic colleagues: People are having a 
hard time buying food and fuel in this country as a consequence of the 
very inflationary spending that I am trying to reduce with this 
amendment.
  We should retire our debt before we retire Ukraine's debt.

  That is such an obvious statement, I am shocked I have to say it on 
the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, where I am just glad we 
are still hanging our flag.
  Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, let me just suggest this: It 
really is an unrealistic position for the United States to allow 4 
million children with malaria to go untreated, to allow 350,000 deaths 
attributable to tuberculosis, to allow 13 million fewer children 
vaccinated, resulting in a possible 115,000 additional deaths, and a 
reduction of over 45 percent of humanitarian assistance to Sudan 
compared to 2023 levels.
  Very unrealistic, cruel, and unusual.
  Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. GAETZ. Mr. Chairman, it is hard to believe what I am hearing.
  The gentlewoman is saying: But there is malaria and tuberculosis and 
sickness and ailment all around the world.
  The gentlewoman need look no further than her home State of 
California where the human condition continues to decline. She would 
need to look no further than the major cities throughout our country 
that are under Democrat control.
  Maybe before we go solve all of the world's problems, maybe before we 
function as the world's policeman and the world's piggy bank and the 
world's debt payer, we ought to focus on the issues that we have here 
in this country. They are real, and frankly, too often, they 
metastasize from the gentlewoman's home State.
  Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Gaetz).
  The question was taken; and the Acting Chair announced that the ayes 
appeared to have it.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.
  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further 
proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Florida will 
be postponed.


                 Amendment No. 18 Offered by Mr. Perry

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 18 
printed in part D of House Report 118-216.
  Mr. PERRY. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       Page 33, line 1, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced 
     by $3,905,460,000)''.
       Page 296, line 17, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(increased by $3,905,460,000)''.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 723, the gentleman 
from Pennsylvania (Mr. Perry) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania.
  Mr. PERRY. Mr. Chairman, when everyday Americans, like the folks I 
have the honor to represent in Pennsylvania's 10th Congressional 
District, have too many expenses, they are simply forced to cut back. 
They don't have any choice.
  That is what they had to do in this high inflation, high cost of 
living, Biden economy where gas, food--seemingly everything. I don't 
know that anything has gone down. For sure, food, gas, electricity 
prices are just going up and up.
  So what do folks do at home?
  They don't go out to eat as often. They don't have a meal out with 
their family. They might have to cancel a few subscriptions, put off 
some repairs around the house, put off buying a new pair of shoes, you 
name it. The point is that they pare back their spending sometimes to 
the bare bones because they have to keep a roof over their head and 
food in their bellies.
  Now, the paring back that I just discussed is something that this 
body, this institution has been unwilling, unable, and simply refused 
to do now for decades. Decades, $33 trillion worth of that.
  Many of my colleagues on this side of the aisle have highlighted via 
amendment the wasteful, bloated spending that this place has 
perpetuated, especially during the pandemic; unbelievable amounts 
during the pandemic.
  I appreciate the work of the chairman. He has worked diligently to 
bring this thing back closer in line with some reality, but there are 
still places we can cut.
  This amendment reduces the amount of international disaster 
assistance from $3.9 billion to zero.
  Now, everybody is going to take a gasp.
  Zero international disaster assistance?
  Ladies and gentlemen, in our country, the International Disaster 
Assistance account is zero. It has dried up.

                              {time}  1100

  The good gentleman from Florida, his State just suffered a hurricane. 
There isn't any disaster money for them. What about the folks in 
Hawaii? What about the folks all across the country dealing with floods 
and fires?
  There isn't any money in the United States of America for them, but 
heaven forbid, we have to make sure we are all around the globe helping 
all those folks at the expense of the people in America.
  I am not trying--and no one is trying--to be punitive or cruel here. 
The fact is that this process is broken and the results of it are 
broken, and the American people are tired of being broke from what we 
do here in Washington.
  This is a nearly $4 billion line item that we simply can't afford. We 
want to be helpful. Every single one of us wants to help, but we are 
using the money that other people earn to help other people overseas 
while the people that earn the money are struggling, and that is 
immoral and unacceptable.
  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I rise in strong opposition to this 
amendment.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman is recognized for 5 minutes.

[[Page H4765]]

  

  Ms. LEE of California. USAID's International Disaster Assistance 
Account, or IDA, is a critical tool which supports our country's 
foreign policy objectives and serves as a lifeline for millions of 
people.
  The IDA account provides lifesaving support including food, water, 
shelter, emergency healthcare, sanitation and hygiene, and critical 
nutrition services to the world's most vulnerable and hardest to reach 
people.
  This assistance is needed now more than ever. After 20 years of 
decline, there are more people facing hunger now than in 2019, almost 
30 percent of the global population.
  Regardless of whether you have faith or not, I think that our values 
compel us to really address those in most need, not only in our own 
country, but, yes, throughout the world.
  It is important to provide this humanitarian assistance because it is 
morally the right thing to do. Once again, those who are people of 
faith, or not, do this because it really does solidify our commitment 
to humankind, and, also, yes, our leadership and influence throughout 
the world.
  It is unthinkable that the United States would stop providing this 
support to those who have lost everything through a natural disaster or 
conflict.
  I am really ashamed that the Republicans want to do this. It is 
really a disgrace.
  I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment, and I reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. PERRY. Mr. Chair, I am glad that the gentlewoman mentioned people 
of faith and their care for people, not only in their community but 
around the globe. It is awesome. In the church that I attend, that is 
exactly what we do, and that is exactly what we should do--be our 
brother's keeper, be our brother's and sister's keeper--but the good 
Lord never said force your brother to be someone else's keeper. That is 
between them. And that is exactly what we are doing here is forcing 
people that can ill afford their own bills and their own tragedies that 
they are suffering in the United States to pay for the tragedies in 
other places. That is immoral.
  Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman has the only time remaining.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Perry).
  The question was taken; and the Acting Chair announced that the ayes 
appeared to have it.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.
  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further 
proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Pennsylvania 
will be postponed.


                 Amendment No. 20 Offered by Mr. Perry

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 20 
printed in part D of House Report 118-216.
  Mr. PERRY. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       Page 35, line 1, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced 
     by $1,161,119,000)''.
       Page 296, line 17, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(increased by $1,161,119,000)''.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 723, the gentleman 
from Pennsylvania (Mr. Perry) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania. .
  Mr. PERRY. Mr. Chair, this amendment reduces the amount of economic 
support funding from $2.9 billion to $1.8 billion.
  Like a few of my colleagues on this side of the aisle have said this 
week, this is a necessary haircut to a program that has ballooned 
massively just since two Presidents ago.
  In the 5 years from fiscal year 2018 to 2023, this account went from 
$1.8 billion to $4.3 billion. People wonder, how do we get $33 trillion 
in debt? You get it a billion at a time just adding up.
  Let's look at the use of these funds from the report of this bill. 
Cooperative projects, sustainability challenges relating to water 
resources, agriculture, and energy storage. That is interesting. Have 
you ever heard of Flint, Michigan? They are concerned about their water 
resources.
  Agriculture? Our farmers aren't allowed to buy fertilizer--or can't 
afford it in this country based on the policies of the administration.
  Energy storage? We are paying for batteries overseas. It is not 
enough that we force our own constituents to use unreliable power, now 
we are going to force the rest of the world to do it and pay for it.
  How about scientific research collaboration in the Middle East? That 
is awesome because other than our one ally there, there is not much 
scientific collaboration that I am interested in participating in--
certainly not with Iran.
  The Middle East partnership initiative, which according to the State 
Department supports governments and their citizens to achieve shared 
political economic and stability objectives, how much money are we 
going to throw in this money pit year after year after year, decade 
after decade?
  In the administration's budget request they will say the use of funds 
to foster economic resilience in Greenland. Are they in peril in 
Greenland?
  Strengthen transparent governance and promote civil society and 
independent media in South Asia and provide rapid, flexible support and 
assistance to government and civil society in Africa.
  These are all laudable things. The question is can you afford them, 
and we cannot. I remind everybody we are simply borrowing from China to 
pay for these things--all of these things.
  Reasonable people can disagree about whether the American taxpayer 
dollars need to promote civil society or scientific collaboration 
abroad; however, the fact remains we must find places to save, and this 
reverts a highly inflated item--highly inflated. Again, $1.8 billion to 
$4.3 billion in 5 years.
  I would just ask what is the metric we use to determine whether this 
is successful or does anything at all to support the American people?
  Mr. Chair, I urge support, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to the 
amendment.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, this amendment is shortsighted. 
It would potentially cut programs to strengthen democracy and human 
rights, protect religious freedom, and support economic reforms, among 
others.
  Many of these programs counter malign influences and provide an 
alternative to the PRC's influence, financing, and activities.
  These programs also offer and demonstrate another narrative from the 
authoritarianism promoted by the government of the PRC. The Economic 
Support Fund also advances critical security programs, such as 
countering terrorist radicalization and recruitment and improving 
governance and accountability. These are bigger challenges than they 
were just 5 years ago.
  The fiscal year level that is sought by this amendment is totally 
unrealistic to accomplish our goals.
  I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this amendment, and I reserve 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. PERRY. Mr. Chair, again, we all want to do what we can, but we 
shouldn't be borrowing money from China, our number one adversary. We 
are borrowing it from them allegedly to counter them, and, oh, by the 
way, while we are borrowing it from them to counter them, we are 
allowing them to operate in our financial markets without the same 
controls and restrictions we place on American companies.
  That is ridiculous. It is so ridiculous that it probably costs us 
more to counter them. We could do much more by just not allowing that, 
but, instead, we are going to allow that and take taxpayers' money and 
spend it to do this. It would cost so much less to do this if we would 
just do the right thing in the first place.

  Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, this budget, first of all, is less 
than one half of 1 percent of the United States' GDP.
  I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Kim).

[[Page H4766]]

  

  Mrs. KIM of California. Mr. Chair, this amendment would have 
catastrophic consequences for priorities our conference champions, 
including elimination of religious freedom programming, gutting the 
Counter China Influence Fund, and hamstringing international 
cybersecurity capacity building at a time when each of those foreign 
policy priorities is under great pressure.
  The funds from the Economic Support Fund are available to protect 
human rights and freedom of the press, combat human trafficking and 
corruption, and increase public accountability.
  This account goes to countries of strategic significance to the 
United States and often intended to promote the political and economic 
stability of our U.S. allies.
  Mr. Chair, the fiscal year 2024 bill already marks a $2.4 billion 
reduction from the President's request and a $1.3 billion reduction 
from the fiscal year 2023 level.
  The dramatic shift proposed in this amendment would be an absolute 
whiplash for our partners and allies overseas and detrimental to many 
of the GOP and bipartisan priorities funded through this account.
  Mr. Chair, I would go on about the priorities that would be lost if 
this amendment were adopted, like training for Taiwan and Cuba 
democracy programs, but I will simply say this amendment is a 
disservice to responsible and effective diplomacy.
  I encourage my colleagues to oppose this amendment, with all due 
respect.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Perry).
  The question was taken; and the Acting Chair announced that the ayes 
appeared to have it.
  Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.
  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further 
proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Pennsylvania 
will be postponed.


                 Amendment No. 22 Offered by Mr. Perry

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 22 
printed in part D of House Report 118-216.
  Mr. PERRY. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       Page 37, line 16, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(reduced by $2,548,250,000)''.
       Page 296, line 17, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(increased by $2,548,250,000)''.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 723, the gentleman 
from Pennsylvania (Mr. Perry) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania.
  Mr. PERRY. Mr. Chair, this amendment cuts migration and refugee 
assistance funding from $2.5 billion to $0.
  This money, the $2.5 billion, goes toward refugee programs around the 
world, including for shelter, healthcare, and sanitation.
  Again, we all want to do what we can. We all want to help. Nobody is 
trying to be cruel or punitive here, but we don't have enough money to 
deal with the refugee crisis in our own country, which is self-imposed.
  Our constituents here at home can't afford their own shelter, can't 
afford their own healthcare, their own food because of the policies of 
the administration, yet we are forcing them to pay for it around the 
globe, oftentimes with companies that have encouraged and inspired 
people to migrate to their countries and become refugees in their 
countries, and yet we are paying for that.
  Furthermore, during the debate on the Homeland Security funding bill 
this week, many of my colleagues on this side of the aisle rightfully 
pointed out the disaster occurring at our southern border to the tune 
of thousands of people every single day coming in.
  Oh, by the way, what other countries around the world are helping 
with our refugee crisis, with our refugee and migration assistance?
  So our taxpayers are paying for the one that we are encouraging and 
allowing in our country, and they are being forced under penalty of law 
in their taxes to pay for the ones in other countries, too.
  All of our districts have been affected by the influx of drugs, 
including fentanyl. In my district just in the last week, half a dozen 
people died from fentanyl that came across the southern border into my 
town thousands of miles away from the border.

                              {time}  1115

  One of the refrains of the Biden administration and border czar 
Harris seems to be that the only way to solve this is to address the 
root causes instead of simply enforcing our own border.
  Mr. Chair, we are not going to solve any of this under the current 
policies that we are seeing, and we are certainly not going to solve it 
around the globe by forcing our taxpayers to pay for it, encouraging 
more of it all around the globe.
  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to this 
amendment.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, the migration and refugee 
assistance account supports protection and assistance to ease the 
suffering of those who had to leave everything behind and become 
refugees. The funding also contributes to broader USG and international 
efforts to resolve conflicts that cause displacement.
  This humanitarian aid saves lives and upholds the dignity of tens of 
millions of forcibly displaced and crisis-affected people, including 
refugees, victims of conflict, stateless persons, and vulnerable 
migrants.
  There were more than 108 million forcibly displaced people globally 
at the end of 2022. This is the largest ever annual increase and 
represents the largest number of forcibly displaced in history.
  Without assistance, nations will not accept the growing refugee 
populations in their countries, potentially destabilizing regions and 
threatening global peace, security, and stability. We should be doing 
more, not less, to support these individuals.
  Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. PERRY. Mr. Chair, like I said, every single one of us wants to 
help. Every single one of our hearts breaks for people who are forcibly 
displaced.
  I would say, as well, that I question the numbers of forcibly 
displaced. There are people in this country saying that all the people 
coming illegally to this country are being forcibly displaced when that 
is obviously not true.
  By the way, maybe we would be more amenable to taking the taxpayers' 
hard-earned money and spending it overseas on these migrations if we 
would solve our problems here in the United States of America. How can 
we force them, how can we ask them, to spend their hard-earned tax 
dollars overseas when we refuse to solve the problems right here at 
home and force them to pay for that, as well? It is insult upon injury.
  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. PERRY. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Perry).
  The question was taken; and the Acting Chair announced that the ayes 
appeared to have it.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.
  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further 
proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Pennsylvania 
will be postponed.


                 Amendment No. 23 Offered by Mr. Ogles

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 23 
printed in part D of House Report 118-216.
  Mr. OGLES. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       Page 38, line 2, after the first dollar amount, insert 
     ``(reduced by $14,300,000)''.
       Page 296, line 17, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(increased by $14,300,000)''.


[[Page H4767]]


  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 723, the gentleman 
from Tennessee (Mr. Ogles) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Tennessee.
  Mr. OGLES. Mr. Chair, when we fund specific programs, we should ask 
ourselves one question: What is the real return on investment?
  In the case of the Peace Corps, we are spending a little over $410 
million. Is the investment worth it, given the rising costs of food and 
gas? Is it appropriate for Congress to prioritize the Peace Corps over 
our veterans, prioritize the Peace Corps over securing our border?
  Keep in mind, my proposed cut is a modest cut. How is the Peace Corps 
justifying its budget in light of financial hardships borne by millions 
of Americans today?
  In separate testimonies before the House Committee on Foreign 
Affairs, Carol Spahn, the Peace Corps Director, pointed out the 
agency's work on the following: helping illegals at the southern 
border, promoting DEI amongst its volunteers, promoting COVID-19 
vaccinations in low-income areas, and climate change adaptation, just 
to name a few.
  In the latter case, the Peace Corps is working to promote climate-
smart approaches in agriculture and to focus on gender equity issues. 
It is clear the Peace Corps has become more of an activist organization 
than an organization determined to help people.
  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to this 
amendment.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, the Peace Corps is one of the best 
investments in public diplomacy that we make. There is no way that 
Democrats have prioritized Peace Corps over veterans. We support our 
veterans. We support the Peace Corps.
  What better ambassadors do we have than young American people willing 
to spend 2 years overseas and build goodwill with people around the 
world?
  I know many of us have met these young people when traveling overseas 
or have discussed with our own constituents after they have 
participated in this life-changing experience.
  The Peace Corps account in this bill is already $20 million below its 
current level, endangering the return of volunteers in the field after 
COVID and the reopening of new sites, particularly in the Pacific 
Islands, where strong American diplomacy is sorely needed.
  Cuts are already threatening the ability to support the 5,000 
volunteers across 51 countries that the Peace Corps has responsibility 
for.
  Once again, Democrats support the Peace Corps. Democrats support and 
thank our veterans for their service.
  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. OGLES. Mr. Chair, best investments? This is the best we can do? 
How about we invest in our veterans? How about we invest in our border? 
How about we take care of America? I want to help those around the 
world, but not at the expense of Americans.
  It should be noted that the Peace Corps has a long and sordid history 
of covering up sexual abuse of its participants. Think about that. Are 
we going to aid and abet an agency, an organization, that has this 
sordid past while our veterans suffer, while our border is open, while 
we have migrants being abused on the border? I should think not.
  This is a modest cut. It simply returns the funding back to pre-COVID 
levels, merely a $14 million cut. We can do this.
  At a time when Americans are suffering, at a time when interest rates 
are high, gas has gone up, food is more expensive, surely we put 
hardworking Americans first.
  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I am not so sure that our veterans 
would appreciate being used as a pawn in this game to try to defund and 
cut funding for young people. I have talked to many veterans who 
appreciate the Peace Corps and appreciate the work that they are doing 
to help ensure that Americans have the best ambassadors in the world. 
Our veterans would not want to hear of this pawn game being played in 
opposition to the Peace Corps.
  Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. OGLES. Mr. Chair, I would argue that the Gold Star families would 
like us to invest in our veterans. I would argue the veterans who are 
homeless would like for us to invest in our veterans.
  When we look at the suicide rates among our servicemen and -women, we 
should be investing in our veterans. To say that putting our veterans 
first and using them as a pawn is offensive.
  Mr. Chair, I ask my colleagues to support this. I ask that we put our 
veterans and Americans first, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Ogles).
  The question was taken; and the Acting Chair announced that the ayes 
appeared to have it.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.
  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further 
proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Tennessee 
will be postponed.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Chair understands that amendment Nos. 25 and 26 
will not be offered.


          Amendment No. 27 Offered by Mr. Kelly of Mississippi

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 27 
printed in part D of House Report 118-216.
  Mr. KELLY of Mississippi. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       Page 52, line 8, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced 
     by $10,000,000)''.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 723, the gentleman 
from Mississippi (Mr. Kelly) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Mississippi.
  Mr. KELLY of Mississippi. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of my 
amendment to reduce funding for the Global Environment Facility fund 
from $139 million to $129 million, or by $10 million.
  We do well what we measure. That is what my father told me growing 
up. We do well what we measure. Unfortunately, many of the 
organizations and much of the money that is spent by America are not 
measured well.
  We need to force people to prioritize and to account for the funds 
that they spend. This is a small, little cut.
  Americans are struggling every day as they face high gas prices, 
inflation due to the reckless spending of this administration, and the 
radical climate change agenda of the Biden administration.
  My amendment claws back just a little bit of those hard-earned tax 
dollars going to fund climate change initiatives outside of our 
borders.
  Mr. Chair, I encourage my colleagues to vote in support of my 
amendment. Remember, we do well what we measure.
  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to this 
amendment.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, this amendment would reduce the 
contribution of the United States to the Global Environmental Facility 
by $10 million. The Global Environmental Facility is a multilateral 
trust fund that provides grant-based funding to developing countries to 
address the real global environmental challenges.
  Last month was the hottest August, according to the National Oceanic 
and Atmospheric Administration's 174-year record. In that one month, 
Hawaii had a devastating wildfire, the Southeast suffered from Category 
3 Hurricane Idalia, and southern California had its first-ever tropical 
storm watch, with many areas receiving more rain in 48 hours than they 
typically get all year. These disasters come with huge costs in the 
communities they directly affect and impact our entire planet.
  The Global Environmental Facility fund benefits the United States 
economy and environment by addressing problems that affect our domestic 
health, safety, and prosperity, such as by protecting tropical forests, 
reducing global levels of transboundary pollutants, and combating 
illegal wildlife

[[Page H4768]]

trafficking, which I know is of concern to many on both sides of the 
aisle.
  Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. KELLY of Mississippi. Mr. Chair, I point out that we spend a lot 
of money overseas to preserve our environment. None of it is measured. 
There are no metrics of success. We spend billions and billions of 
dollars outside of the United States for climate preservation, which 
countries like China just refuse to acknowledge, or other areas in 
South America that do not do those.
  Mr. Chair, I ask for support for my amendment, and I reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. KELLY of Mississippi. Mr. Chair, I ask people to remember that we 
are asking for a small cut. We do well what we measure and what we 
account for.
  Mr. Chair, I ask for a ``yes'' vote, and I yield back the balance of 
my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Kelly).
  The question was taken; and the Acting Chair announced that the ayes 
appeared to have it.
  Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.
  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further 
proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Mississippi 
will be postponed.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Chair understands that amendment Nos. 28 
through 31 will not be offered.

                              {time}  1130


                Amendment No. 36 Offered by Ms. Plaskett

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 36 
printed in part D of House Report 118-216.
  Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       Strike subsection (d) of section 7070.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 723, the gentlewoman 
from the Virgin Islands (Ms. Plaskett) and a Member opposed each will 
control 5 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands.
  Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of my amendment.
  This amendment would strike section 7070(d) from the bill, removing 
language banning the State Department and other agencies from 
identifying, classifying, or facilitating the classification of any 
communication by a United States person as misinformation, 
disinformation, or malinformation, and banning the Federal Government 
from partnering with nonpartisan, nonprofit, outside experts to 
identify these threats.
  On January 7, 2021, a day after the January 6 insurrection, the 
National Intelligence Council, Central Intelligence Agency, Department 
of Homeland Security, FBI, NSA, and the State Department disseminated a 
then-classified report entitled, ``Foreign Threats to the 2020 U.S. 
Federal Elections.''
  That report was declassified 2 months later, and in it, the best 
minds of our intelligence community wrote, ``. . . Russian President 
Putin authorized, and a range of Russian Government organizations 
conducted, influence operations aimed at denigrating President Biden's 
candidacy and the Democratic Party, supporting former President Trump, 
undermining public confidence in the electoral process and exacerbating 
sociopolitical divisions in the U.S.''
  It went on to say that: ``Unlike in 2016 . . . A key element of 
Moscow's strategy this election cycle was its use of proxies linked to 
Russian intelligence to push influence narratives--including misleading 
or unsubstantiated allegations. . . .''
  Mr. Chair, in the wake of the chaos and destruction caused by the 
former President and his followers on January 6, I fear these facts are 
being forgotten.
  So why are we here today with multiple appropriation bills that 
prevent the Federal Government of the United States from even 
acknowledging misinformation, disinformation, malinformation, and 
getting that information to the American public no matter who it is 
spouted by, whether it is domestic or foreign threats?
  Seems to be that my colleagues across the aisle want to use First 
Amendment rights as a blanket for those kinds of words and uses that 
are going to destroy the American people. We are not saying that people 
cannot say these things; what the Federal Government needs to be able 
to do is inform the American people where that information comes from, 
if it is, in fact, not factual, if it is conspiracy theories.
  I fear that this is being allowed because some empowered corners of 
our Republican Caucus know another Presidential election is coming and 
they have been given a cookbook on how to keep chaos in our society.
  We know that page one of that cookbook, that first recipe, is Russian 
propaganda and its penetration of the American people. Let's be clear: 
It is not only the Kremlin that wants in on this mis-, dis-, and 
malinformation game, this meal that they are trying to cook for the 
American people, Iran and China want to get into the kitchen, too.
  We know foreign influence efforts are already active and we know many 
more are coming. Let's make sure that our Federal Government has the 
expertise and the research to be able to stop it.
  Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to approve my amendment, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CLOUD. Mr. Chair, I claim time in opposition to the amendment.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentleman from Texas is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. CLOUD. Mr. Chair, when George Orwell wrote the book ``1984,'' 
most people took it as a cautionary tale. Some of our friends on the 
left took it as an instruction manual. We have literally seen this 
administration try to stand up a ministry of truth. We have seen 
accurate information about where a lab leak might have come from 
labeled as disinformation. We have seen medical experts with lifesaving 
information be labeled as spreaders of misinformation, having their 
careers ruined and tragically costing the lives of thousands, if not 
millions, of people.
  Let's talk about Russian information for a moment. The Hunter laptop 
was labeled as Russian information. We had the dossier that was paid 
for by the DNC labeled as Russian information, and all this has been on 
the backs of the taxpayer. The U.S. taxpayer is having to fund not only 
the demise of their own country, but having their First Amendment 
rights squelched by the government that is meant to serve them.
  As if that is not enough, apparently, for our friends on the left, 
they want to export that on the backs of the U.S. taxpayer to the 
people around the world. This is how this works.
  Right now, the State Department is funding a misinformation tracking 
group called the Global Disinformation Index, and they have labeled 
some news outlets like The American Spectator, Newsmax, The Federalist, 
The American Conservative, One America News, The Blaze, The Daily Wire, 
RealClearPolitics, the Reason, and the New York Post as potential 
spreaders of misinformation.
  They created this list and they aggregate this list to potential 
sponsors and basically the word is, don't put any advertisement on 
these sites because they might be ``spreaders of misinformation.'' This 
is a way to strong-arm and try to drain them of any sort of finances, 
all sponsored by the U.S. taxpayer.
  This is unconscionable. Of course, the understanding shtick is like 
if you are a business who maybe sponsors one of these things, we might 
lean heavily on you when it comes to government grants or when it comes 
to enforcing regulatory burdens and all of these kinds of things. This 
is not how things are supposed to work in a free society in a 
government of the people, by the people, for the people.
  We need to stop this nonsense, and we certainly shouldn't be 
exporting it across the world on the backs of the U.S. taxpayer.

  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Chair, let me just say that private media companies 
acting in their own business interest and in the understood interest of 
public health in the midst of global pandemics are going to do what 
they think is best for their bottom line. That is what drives them.

[[Page H4769]]

  As for Orwellian cries, that is absolutely ludicrous that you would 
be concerned with that. You are only concerned with free speech now 
because it is impeding conspiracy theories that you want to put 
forward.
  Free speech is not an absolute protection. That is one of the first 
things you learn in law school in constitutional law. It is not an 
absolute. It is not an absolute when it is going against the American 
people and our democracy, and when it is malicious speech.
  Additionally, we are not saying that people cannot say these words; 
we are saying that where the information comes from and how it is used, 
our Federal Government should be allowed to track that.
  The Acting CHAIR. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
  Mr. CLOUD. Mr. Chair, I remind my colleague to direct her comments to 
the Chair and also remind her that our Constitution understands that 
those rights are a gift from God, not a grant from government.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Chair acknowledges that Members should direct 
their remarks to the Chair.
  Mr. CLOUD. Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia 
(Mr. Clyde), my friend and colleague.
  Mr. CLYDE. Mr. Chair, I rise in strong opposition to amendment 36 
offered by my colleague on the left.
  Protecting free speech is a vital duty and founding principle 
enshrined in our Constitution. Our Founders embedded this protection in 
the First Amendment, the very bedrock of our Republic. Yet, today, 
forces inside our government seek to trample this freedom through 
censorship and intimidation.
  The so-called Disinformation Governance Board was a dystopian scheme 
allowing unelected bureaucrats to silence dissent. Though now 
dismantled, its specter remains. Recently, shocking evidence emerged of 
Federal agencies, specifically CISA, pressuring social media platforms 
to suppress lawful speech.
  Make no mistake: Any attempt by the government to dictate approved 
narratives, stifle open debate, or chill free speech is 
unconstitutional. The Founders rebelled against such tyranny and wrote 
those protections into law, but, once again, Americans face efforts to 
control thought and decree acceptable speech.
  Amendment 36 would remove vital protections against these abuses of 
power. It would open the door to continued coercion with Big Tech, the 
harvesting of private data without warrants, and other violations of 
the First and Fourth Amendments.
  I call on each Member here to search your conscience. Will you defend 
the bill of rights or bow to illiberal forces attacking our liberties?
  The choice is clear. Stand alongside the Framers of our Constitution 
in upholding freedom. Oppose this amendment and affirm that government 
has no place policing protected speech or compromising privacy rights 
without due process.
  The American spirit rejects thought control and censorship. Our 
Constitution enshrines the right to voice beliefs openly, however 
controversial. Let's uphold this heritage. Vote down amendment 36 and 
any attempt to enable silencing of dissent. The integrity of our 
Republic hangs in the balance.
  Will you defend it or will you attack it?
  Amendment 36 attacks it, and so I urge all my colleagues to vote 
against it.
  Mr. CLOUD. Mr. Chair, may I inquire as to the time remaining.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentleman has 15 seconds remaining.
  Mr. CLOUD. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Ms. Plaskett).
  The question was taken; and the Acting Chair announced that the noes 
appeared to have it.
  Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.
  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further 
proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from the Virgin 
Islands will be postponed.


                Amendment No. 38 Offered by Mr. Tiffany

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 38 
printed in part D of House Report 118-216.
  Mr. TIFFANY. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       At the end of the bill (before the short title), insert the 
     following:
       Sec. __.  None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made 
     available by this Act may be made available to enforce the 
     restrictions outlined under the headings ``Visits and 
     Travel'' (regarding limitations on ``Travel to Taiwan'') and 
     ``Communications'' (regarding limitations on ``Name'', 
     ``Symbols of Sovereignty'', and ``Correspondence'') in the 
     Department of State's June 29, 2021, Memorandum for All 
     Department and Agency Executive Secretaries entitled 
     ``Revised Guidelines on Interacting with Taiwan''.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 723, the gentleman 
from Wisconsin (Mr. Tiffany) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Wisconsin.
  Mr. TIFFANY. Mr. Chair, my amendment would prevent the enforcement of 
several arbitrary, self-imposed State Department restrictions that 
limit communication and cooperation between U.S. officials and their 
counterparts in Taiwan.
  This amendment is similar to one that was adopted earlier in the 
Department of Defense appropriations bill. As I discussed then, these 
restrictions are not required by any provision of law and have been put 
in place at the behest of Communist China.
  They make it difficult for senior U.S. officials to travel to Taiwan 
and to interact with their Taiwanese counterparts. In essence, these 
guidelines are designed to prevent and limit high-level, bilateral 
cooperation.
  Not only does this make little sense, it is in direct conflict with 
existing laws that call for expanding such cooperation, such as the 
Taiwan Travel Act.
  Mr. Chair, a State Department memorandum should never trump the laws 
we pass in this body or outsource American foreign policy to the CCP.
  My amendment will make sure that neither of those things happen by 
scrapping these restrictive guidelines. I ask for a ``yes'' vote on 
this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to this 
amendment.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, first, the executive branch has the 
ability to determine how the United States engages and manages our 
relationship with Taiwan. It had that ability during the last 
administration. That is because Congress left it to the executive 
branch to conduct diplomacy and the recognition or nonrecognition of 
foreign states and governments in this case.
  If you wish to legislate how the executive branch should engage with 
Taiwan, then markup a separate bill in the Foreign Affairs Committee 
that just deals with that. In the absence of that, the executive branch 
needs to determine how to handle diplomatic engagements abroad. Again, 
the last administration did just that.
  It is their job to weigh multiple equities and balance delicate 
factors that are simply not considered by this amendment today.
  The gentleman knows that Taiwan is a sensitive geopolitical subject 
with respect to our relations with the People's Republic of China. That 
is why we have a Select Committee in the House on it. I think this is 
something that they could examine, but there is too much at stake to 
have this amendment decide what the guidelines for engagement will be.
  Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. TIFFANY. Mr. Chair, why do we allow the State Department through 
a bureaucratic memo to impose these unnecessary and counterproductive 
limits on communication and cooperation with Taiwan?
  We don't have rules like this in place for the totalitarian rulers of 
Cuba or Russia, both of whom operate embassies just a few miles away 
from where we are standing right now.

                              {time}  1145

  We don't have rules like this for our interaction with Iran. John 
Kerry has

[[Page H4770]]

met on several occasions with high-ranking Iranian officials, and the 
White House just paid a $6 billion hostage ransom to the ayatollah.
  We don't have rules like this for U.S. interaction with Communist 
China. Biden administration officials continue to sit down at the table 
with the same CCP officials who our own Secretary of State has accused 
of committing genocide.
  Yet, we continue to enforce these degrading conditions on Taiwan, a 
longtime friend and fellow democracy.
  Mr. Chair, as the old Sesame Street song goes, ``One of these things 
is not like the other.''
  It is time to stop treating our friends like enemies and our enemies 
like friends.
  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. TIFFANY. Mr. Chair, here is part of the memo that I read last 
night from the State Department:

       You should not refer to Taiwan as a country or to the 
     authorities of Taiwan as a government, instead, refer to 
     Taiwan authorities or Taiwan counterparts.

  That is the kind of thing that is happening in our State Department 
and it projects weakness to countries across the world, in particular, 
our adversaries, when we need a foreign policy that is strong, we are 
not receiving it now. That is why this amendment should be passed.
  Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Tiffany).
  The amendment was agreed to.


                 Amendment No. 39 Offered by Mr. Ogles

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 39 
printed part D of House Report 118-216.
  Mr. OGLES. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       At the end of the bill (before the short title) insert the 
     following:
       Sec. __.  None of the funds made available by this Act may 
     be used to pay Secretary Antony John Blinken a salary that 
     exceeds $1.
  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 723, the gentleman 
from Tennessee (Mr. Ogles) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Tennessee.
  Mr. OGLES. Mr. Chair, if you want to come up with the right policy 
position on an issue related to foreign affairs, talk to Antony Blinken 
first, and then do the opposite.
  We have all seen the Secretary's inability to be correct about any 
major foreign policy concern for the last 20 years, whether that be 
Iraq, Libya, Yemen, giving the Iranians $6 billion to deploy--as their 
president says, ``wherever they need it''--or in Afghanistan.
  He is undoubtedly one of the most professionally ineffective and 
incompetent individuals to hold the title of Secretary of State. But if 
incompetence by itself were sufficient grounds to a Senate-confirmed 
Cabinet official, the President would have very few advisers left.
  In the case of Secretary Blinken, it is about incompetence and 
perhaps outright corruption. For instance, Secretary Blinken received 
more than $5,000 in payment from the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, 
who notably praised the Taliban.
  He received more than $5,000 for speaking at a bank opening in China.
  He offered advisory services to a Japanese company who invested 
heavily in a CCP company that was blacklisted by Trump.
  Let's take one more. Mr. Blinken's consulting firm, WestExec 
Advisors, it advertised its ability to help American colleges secure 
CCP donations without compromising their Pentagon research grants. 
Think about that. Usurping America's rules for engagement with the CCP.
  That advertisement, by the way, was removed just 2 weeks prior to Joe 
Biden's acceptance of the Democratic Party's Presidential nomination.
  We have since learned from the former acting CIA Director Mike 
Morrell that the infamous spies who lie letter--a letter that impacted 
our Presidential race--was led by no one other than Antony Blinken. The 
letter was signed by 51 intelligence experts, and was intended, 
according to Morrell, to give Joe Biden a way to refute the Hunter 
Biden laptop story ahead of a Presidential debate.
  You would think this would be worthy of investigation, if not 
outright impeachment, but certainly defunding.
  Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. Members are reminded to refrain from engaging in 
personalities toward the President.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to this 
amendment.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, this is really despicable to 
target dedicated public servants and threaten their livelihoods--public 
servants doing their jobs and carrying out the policy of the 
administration--regardless of which administration it is--they serve. 
They should be commended and not demonized.
  Our government is dependent on being able to attract the best talent 
to bring their skills to public service, especially when in most cases 
they could earn much more in the private sector.
  Who is going to be willing to do that if their names can be dragged 
through the political mud?
  Secretary Blinken is a dedicated public servant who has proudly 
represented the United States while serving in multiple high-level 
positions.
  This is not how we solve policy differences. We should not make it 
personal and about people doing their jobs.
  Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. OGLES. Mr. Chairman, serving the country or serving Hunter Biden?
  Because we know through the work of Senators Johnson and Grassley, 
that Hunter Biden kept his Burisma colleagues apprised of meetings and 
emails he held with Mr. Blinken.
  Mr. Blinken had previously said to Senate staffers that he wasn't 
aware of any communications with Hunter Biden, aside from one in-person 
meeting, which is a materially false statement and should subject him 
to criminal penalties under 18 U.S.C. 1001.
  Of course, the U.S. Congress never holds anyone accountable for 
misleading Congress. Why tell the truth?
  Mr. Chairman, Blinken has lied to Congress. He worked to prevent 
critical information, including the July 2021 dissent cable from being 
reviewed by this Chamber until confronted by the gentleman from Texas.
  He clearly has a closer relationship with Hunter Biden than he led 
on, and, further, engaged in questionable activities prior to serving 
as Secretary of State, very little of which has been investigated or 
vetted.
  These questions deserve to be asked.
  Mr. Chair, I urge adoption of this amendment and defunding of Mr. 
Blinken. I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, this, quite frankly, is 
unconstitutional, first of all. It doesn't make any sense, second. It 
really sends the worst signal in the world for those young people who 
want to go into public service serving our country. I am really 
shocked.
  Mr. Chair, I urge a ``no'' vote on this amendment, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. OGLES. Mr. Chairman, William Holman, with the Holman rule, did 
come up with a way to defund someone like the Secretary.
  Back to the Secretary, there should be accountability for our botched 
Afghanistan withdrawal and for helping establish the Islamist theocracy 
that is in power there today. It is an insult to the memory of those 
who lost their lives at Abbey Gate. This man is responsible, and he is 
complicit.
  Mr. Chair, I urge adoption of this amendment. He should be defunded. 
Quite frankly, I would say he should be impeached.
  Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Ogles).
  The amendment was agreed to.


                 Amendment No. 40 Offered by Mr. Ogles

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 40 
printed in part D of House Report 118-216.

[[Page H4771]]

  

  Mr. OGLES. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       At the end of the bill (before the short title), insert the 
     following:
       Sec. __.  None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made 
     available by this Act may be made available for the Office of 
     Palestinian Affairs.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 723, the gentleman 
from Tennessee (Mr. Ogles) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Tennessee.
  Mr. OGLES. Mr. Chair, I am a big proponent of Israel, our closest 
ally in that region. Yet, this administration has stopped at nothing to 
marginalize that relationship with the State of Israel.
  When President Trump shuttered the U.S. consulate in Jerusalem, it 
was a shot heard around the world. President Trump's action clarified 
our diplomatic mission to Israel--the U.S. consulate was 
inappropriately treated as something close to a de facto embassy to a 
nonexistent Palestinian State.
  By getting rid of the consulate, President Trump made it clear that 
our only diplomatic outreach to that area is and should be the State of 
Israel. In place of that consulate, the Trump administration 
established the PAU, and housed its operations within the U.S. Embassy. 
The PAU reported directly to the U.S. Ambassador to Israel and cannot 
act independently of that Ambassador.
  These actions created transparency in our foreign policy where there 
was previously confusion. You would think that that would be 
appreciated by both sides here. Unfortunately, you would be wrong.
  Since taking office, the Biden administration has worked to roll back 
progress initiated under President Trump by announcing the 
administration's intent to reopen the consulate general.
  Joe Biden has since closed the PAU in favor of the so-called Office 
of Palestinian Affairs, an intended halfway step toward reestablishing 
their consulate.
  If you need further proof of the administration's intent, take note 
that the Office of Palestinian Affairs, the OPA, doesn't report to our 
ambassador in Jerusalem, it receives its instruction from the Bureau of 
Near Eastern Affairs at the Department of State here in Washington.
  Our commitment should be to Israel and Israel alone, not to the PLO.
  Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to this 
amendment.
  The Acting CHAIR (Mr. Obernolte). The gentlewoman is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, this amendment is a clear attempt 
to return to the punitive and shortsighted policies of the previous 
administration with regard to the Palestinians.
  Let's get one thing straight. American diplomacy and engagement are 
not rewards to our friends and things to hold over the heads of those 
we are trying to pressure to bring about change. Diplomacy and 
engagement serve our own interests.
  United States policy is to support a two-state solution in the Middle 
East--that is the United States policy, and the only path to peace--and 
to avoid any steps by any party that makes that goal harder to reach.
  By keeping a channel of communications open, the Palestinian Affairs 
Unit is an important part of that strategy.
  I have and will continue to urge the Biden administration to reset 
U.S. relations with the Palestinian people, and to resume the United 
States' role as a credible and constructive leader in the region.
  Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. OGLES. Mr. Chairman, to my colleague, I thank her for the idea of 
communication.
  Mr. Chairman, we need communication with folks from around the world. 
But as far as diplomatic missions, Mr. Chairman, we should be focused 
on Israel.
  The creation of the Office of Palestinian Affairs is an affront to 
both our most important ally in the world and to U.S. law, which 
clearly states that Jerusalem should be the undivided capital of 
Israel, the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995.
  The OPA is, unfortunately, just the latest in a legacy of foreign 
policy driven by an animus toward the State of Israel. This should be a 
bipartisan bill. Israel is our greatest ally in that region, arguably, 
one of our greatest allies in the world, and to diminish that is really 
unjust.
  Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, just to clarify and to tell the 
truth. This is a unit; it is not a mission. It is a unit, mind you, 
within the embassy.
  Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. OGLES. Mr. Chairman, it is often the case in foreign relations 
that symbolism is policy. What the Office of Palestinian Affairs 
symbolizes is a destructive policy that will only serve to embolden the 
enemies of Washington and Jerusalem.
  Our friends in Israel are under attack daily from bombs lofted in the 
air to attacks on the streets. To do anything but to have unwavering 
diplomatic support really jeopardizes lives. It threatens their 
sovereignty, and we must stand with our important ally, the State of 
Israel.
  Mr. Chairman, I urge the adoption of this bill. I urge my colleagues 
for this to be unanimous, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Ogles).
  The amendment was agreed to.

                              {time}  1200


           Amendment No. 41 Offered by Ms. Greene of Georgia

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 41 
printed in part D of House Report 118-216.
  Ms. GREENE of Georgia. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       At the end of the bill (before the short title), insert the 
     following:
       Sec. ___.  The salary of Amanda Bennett, Chief Executive 
     Officer of the United States Agency for Global Media, shall 
     be reduced to $1.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 723, the gentlewoman 
from Georgia (Ms. Greene) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Georgia.
  Ms. GREENE of Georgia. Mr. Chair, my amendment is number 42.
  I ask unanimous consent to withdraw amendment No. 41.
  The Acting CHAIR. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Georgia?
  There was no objection.
  The Acting CHAIR. The amendment is withdrawn.


           Amendment No. 42 Offered by Ms. Greene of Georgia

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 42 
printed in part D of House Report 118-216.
  Ms. GREENE of Georgia. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       At the end of the bill (before the short title), insert the 
     following:
       Sec. __.  None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made 
     available by this Act may be made available for assistance to 
     Ukraine.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 723, the gentlewoman 
from Georgia (Ms. Greene) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Georgia.
  Ms. GREENE of Georgia. Mr. Chair, my amendment would prohibit funds 
from being provided to assist Ukraine.
  Over 1\1/2\ years ago, Russia invaded Ukraine, but now the United 
States has basically taken over Ukraine and is fighting a proxy war in 
Ukraine that we never voted for. We are funding their government. We 
are paying for their small businesses. We are paying their farmers. We 
are handing military equipment and weapons over to Ukraine and paying 
for their war.

[[Page H4772]]

  According to the Congressional Research Service, in 2022, the United 
States provided $113 billion in total assistance to Ukraine. Every 
single year, the United States spends billions of dollars on foreign 
aid, much more than any other country. Ukraine has now taken the top 
spot.
  The $50 billion State and Foreign Operations bill includes an 
unspecified funding amount for Ukraine. Section 7046(b)(2) would make 
funds available for Ukraine to support the ability of the Government of 
Ukraine to defend their sovereignty and withstand the impacts of 
Russia's invasion, combat corruption, and promote transparency and 
democracy.
  This is nothing more than a blank check for Ukraine that Joe Biden's 
State Department will get to write. Even more dangerously, they get to 
waive oversight, claiming national security. All this will do is fuel 
another never-ending war and push the United States even closer to the 
brink of nuclear Holocaust.
  After Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan wars, haven't we had 
enough of taxpayer-funded State and foreign operations. They tell us we 
have to fight them over there so we don't have to fight them over here, 
but paying for wars in foreign countries will eventually have 
consequences on our country. We will bring the war to America, and we 
will end up fighting them here when countries have had enough of the 
United States.
  After 1\1/2\ years of being engaged in this conflict, the American 
people no longer support the additional assistance to Ukraine. My 
amendment will help stop this brutal war and help push for peace in 
Ukraine, which should be our ultimate goal.
  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to 
this amendment.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, Russia's brutal and unprovoked 
attack on Ukraine is not just a threat to Ukraine and its neighbors but 
to the world. If Russia succeeds in its aggression, other unprovoked 
attacks are inevitable.
  As my colleague, Representative Hoyer, said last week on the House 
floor: ``We are locked in a struggle between freedom and fascism, 
democracy and despotism, might and right. The war in Ukraine is that 
struggle manifest.''
  Ukraine's democracy is being undermined every single day. Entire 
cities have been demolished. Women and girls are being sexually abused 
by Russian soldiers. Hospitals and schools, which should be safe 
havens, are being intentionally attacked. Thousands of innocent 
children and their families have been brutally murdered. Millions of 
Ukrainians have been forced to flee their country.
  Colleagues, we must continue to ensure that Ukraine has the funding 
and support it needs to defend itself and that vulnerable people 
continue to receive lifesaving assistance.
  Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. GREENE of Georgia. Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman 
from Illinois (Mrs. Miller), my friend.
  Mrs. MILLER of Illinois. Mr. Chair, Joe Biden has forced Americans to 
foot the bill for hundreds of billions of dollars to Ukraine while our 
southern border is being invaded by terrorists, drug cartels, gangs, 
and human traffickers.
  I oppose sending any additional money to Ukraine oligarchs in a proxy 
war that we are being dragged into because Ukraine was paying the Biden 
family $1 million a year in cash.
  Americans deserve a spending bill that puts America first by securing 
our border and putting us back on the path to energy independence, 
which was achieved by the Trump administration.
  Mr. Chair, I thank Congresswoman Greene for offering this amendment.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the 
gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Wilson).
  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Chairman, sadly, the world is in a 
conflict we did not choose between dictators with rule of gun opposing 
democracies with rule of law.
  War criminal Putin began the current murderous conflict invading 
Ukraine, shocked to find that the Ukrainians courageously resisted. The 
brave Ukrainian people are an inspiration to the world, as they know 
Putin falsely claims Ukraine does not exist as Putin is trying to 
reassemble the evil empire of the Soviet Union.
  Fellow dictators clearly see the conflict as dictator or democracy, 
as North Korean Kim Jong-Un joins Putin. The Chinese Communist Party is 
conducting the largest peacetime military buildup in world history. The 
regime in Tehran builds drones for Putin to murder Ukrainian civilians 
as they plan death to America, death to Israel.
  We must stop the dictators today or they will be a direct threat to 
American families tomorrow. We must always remember, of all things, 
Pearl Harbor. We must remember 9/11. For these reasons, I oppose the 
amendment.
  Ms. GREENE of Georgia. Mr. Chair, it needs to be recognized that we 
represent the American people, and the polling shows very clearly, the 
American people do not support continuing to fund a war in a foreign 
country when our own country has been having a war waged on us by the 
Mexican cartels.

  Fifty-five percent of Americans say the U.S. Congress should not 
authorize additional funding to Ukraine. Fifty-one percent say the U.S. 
has already done enough to help Ukraine.
  Americans demand their hard-earned tax dollars be used to secure our 
own southern border and stop the Mexican cartels' war on America that 
is killing 300 Americans every single day.
  Speaking of human trafficking and sex trafficking, we should care 
about the women and children who are being trafficked at our own 
southern border, not pay to defend another foreign country and worry 
about another country which, by the way, is not the 51st State. We only 
have 50 States in the United States of America, and our tax dollars 
should pay to defend our States here.
  Mr. Chair, I urge the House to adopt my amendment, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, I yield the balance of my time 
to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Turner).
  Mr. TURNER. Mr. Chair, when Ronald Reagan stood in front of the 
Berlin Wall and said, ``Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall,'' he did so 
not because we were in opposition to just the Soviet Union and 
Russians. He did so because we were in opposition to authoritarianism. 
We were in opposition to communism.
  Now, that wall fell, but it didn't fall because the Soviet Union took 
it down. It fell because they merely didn't shoot the people who were 
doing so. When it fell as a result of Ronald Reagan's words and a call 
to the world, the line between authoritarianism and democracy marched 
all the way to the border of Russia.
  Right now today, Putin has told us straight up he wants to move the 
line of authoritarianism back. He wants to reclaim that land, not just 
Ukraine, but Poland, Romania, Latvia, Lithuania, eastern Europe, and 
the Baltics.
  We must support democracy or freedom. If we don't, ours is at risk. 
Ronald Reagan's words are meaningless if we allow Russia to reestablish 
authoritarianism and move that line of democracy back to where the 
Soviet Union had claimed eastern Europe and had imposed 
authoritarianism on people's lives.
  This is not just an American mission. The world is with us. 
Democracies are with us. This chart shows the amount of contribution of 
the total aggregate of all aid. This is up on my official website, by 
the way. If you click on ``Ukraine,'' you will see these, along with a 
report that verifies this information. The United States is not the 
major contributor of total aid.
  What is more important, when you get to military aid, the United 
States is less than half of all military aid. The world's democracies 
are standing against Russia for democracy, against authoritarianism, 
and the United States, the light of the world for democracy, needs to 
be there and needs to support the Ukrainian people against these 
atrocities.
  If you go to my website, you will see the documentation that supports 
this. We are $42 billion. Our democracy allies are over $50 billion. We 
need to stay in the fight by supplying Ukrainians the weapons that they 
need for

[[Page H4773]]

them to be in the fight, the fight for democracy.
  Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Chair, as the designee of the gentlewoman from 
Texas (Ms. Granger), I move to strike the last word.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentleman from Florida is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Chair, something that has to be recognized on 
this floor is that my colleague from Georgia who is presenting this 
amendment has been transparent, open, and clear from day one, and that 
is something that is not always seen in this body. I think we need to 
recognize that, and I think that is something that has to be respected 
regardless of whether one agrees or disagrees with her. I think that is 
something that has to be recognized.
  Now, I just want to take the opportunity to talk a little bit about 
the bill. I clearly recognize my colleague's frustration--and it is not 
only her--about the administration's lack of transparency, lack of 
articulation, lack of a strategy how the funds have been used, the 
communication from A to Z, I get that.
  While there are no funds directed for Ukraine in this bill, there are 
a lot of directives in this bill for accountability for any assistance 
going to Ukraine.
  Let me just take a moment to read the list of requirements that must 
be completed before one single penny would be used to go to Ukraine 
from this bill now or later or whenever:
  A strategy within 90 days. We have not gotten that from the 
administration;
  In-person monitoring of all programs;
  Cost-matching requirements, making sure that other donors must do 
more, more than the United States before one penny can go out;
  A certification that comprehensive oversight mechanisms are in place;
  A notification to Congress so we can assess how those funds may be 
used;
  An obligation report every 90 days accounting for all moneys 
provided;
  An oversight report every 90 days detailing any allegations of waste, 
fraud, and corruption, and how those will be addressed;
  Finally, and I think this is key, all reports must be clearly posted 
on the internet so that every American can see where their taxpayer 
dollars are going.
  The reason that I am so optimistic and so gung ho about this bill is 
that we need to pass this bill in order to have these requirements in 
order to not have a blank check. I am looking at not only the short 
term but also the long term. We need to have accountability. We need 
conditions. We need oversight. We need to take away as much flexibility 
from the administration. That is precisely what we are attempting to do 
in this bill.
  Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my 
time.

                              {time}  1215

  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentlewoman from Georgia (Ms. Greene).
  The question was taken; and the Acting Chair announced that the noes 
appeared to have it.
  Ms. GREENE of Georgia. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.
  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further 
proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from Georgia 
will be postponed.


           Amendment No. 43 Offered by Ms. Greene of Georgia

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 43 
printed in part D of House Report 118-216.
  Ms. GREENE of Georgia. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       At the end of the bill (before the short title), add the 
     following:
       Sec. _.  None of the funds made available by this Act may 
     be used by the Secretary of State to initiate a drawdown and 
     delivery of defense articles and services from Department of 
     Defense stocks to Ukraine.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 723, the gentlewoman 
from Georgia (Ms. Greene) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Georgia.
  Ms. GREENE of Georgia. Mr. Chair, my amendment would prohibit the 
Secretary of State from using funds to initiate a drawdown and delivery 
of defense articles and services from the Department of Defense stocks 
to Ukraine.
  Those stockpiles of our equipment and weapons are for the United 
States of America and should not be sent to Ukraine. I will reiterate 
and remind everyone: Ukraine is not the 51st State.
  Just this past weekend when we were sent home, I had an emergency 
townhall in my district, and many of my constituents showed up. Most of 
them were veterans, and they made it very clear to me that they would 
rather fight a war at our southern border against the Mexican cartels 
that are leading an invasion into our country, thousands and thousands 
every single day smuggling deadly fentanyl across our border, and many 
other drugs, killing 300 Americans every single day, than they would 
ever support a single penny of their hard-earned dollars to go fight a 
war in Ukraine.
  Our veterans are fed up, and there are 22 million of them in this 
country. They want our border defended.
  The Secretary of State plays a central role in the initiation and 
coordination of these drawdowns, and they put Ukraine first.
  Since August 2021, the Secretary has exercised authority delegated by 
the President to direct 44 drawdowns of defense articles and services 
from the United States Department of Defense to Ukraine, which, by the 
way, is not the 51st State.
  As our southern border is being invaded every day, Joe Biden and 
Antony Blinken are shipping all of our weapons and equipment to 
Ukraine.
  Nearly a week ago, President Biden announced that the Department of 
Defense is sending an additional security assistance package valued up 
to $325 million more American hard-earned tax dollars, which would 
include AIM-9M missiles for air defense; additional ammunition for High 
Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems; Avenger air defense systems; 50-
caliber machine guns to counter unmanned aerial systems; 155-millimeter 
artillery rounds; 105-millimeter artillery rounds; tube-launched, 
optically tracked, wire-guided missiles; Javelin and AT-4 anti-armor 
systems; over 3 million rounds of small arms ammunition; 59 light 
tactical vehicles; demolition munitions for obstacle clearing; and 
spare parts, maintenance, and other field equipment.
  By the way, that also goes for our paying farmers in Ukraine while 
our farmers are going broke and paying small businesses in Ukraine 
while our small businesses are going out of business under Biden's 
ridiculous inflation. This is America last across the board.
  This security assistance package will utilize assistance previously 
authorized under Presidential drawdown authority for Ukraine.
  This is utterly disgraceful. This administration will continue to 
deplete our military readiness and strength in favor of fueling another 
forever war in Ukraine that the American people no longer support.
  While our own country is weakened and destabilized by the daily 
invasion of our border at the southern border and the northern border, 
and while we go even further in debt fighting Russia in Ukraine, not 
even defending our own border, China is getting stronger.
  They are beating us economically. They are growing their military, 
growing their equipment. They are not wasting it on some other country 
defending their border. They are saving it up to fight us.
  I am sick and tired of hearing we have to fight Ukraine in order to 
stop China from invading Taiwan. That is the biggest lie that is being 
told to the American people.
  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to 
this amendment.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, Russia's brutal and unprovoked 
attack on Ukraine is not just a threat to Ukraine, as I said earlier, 
and its neighbors but also to the world.
  If Russia succeeds in its aggression, other provoked attacks are 
inevitable.

[[Page H4774]]

Drawdown of existing equipment has proven to be the fastest and most 
efficient way to get defensive weapons--mind you, defensive weapons--to 
Ukraine.
  We must continue to ensure Ukraine has the military equipment and 
materiel it needs to defend itself. This materiel is determined by the 
Department of Defense not to be needed domestically, and supplying it 
to Ukraine will not endanger U.S. readiness.
  The stakes could not be higher. Russia will not stop with Ukraine if 
the resolve of the world is not clear.
  Remember, this is the most efficient way to get defensive weapons to 
Ukraine.
  Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. GREENE of Georgia. Mr. Chair, I yield 45 seconds to the gentleman 
from Florida (Mr. Gaetz).
  Mr. GAETZ. Mr. Chair, the reason we are here debating this issue is 
because my colleague from Georgia (Ms. Greene) has found there are 
distributions that could possibly go to Ukraine. She is fighting 
admirably, often alone, and she is the reason that we are actually 
making some progress in this Congress to comport the will of this body 
to the will of the American people who think we have sent too much to 
Ukraine.
  $115 billion--it is inflationary, escalatory, and could likely lead 
to an accident that could sleepwalk us into world war III.
  I am in strong support of the Taylor Greene amendment and all of her 
amendments to engage in this very noble effort to stop the United 
States from funding the war in Ukraine.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the 
gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Wilson).

  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Chairman, as a 31-year Army veteran 
myself, and the grateful father of four sons who have served overseas, 
I want America to maintain peace through strength.
  As a senior member of the Armed Services Committee, I know firsthand 
we have the capability of drawdown not reducing our capabilities.
  When concerns were expressed over providing 31 Abrams tanks to 
Ukraine would reduce our defense, I quickly researched and found that 
we have 8,000 tanks available, and actually, the 31 were in excess.
  I support the proven Republican policies of Barry Goldwater and 
Ronald Reagan of: Why not victory over dictators?
  Peace through strength with American leadership has led to the 
largest number of nations living in democracy in world history as 
fascism was defeated and communism crushed.
  Ukraine should receive the weapons it needs to achieve victory of 
restoring Ukrainian territorial integrity.
  The alliance of war criminal Putin, the Chinese Communist Party, and 
the Tehran regime must be stopped before they achieve death to Israel, 
death to America.
  I urge as quickly as possible that we provide the equipment that can 
bring peace to the region by bringing equipment to the people of 
Ukraine, who are so bravely fighting back against the war criminal 
Putin. Therefore, I oppose this amendment.
  Ms. GREENE of Georgia. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentlewoman from Georgia (Ms. Greene).
  The question was taken; and the Acting Chair announced that the noes 
appeared to have it.
  Ms. GREENE of Georgia. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.
  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further 
proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from Georgia 
will be postponed.


                 Amendment No. 44 Offered by Mr. Steube

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 44 
printed in part D of House Report 118-216.
  Mr. STEUBE. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       At the end of the bill (before the short title), add the 
     following:
       Sec. _.  None of the funds made available by this Act may 
     be made available for Lebanese Armed Forces.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 723, the gentleman 
from Florida (Mr. Steube) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida.
  Mr. STEUBE. Mr. Chair, I encourage my colleagues to answer the 
question: How can we justify appropriating America's hard-earned 
taxpayer dollars to a foreign military that emboldens Hezbollah in 
their reign of terror and hate for America?
  Hezbollah's influence runs rampant throughout the Lebanese 
Government. Even advocates of aid to the Lebanese military concede that 
Hezbollah's influence runs rampant throughout the Lebanese Government.
  What matters is not the addressee. It is the address--Hezbollah's 
house.
  Money is fungible, and we are pumping cash and hard currency into a 
terror haven infested with terror finance and corruption.
  Even those advocating to aid the Lebanese military say that this is 
an entity unwilling and unable to counter Hezbollah. Then why are we 
wasting our money?
  My amendment ensures that none of Americans' taxpayer dollars may be 
made available for the Lebanese Armed Forces.
  Funding to the Lebanese Armed Forces is a policy that has been in 
place since 2006, essentially on autopilot. Since then, the U.S. has 
provided more than $3 billion to the Lebanese military, supposedly to 
build up state institutions as a counterweight to Hezbollah, but with 
little to show in return.
  In fact, Lebanon has come more under the sway of Hezbollah and Iran 
today than when the U.S. began funding Lebanon's military. Hezbollah's 
chief Christian ally, the Free Patriotic Movement, is the political 
party literally in control of Lebanon's defense ministry.
  This is a policy on autopilot that gets renewed every year without 
Congress really having a chance to review this funding and ask whether 
this is a good place to spend taxpayer dollars and is in our national 
interests.
  We are funding an army that just yesterday shot smoke bombs at 
Israeli troops, which it called enemy troops. This should not be a 
partisan issue.
  Anyone who takes a look at this issue objectively, I think, will have 
serious questions about why we continue to fund the Lebanese Armed 
Forces, one of the most corrupt and bloated armies in the world. Most 
of Lebanon's military expenditures go to personnel salaries and 
benefits, a whopping 93 percent compared to 29 percent in the United 
States. These benefits include healthcare, maternity leave, 
compensation in the event of death, as well as domestic workers and 
drivers for high-ranking officers.
  For example, the Lebanese military, which consists of 80,000 
soldiers, has 400 generals that are extremely highly paid, while the 
U.S. Army has a force of half a million but just 295 generals.
  This did not stop the Biden administration from notifying Congress 
last year that it was repurposing $67 million in aid to the Lebanese 
military in order to provide them with livelihood support, which just 
funds their salaries even more.
  Rather than funding armed Mercedes and other luxury goods for 
Lebanese generals, we should be funding our southern border.
  Lebanon's financial system is soaked in Hezbollah money laundering 
and financial crimes, and the terrorist group touches almost every 
facet of life in that country.
  It is impossible that any administration could vet all the recipients 
of these taxpayer dollars and their families because there are no 
controls. There is no way to know how these individuals use this money. 
Some of it could flow through Hezbollah exchange houses or possibly be 
spent in Hezbollah-run businesses.
  Mr. Chair, by safeguarding the actions of Hezbollah and other terror 
groups, the Lebanese Armed Forces fuels Iran's mission to kill American 
troops and wipe Israel off the map. I can't justify funding such 
horrific activity.
  Mr. Chair, I encourage my colleagues to recognize the dangers of 
funding the

[[Page H4775]]

Lebanese Armed Forces by voting for my amendment, and I reserve the 
balance of my time.

                              {time}  1230

  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to this 
amendment.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, there is no doubt that Lebanon is 
in full-blown crisis. It has lacked an elected leader for almost a 
year. Its economy is crippled and the presence of Hezbollah, as both an 
armed actor and a political party, remains a challenge to national 
unity. At the same time, it hosts 1.5 million refugees from Syria.
  However, the Lebanese Armed Forces are considered by many to be the 
only functioning institution in Lebanon, transcending sectarian 
divides. This is largely thanks to the successful United States program 
to train and equip it.
  The Lebanese Armed Forces are broadly respected and traditionally 
played an important role in promoting national unity with neutrality 
and moderation. They have also been instrumental in maintaining 
domestic security and in counterterrorism by tackling threats posed by 
groups like ISIS or al-Qaida.
  The United States needs to pursue a democratic, pluralistic, and 
sovereign Lebanon and the Armed Forces are a key part of that.
  Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. STEUBE. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Issa).
  Mr. ISSA. Mr. Chair, I can only say that the gentleman from Florida 
is mistaken.
  His amendment assumes the Lebanese Armed Forces is in some sort of 
disarray. It is not. It is the most respected institution in Lebanon.
  It assumes that it has not been a good steward of the moneys it has 
received. It has. As a matter of fact, multiple administrations have 
certified that not a single piece of capital equipment has ever been 
lost.
  It assumes that somehow it is in the pocket of Hezbollah.
  I was in Lebanon and Israel in 2006 as Israel tried to defeat 
Hezbollah and did not. Since that time, we have continued to bolster 
the Lebanese Armed Forces to fight ISIS and other forces and to 
maintain a situation in which American oversight is possible, both 
military and civilian, because of the Lebanese Armed Forces.
  Lebanon is in an economic free fall, and as a result of its economic 
situation, there is direct aid, but that aid is not highly paid 
generals. As a matter of fact, if not for our aid, it would be likely 
that most members of the Lebanese Armed Forces would not report to 
their barracks. They would not have enough money for gasoline. This 
essential support was necessitated based on their economic downfall.
  We who visited Lebanon, who have seen it, and worked with both our 
military and our State Department stand behind the necessity and the 
accuracy of this support aid, and we oppose the amendment.
  Mr. STEUBE. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. LaHood).
  Mr. LaHOOD. Mr. Chair, I am proud to represent over 8,000 Lebanese-
American families in my district in Illinois who care deeply about our 
U.S. national security.
  The longstanding U.S. military investment in the independent Lebanese 
Armed Forces, known as the LAF, has worked to support U.S. security 
interests in the greater Middle East for over 15 years.
  As the co-chair of the U.S.-Lebanon Friendship Caucus, we work 
closely with the brave men and women in the U.S. military to ensure 
robust and stringent oversight of the U.S. investment into the LAF and 
any other U.S. foreign military funding abroad.
  The stability of the LAF is important not only to the security of 
Lebanon, but also to their neighboring countries, and the United 
States.
  The LAF works to prevent the furtherance of terrorist and extremist 
groups like Hezbollah and ISIS in the region. It fights against 
weapons, drugs, and human smuggling, and maintains stability in a 
country that is a ripe target for terrorists and malign actors.
  I agree with my colleagues that we must be stewards of taxpayer money 
and reduce wasteful government spending. However, we must also support 
successful policies that continue to return on our investment in 
protecting the long-term U.S. security interests here at home. That 
investment in the LAF has helped to promote U.S. interests in the 
greater Middle East and in Lebanon.
  Mr. Chair, I oppose this amendment.
  Mr. STEUBE. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. STEUBE. Mr. Chairman, it was described on the other side as ``a 
full-blown crisis in Lebanon.''
  Why in the world would we send money to a country that is recognized 
by the opposition to be in a full-blown crisis?
  Another speaker said that this money goes to pay the salaries of 
Lebanese soldiers, and if they don't receive this money, some of these 
soldiers won't be able to pay for their gas.
  Since when is it the American taxpayer's responsibility to pay the 
salaries of Lebanese soldiers and ensure that they can get from one 
place to another?
  Mr. Chair, I watched the debate on this floor for the last week or 
so, and we are giving money to the Palestinians, we are giving money to 
Lebanon. We are going to give $500 million to Jordan for their border 
wall while we are not securing our border.
  The American people are sick and tired of giving foreign governments 
money and not putting America first.
  We have a $33 trillion deficit and we are more concerned in this body 
about giving money to Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Ukraine, you name it.
  Mr. Chair, it is time to put America first. The American people have 
asked us to do that and that is why they put us in charge of the House.
  Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR (Mr. Moylan). The question is on the amendment 
offered by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Steube).
  The question was taken; and the Acting Chair announced that the noes 
appeared to have it.
  Mr. STEUBE. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.
  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further 
proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Florida will 
be postponed.


                 Amendment No. 45 Offered by Mr. Steube

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 45 
printed in part D of House Report 118-216.
  Mr. STEUBE. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       At the end of the bill (before the short title), add the 
     following:
       Sec. _.  None of the funds made available by this Act may 
     be used to provide assistance to Iraq.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 723, the gentleman 
from Florida (Mr. Steube) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida.
  Mr. STEUBE. Mr. Chairman, as stewards of America's hard-earned 
taxpayer dollars we must ensure such funds only go to measures that 
advance our American interests, not undermine them.
  We have provided billions of dollars to Iraq and lost thousands of 
lives in that country. Yet in 2023, we continue to provide a blank 
check to Iraq, despite this country going more and more against 
American interests and essentially having transformed into a proxy of 
Iran.
  My amendment ensures that none of Americans' taxpayer dollars may be 
used to provide assistance to Iraq.
  I served in Iraq, and while protecting American interests in the 
region remains critical, Mr. Chairman, we cannot justify sending our 
taxpayer dollars to a nation while being unable to safeguard those 
dollars from exploitation by Iran, ISIS, and other terror groups.

[[Page H4776]]

  Iran's influence over Iraq is so emboldened that Iraq essentially 
serves as a proxy state and haven for Iranian terror activity. Iraq has 
a literal arrest warrant out for President Trump for killing terrorist 
Soleimani.
  The Pentagon has disclosed that large portions of Iraq's security 
forces are overrun by Iranian-backed militants and IRGC terrorists, the 
same ones who continue to target American troops in the Middle East and 
the same ones who attacked the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad in 2019--and we 
want to send them money.
  This money is not countering terrorism. On the contrary, throwing 
millions of dollars at a country which uses its resources to put 
Iranian-backed terrorists on the payroll, terrorists which have 
attacked U.S. forces and the U.S. Embassy is insane.
  This does not give us leverage. It is unacceptable to appropriate 
American dollars for these purposes with the likelihood that some of 
the money could fall into the hands of the terrorists. This bill should 
support our diplomats and servicemembers serving overseas, not threaten 
them.
  Mr. Chair, I encourage my colleagues to recognize these dangers by 
voting for my amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to 
this amendment.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, there is no mistake with regard 
to the error the United States made in going to war with Iraq in 2003, 
a decision which I proudly opposed. It was based on lies that there 
were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, and we knew there were none.
  While two decades have passed since then, there is little doubt about 
the trauma experienced by the country that is still felt to this day.
  Iraqis fell prey to conflict and instability, experienced an 
uncountable number of deaths and displacements, and saw an erosion of 
their basic services, including health and education. An entire 
generation of children grew up in a chaos-filled environment with war 
and the subsequent emergence of terrorist groups and militias.
  That is as a result of the United States' invasion of Iraq, which I 
believe, as I remember it, very few, if any, Republicans, opposed. 
There were about 133 Democrats opposing this.
  We cannot walk away from our responsibility to help Iraq, now a key 
partner in the Middle East. As Secretary Blinken has said, America's 
greatest strategic asset lies within the alliances and partnerships we 
have with other nations. In partnership with Iraq, we have worked to 
ensure a stable, prosperous, and democratic country, which, quite 
frankly, we in many ways destroyed.
  Our assistance to Iraq mitigates extremism through programming that 
promotes mutual respect, tolerance, and understanding, provides support 
to the recovery of religious and ethnic minorities liberated from ISIS, 
including Christians and the Yezidis, and supports private-sector 
development and increased work opportunities, especially for women and 
youth.
  Additionally, USG-supported stabilization programs have enabled the 
return of nearly 5 million internally displaced persons to return to 
their communities of origin. But nearly 1.2 million people remain 
displaced, including 200,000 Yezidis who survived genocide at the hands 
of ISIS. USAID assistance is critical to restoring essential services 
and increasing stability among these vulnerable populations.
  Furthermore, our continued assistance in Iraq is vital to ensure the 
defeat of ISIS by supporting the reintegration of Iraqis repatriated 
from northeast Syria which meets the national security priority of the 
U.S. Government's Al-Hol Action Plan.
  It is in the security interests of the United States to continue 
supporting Iraq, as well as our moral responsibility not to abandon our 
partnership, especially with the unnecessary invasion and war in Iraq, 
which many of us opposed.
  Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. STEUBE. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the 
gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Aderholt).
  Mr. ADERHOLT. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman for the time to 
speak on this.
  Mr. Chair, I do rise in opposition to the amendment. I thank my 
colleague, Mr. Diaz-Balart, for his leadership on this bill.
  While certainly I don't think any of us want to send American dollars 
to terrorists, I do think this amendment would effectively prohibit 
financial assistance that is key to protecting religious minorities in 
Iraq.
  The United States has long been committed to the principle of 
promoting religious freedom around the world, and our support for Iraq 
for this purpose is no exception.

  As drafted, the amendment before us would eliminate critical 
assistance to religious and ethnic minorities, including the Christian 
Chaldeans, and Assyrians, who have been victims of ISIS extremism and 
genocide.
  These people have suffered unspeakable harm in the name of their 
religious beliefs and, quite honestly, their Christian beliefs, and 
they need our assistance.
  Mr. Chair, I would encourage my colleagues to oppose this amendment.
  Mr. STEUBE. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, may I inquire how much time I have 
remaining.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman has 30 seconds remaining.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, I yield 30 seconds to the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Issa).
  Mr. ISSA. Mr. Chairman, in short, this is overly broad. I repeat, 
this is overly broad. As an American of Arab ancestry and a Christian, 
it would, in fact, be devastating to the Chaldean community left in 
Iraq. It would be devastating to the support we have.
  Mr. Chair, representing one of the largest Chaldean districts in the 
country, I meet every week with these Iraqi Christians who know that 
their families depend on our continued engagement.
  Mr. Chair, I oppose the amendment.
  The Acting CHAIR. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my 
time.

                              {time}  1245

  Mr. STEUBE. Mr. Chair, may I ask how much time I have remaining.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentleman from Florida has 3 minutes remaining.
  Mr. STEUBE. Mr. Chair, I had the opportunity to serve our country in 
Iraq and had the opportunity to work with the Iraqi Army and the Iraqi 
police, and it all sounds well and good if we are going to send money 
and it is going to go to these Christian organizations, it is going to 
go to these different individuals that we want to help; however, that 
is not the reality of what is happening based on the things that I 
originally said in my opening. You don't have control over that, and 
having had the experience of actually serving there and working with 
these individuals and the clans that are there and the groups that are 
there, the money isn't distributed the way that we want it to be 
distributed. You are seeing that in Lebanon, and you are seeing that in 
all these foreign entities.
  It is very interesting to me to stand up here and listen to my 
colleagues who talk about cutting spending and that we have a deficit 
and that we have a spending problem in Washington, and they would 
rather prioritize moneys to Iraq, to Lebanon, to Palestine, to Ukraine 
over the needs that we have in this country.
  The people in my district don't understand it. When I talk to people 
in my district, they don't get it. They don't understand why we would 
prioritize sending our hard-earned tax dollars to countries that are 
completely corrupt and hate us with no assurances that it is going in 
the places that it is going.
  Why would we do that? I just don't understand why we would stand here 
in the current economic situation that we have in this country and send 
money to foreign governments that hate us and try to kill us.
  Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Steube).

[[Page H4777]]

  The question was taken; and the Acting Chair announced that the noes 
appeared to have it.
  Mr. STEUBE. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.
  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further 
proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Florida will 
be postponed.


                 Amendment No. 46 Offered by Mr. Gaetz

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 46 
printed in part D of House Report 118-216.
  Mr. GAETZ. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       At the end of the bill (before the short title), add the 
     following:
       Sec. _.  None of the funds made available by this Act may 
     be used to implement the decision by the United Nations 
     Framework Convention on Climate Change's 21st Conference of 
     Parties in Paris, France, adopted December 12, 2015, commonly 
     known as the ``Paris Agreement''.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 723, the gentleman 
from Florida (Mr. Gaetz) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida.
  Mr. GAETZ. Mr. Chair, this amendment ensures that none of the funds 
appropriated in this act will be used to administer the Paris climate 
accord.
  The Paris climate accord is the unilateral surrender of the American 
economy, not for the sake of any environmental improvement; it merely 
uses the veneer of climate change to execute a permission structure for 
some of the dirtiest countries in the world, for some of the greatest 
polluters to be able to benefit at the expense of the United States.
  The Paris climate accord represents a circumstance where we were dead 
money at the table, putting up cash in exchange for economic 
development in faraway lands that would not benefit our people.
  This was a globalist enterprise. It was America last, and U.S. 
taxpayers should not be funding the Paris climate accord. That is the 
amendment.
  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I rise in strong opposition to this 
amendment.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, it is very clear from the science 
that the most existential crisis this the world faces is from the 
growing climate crisis. Without intervention, our warming planet will 
have irreversible negative impacts on the United States and throughout 
the world.
  Climate change has resulted in lives upended in Texas and Florida and 
has led to extreme flooding in California and Vermont and throughout 
the country.
  Climate is not an issue that can be addressed by countries on their 
own. Air, water, pollution--they do not respect boundaries or 
sovereignty. The Paris Agreement in recognition of this brought all 
countries together around joint goals achieved by individual country 
plans.
  As proposed, this amendment would significantly damage the efforts of 
the United States to support developing countries as they pursue 
efforts to implement their commitments under the Paris Agreement.
  In addition, a wide range of U.S. climate and development programs 
would be impacted by this amendment, and it would seriously impede our 
ability to implement our obligations under the Paris Agreement. It 
would also prohibit the Department of State from participating in 
critical international climate negotiations.
  The climate crisis poses threats to the stability of countries, 
heightens social and political tensions, and adversely affects food 
prices and availability. This is according to our own military.
  The need for foreign assistance will only increase if we do not 
address the significant driver of crisis around the world.
  I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment, and I reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. GAETZ. Mr. Chair, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Diaz-Balart).
  Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman from Florida for 
this amendment because he raises some very important issues regarding 
the Paris Agreement.
  Even if it were true that global emissions would result in this 
global apocalypse in the distant future, the truth is that most 
developing countries are irrelevant in any climate model used to 
speculate about temperatures 100 years down the road.
  These countries have emissions that are nearly undetectable when 
compared to the real culprits, which are China and other countries in 
Asia which, by the way, are exempt for the most part from this climate 
accord. So while our bill already prohibits funds for the Green Climate 
Fund, the Clean Technology Fund, and other vehicles that could be used 
to carry out this Paris Agreement, I agree with the gentleman that we 
should ensure that no parts of this wasteful spending, this virtue 
signaling, is allowed to continue.
  I thank the gentleman for yielding me the time, and I strongly 
support his amendment.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, many of our developing country 
allies have made it very clear that strengthening their ability to 
address climate change and the threat that it poses is an overriding 
national priority, and they are looking to the United States for 
support. I was in COP27 in Egypt a couple of years ago, and this is 
exactly the message that was sent.
  The FY24 House State and Foreign Ops bill willfully ignores the 
changing climate and its implications for so many other global 
challenges this bill is intended to address, including promoting food 
and water security, global health, the protection of tropical forests 
and other vital natural resources, and social and political stability 
in strategically important regions.
  According to the World Bank, climate change could put 132 million 
people into extreme poverty by 2030 and could drive the internal 
migration of an additional 216 million people by 2050.
  Every one of our districts has been challenged by severe drought, 
rainfall storms, and heat. We are continuing to spend more and more on 
humanitarian needs caused by these disasters both domestically and 
abroad.
  We need to get ahead of these crises. Helping communities cope, 
especially those with the least means to do so, is both moral and 
smart. Why are we demonizing these programs and cutting ourselves off 
from valuable tools?
  These are not problems anyone can solve alone. We must work with 
others which make cooperation and our multilateral tools work. That is 
what we need, such as the Clean Technology Fund, the Green Climate 
Fund, the Global Environmental Facility--all of these and more are so 
important.
  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GAETZ. Mr. Chair, it is neither moral nor smart to drive our 
Nation deeper into debt, to jeopardize the future of this country so 
that we can engage in a globalist virtue signal.
  If this global agreement were real and benefiting our country, I 
think you would find more people that were open-minded about a desire 
to ensure that we have an environment that is good for all of the 
inhabitants of the planet Earth, but, unfortunately, that is not what 
the Paris accord did.
  The Paris accord required the United States to put up the cash, and 
then it gave the exemptions to China and India and the worst polluters 
on the planet Earth.
  This isn't a question of whether or not we support the environment, 
this is a question about whether or not under the veneer of 
environmentalism we are going to kill American jobs, kill American 
manufacturing, make our country less competitive, drive down our GDP 
while China and India play us like fools.
  We are better than that.
  The underlying bill does great work to ensure that our resources are 
directed to America's interests, not to the interests of these global 
institutions.
  Mr. Chair, I would encourage adoption of this amendment, and I yield 
back the balance of my time.

[[Page H4778]]

  

  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, just one point I would like to 
mention with regard to the climate emergency, which it is.
  Our young people deserve a future. They deserve a planet that is here 
for them, and I think we need to understand that the work we do in this 
House--or that we are not doing--really affects their future and their 
lives and their livelihoods.
  Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Gaetz).
  The question was taken; and the Acting Chair announced that the ayes 
appeared to have it.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.
  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further 
proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Florida will 
be postponed.


                Amendment No. 47 Offered by Mrs. Boebert

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 47 
printed in part D of House Report 118-216.
  Mrs. BOEBERT. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       At the end of the bill (before the short title), insert the 
     following:
       Sec. __.  The salary of Linda Thomas Greenfield, Ambassador 
     to the United Nations, shall be reduced to $1.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 723, the gentlewoman 
from Colorado (Mrs. Boebert) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Colorado.
  Mrs. BOEBERT. Mr. Chair, I rise today to offer my amendment that 
utilizes the Holman rule to reduce the salary of U.N. Ambassador Linda 
Thomas-Greenfield to $1.
  Ms. Thomas-Greenfield has been entrusted with representing the United 
States on the world stage and has done a terrible job. She made the 
decision to allow the U.S. to rejoin the anti-Semitic United Nations 
Human Rights Council, which routinely ignores some of the world's worst 
atrocities and grants membership to countries with egregious human 
rights violations, giving countries like China, Russia, Cuba, 
Venezuela, Pakistan, and Somalia an international platform to speak on 
human rights.
  Rather than focusing on China's systematic oppression of millions of 
Uyghur Muslims or the inhumane treatment of women and ethnic religious 
minorities across the Middle East, this council disproportionately 
targets the State of Israel.
  She was also involved in the decision to resume funding the U.N. 
Population Fund account, which supports coercive abortion and 
involuntary sterilization.
  During her Senate confirmation, Ms. Thomas-Greenfield expressed 
support for taxpayer-funded abortions in foreign countries.
  In 2021, Ms. Thomas-Greenfield was quoted saying: ``White supremacy 
is woven into America's founding documents and principles.'' In the 
same speech she went on to say: ``We have to acknowledge that we are an 
imperfect Union and have been since the beginning . . .''
  Let's give this very important job to someone who loves America and 
doesn't hate the values that our Founders ingrained into the strongest 
country in the world.
  I urge my colleagues to support my amendment and hold Ms. Thomas-
Greenfield accountable for her poor representation of America on the 
world stage.
  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I rise in strong opposition to the 
amendment.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, as I said earlier, it is quite 
despicable to target dedicated public servants and threaten their 
livelihoods--public servants doing their jobs and carrying out the 
policies of this administration or any administration. They deserve to 
be commended, not demonized.
  Our government is dependent on being able to attract the best talent 
to bring their skills to public service, especially when in most cases 
they could earn much more in the private sector. Who is going to be 
willing to do that if their names can be dragged through the political 
mud?
  Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield retired as one of our most distinguished 
foreign service officers after 35 years of service to this country.

                              {time}  1300

  She returned from retirement in order to take on her current role as 
United Nations Ambassador, and she represents the United States 
admirably each and every single day.
  This is how we solve our policy differences? We should not make it 
personal and about people doing their jobs.
  I have worked with and have known Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield. All 
the unbelievable bashing of who she is, her credentials, and what she 
has provided for this country is unacceptable and disgusting.
  Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment.
  Mr. Chair, I hope that the gentlewoman and others really understand 
that public service is public service. This is not a private 
corporation. This is our Federal Government. This is who we are as a 
country, bringing forth our efforts to achieve global peace and 
security in the world. To continue to try to demonize our public 
servants is something that hopefully our young people are totally 
ignoring because we want them to come on board as Foreign Service 
ambassadors on behalf of this country.
  Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mrs. BOEBERT. Mr. Chair, I once again urge my colleagues to support 
this amendment to hold Ms. Thomas-Greenfield accountable. This is an 
unelected, rogue bureaucrat, not a public servant. This is someone who 
has not taken her role seriously, being involved in the decisions to 
resume funding the U.N. Population Fund account, which supports 
coercive abortion and involuntary sterilization. This is absolutely 
grotesque to me.
  There are many other reasons that I have listed here that we should 
be utilizing this Holman rule to hold this unelected, rogue bureaucrat 
accountable.
  Mr. Chair, I urge adoption of my amendment, and I yield back the 
balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR (Mr. Mast). The question is on the amendment offered 
by the gentlewoman from Colorado (Mrs. Boebert).
  The question was taken; and the Acting Chair announced that the ayes 
appeared to have it.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.
  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further 
proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from Colorado 
will be postponed.


                Amendment No. 48 Offered by Mrs. Boebert

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 48 
printed in part D of House Report 118-216.
  Mrs. BOEBERT. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       At the end of the bill (before the short title), insert the 
     following:
       Sec. __.  The salary of Salman Ahmed, Director of Policy 
     Planning Staff, shall be reduced to $1.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 723, the gentlewoman 
from Colorado (Mrs. Boebert) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Colorado.
  Mrs. BOEBERT. Mr. Chair, I rise today to offer my amendment that 
utilizes the Holman rule to reduce the salary of the director of the 
Secretary of State's Policy Planning Staff, Salman Ahmed, to $1.
  This extreme leftist was a partisan hack for the Obama administration 
for 8 years and, prior to that, spent 15 years pushing globalist and 
anti-America First policies for the United Nations.
  In his role with the State Department, Ahmed has pushed for 
squandering tens of millions of dollars on misguided policy pursuits 
like the

[[Page H4779]]

Green New Deal and climate change, which he wrongfully believes is an 
existential threat.
  Ahmed is a pro-China sympathizer who consistently criticized 
President Trump for taking a tough stance on Chinese adversaries.
  As the director of the Secretary of State's Policy Planning Staff, 
Ahmed also played an instrumental role in the disastrous withdrawal 
from Afghanistan.
  This poor planning and not-well-thought-out withdrawal resulted in 
the death of 13 American heroes, a shameful surrender to the Taliban 
that left our own lifeless.
  Ahmed is a principle player and one of the main reasons America has 
become an embarrassment on the global stage. Our brave men and women in 
uniform and Department of State public servants overseas deserve better 
than Salman Ahmed.
  Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support my amendment and hold Mr. 
Salman Ahmed accountable for his terrible performance and reduce his 
salary to $1.
  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to this 
amendment.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, let me just say, these amendments 
really are disgusting. They are a mockery of our serious foreign policy 
debates. They are harassing in many ways our public servants, and they 
become about vengeance.
  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. BOEBERT. Mr. Chair, I see nothing wrong with taking a stand as 
an elected official to hold unelected, rogue bureaucrats accountable. 
The one way that we can effectively do that is through our House rules, 
utilizing the Holman rule, to affect the salary of these bureaucrats 
who are abusing their position, not taking it seriously, or should not 
have been appointed there in the first place.
  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, these are not rogue bureaucrats. 
These are public servants who are implementing the foreign policies of 
the United States of America.
  If, in fact, one does not agree with our foreign policies, then it is 
up to Members of Congress to change those foreign policies, not 
denigrate and demean our public servants.
  Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mrs. BOEBERT. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentlewoman from Colorado (Mrs. Boebert).
  The question was taken; and the Acting Chair announced that the ayes 
appeared to have it.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.
  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further 
proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from Colorado 
will be postponed.


                Amendment No. 49 Offered by Mrs. Boebert

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 49 
printed in part D of House Report 118-216.
  Mrs. BOEBERT. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       At the end of the bill (before the short title), insert the 
     following:
       Sec. __.  The salary of Constance Mayor, Acting Chief of 
     Diversity and Inclusion, shall be reduced to $1.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 723, the gentlewoman 
from Colorado (Mrs. Boebert) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Colorado.
  Mrs. BOEBERT. Mr. Chair, I rise today to offer my amendment to reduce 
the salary of the Department's acting chief diversity and inclusion 
officer, Constance Mayer, to $1.
  Simply put, Ms. Mayer is working in an office that should not exist 
doing a job that should not exist.
  In addition to hundreds of ambassadors, the Department already boasts 
a whopping 55 personal envoys, representatives, and coordinators with 
overlapping responsibilities.
  Special positions, like Ms. Mayer's, often create both resentment 
within the Department's existing bureaucracy and confusion among 
foreign governments as to who is actually setting policy.
  At the direction of Joe Biden's DEI executive order, the State 
Department produced and published a 19-page equity action plan, the 
first sentence of which proclaims: ``Addressing systemic racism . . . 
is a core tenet of President Biden's foreign policy.''
  The core problem with this plan is that it does not identify a clear 
set of problems, and it does not prescribe specific, measurable 
solutions. It simply cuts the American social justice template and 
pastes it into a plan that is supposed to inform U.S. foreign policy 
across the world.
  This office is also functionally redundant. To the extent that it has 
a mission, the responsibilities of the chief diversity and inclusion 
officer overlap with the Office of Civil Rights, which is charged with 
propagating ``fairness, equity, and inclusion at the Department of 
State.''
  This job is yet another unaccountable, ideologically motivated, 
politically charged senior office with vague goals and no yardsticks 
for measuring success.
  The Federal Government's obsession with diversity, equity, and 
inclusion needs to come to an end.
  Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support my amendment to remove 
this unnecessary position that has proven to undercut our core American 
values and waste more taxpayer dollars.
  Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to this 
amendment.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, this amendment would reduce the 
salary of a career public servant to $1. Why? Because this individual 
is the acting chief of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.
  The mission of the office is to build and support a workforce at the 
State Department that reflects the people of our Nation. The State 
Department is an essential component of our national security.
  The gentlewoman said that no clear set of problems exist. Do you know 
what? The clear set of problems is systemic racism, discrimination, the 
lack of equal opportunity within our Foreign Service. That is all.
  Conducting diplomacy that serves the interests and honors the values 
of the American people requires a Department of State that reflects the 
rich diversity of our Nation. Otherwise, if it doesn't, then that is a 
very unfortunate and backward perspective, given the fact that 
discrimination is still alive in America. It is alive and well.
  Our diversity, once again, is our national strength. It is a 
comparative advantage that we have for our engagement and leadership in 
a diverse world.
  This individual has over 30 years of State Department experience. She 
should not be personally demonized and targeted for her work on behalf 
of our Nation. What she is doing is trying to ensure that we honor our 
pledge to live up to liberty and justice for all. It is going to take 
some intentional work of the State Department to correct hundreds of 
years of racism.
  Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. 
Jackson Lee).
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Chair, I am so proud to be an American, and I am 
proud to be an American because the world watches as this experiment of 
so many different communities--racial, ethnic, and religious groups--
have come together. By and large, we have been successful--our United 
States military, our educational system, and our neighborhoods.
  I am so proud to be a Houstonian, an eclectic city with so many 
different, wonderful diverse communities, including the LGBTQ+ 
community.
  Mr. Chair, I rise today with shock and dismay because my good friend 
from Colorado has a train wreck of amendments against those of color 
and diversity as well as the LGBTQ+ community.
  Day after day, after all of these appropriations, these poison pill 
riders of getting rid of the Office of Civil Rights, getting rid of the 
Office of Diversity and Inclusion, is absolutely absurd.

[[Page H4780]]

  Why? Because I lived exclusion in this Nation, but it didn't make me 
bitter. We worked. We struggled. We marched. We died. Those in the 
civil rights movement died.
  Dr. King was killed because he insisted on a place where we did not 
discriminate because of the color of your skin. Some have turned that 
around, but what he was saying is that race exists, and it still does 
in discrimination against people who are different and diverse.

                              {time}  1315

  Why did I have honors classes, and yet no college recruitment came, 
or I was not invited to any college recruitment in my high school? Why 
did I not have an acceptance in any college because of not being drawn 
to any college recruitment?
  Mrs. BOEBERT. Mr. Chair, I ask unanimous consent to reclaim the 
balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Colorado?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. BOEBERT. Mr. Chair, I just want to clarify, once again, that the 
diversity inclusion officer should not exist. This office is 
functionally redundant to the extent that it has a mission. The 
responsibilities of the chief diversity and inclusion officer overlap 
with the Office of Civil Rights, which is charged with propagating 
fairness, equity, and inclusion at the Department of State.
  This is yet another unacceptable, ideologically motivated, 
politically charged senior office with vague goals and no yardstick for 
measuring success. That is why I am offering this amendment to reduce 
the salary of the Department's Acting Chief Diversity and Inclusion 
Officer, Constance Mayer, to $1.
  Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, may I inquire as to the time 
remaining.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman from California has 1 minute 
remaining.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman 
from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Chair, it is not an ideological office. The 
gentlewoman didn't hear. There has been racism, there has been 
discrimination, and we have not accepted the fullness of the wonderment 
of America. We now insult a full-time dedicated employee.
  Before the Charlie Rangel Fellows, we could find little individuals 
who are diverse in Foreign Service. We now have many because we reached 
out and made a difference. This train wreck of attacking inclusion, 
diversity, and equity is disgraceful, and my friend should stop it. Our 
cities are better, our States are better, the Nation is better because 
of it. This is a fine public servant, and I want to lift her up and say 
thank you. The gentlewoman should cease and desist eliminating civil 
rights, diversity, and inclusion because it hurts people, it harms 
people whose very heritage is tied up to a history of racism and people 
who died fighting for justice and equality for all of America.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentlewoman from Colorado (Mrs. Boebert).
  The question was taken; and the Acting Chair announced that the ayes 
appeared to have it.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.
  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further 
proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from Colorado 
will be postponed.


                Amendment No. 50 Offered by Mrs. Boebert

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 50 
printed in part D of House Report 118-216.
  Mrs. BOEBERT. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       At the end of the bill (before the short title), insert the 
     following:
       Sec. __.  The salary of George Noll, Palestinian Affairs 
     Officer, shall be reduced to $1.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 723, the gentlewoman 
from Colorado (Mrs. Boebert) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Colorado.
  Mrs. BOEBERT. Mr. Chair, I rise today to offer my amendment that 
utilizes the Holman rule to reduce the salary of Palestinian Affairs 
Officer George Noll to $1.
  On March 13, the Office of Palestinian Affairs in the U.S. Embassy in 
Jerusalem posted on Twitter photos of its director, George Noll, 
visiting the Tomb of Lazarus north of Jerusalem.
  The post referred to the tomb as ``an important religious site 
maintained by the Palestinian Authority's Ministry of Tourism.''
  Mr. Noll praised the Palestinian Authority's ``work preserving 
beautiful historical and religious sites like this throughout the West 
Bank.''
  We all know the truth. Instead of preserving beautiful historical and 
religious sites throughout Judea and Samaria, the Palestinian Authority 
is deliberately destroying them.
  Shortly after this exchange, the State Department published its 
Country Reports on Human Rights practices. The section on Israel was 
incredibly hostile. This report attacks Israel for denying prison 
furloughs to Palestinian terrorists, fighting terrorism, and preventing 
unrestricted illegal immigration.
  From Noll's praise for the Palestinian Authority, which is committed 
to erasing Jewish history, to the State Department's denunciation of 
Israel's right to defend itself and enforce its laws, the Biden 
administration's abusive treatment of Israel needs to end.
  As we all know, the Palestinian Authority is also known to pay the 
families of terrorists lavish monthly pensions for attacks against 
Americans and Israelis as a part of their so-called Martyr's Fund.
  The taxpayers here in this country should not be footing the bill to 
pay a government employee to praise a terrorist organization.
  Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support my amendment, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I rise in strong opposition to this 
amendment.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. LEE of California. Once again, the target of this amendment has 
been a career member of the Foreign Service for 26 years and served all 
around the world.
  Now, the majority already passed an amendment to defund the 
Palestinian Affairs Unit at the United States Embassy. It is very clear 
to me that what the majority is attempting to do is to decimate our 
Foreign Service and its public servants, and I hope the country 
understands what this means in terms of the lack of a presence 
throughout the world in our efforts to achieve global peace and 
security.
  Once again, it is a shame and disgrace, but the pattern is here. We 
understand the motives, and the motives are to decimate the State 
Department.
  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. BOEBERT. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to oppose this 
amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentlewoman from Colorado (Mrs. Boebert).
  The question was taken; and the Acting Chair announced that the ayes 
appeared to have it.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.
  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further 
proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from Colorado 
will be postponed.


                 Amendment No. 51 Offered by Mr. Ogles

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 51 
printed in part D of House Report 118-216.
  Mr. OGLES. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       At the end of the bill (before the short title), insert the 
     following:
       Sec. 9002.  None of the funds made available by this Act 
     may be used to provide assistance to Pakistan.


[[Page H4781]]


  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 723, the gentleman 
from Tennessee (Mr. Ogles) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Tennessee.
  Mr. OGLES. Mr. Chair, I would just make a point of personal 
privilege. My colleagues and I, across the aisle and here with me in 
the Chamber, thank our staff for being here during these long days and 
long nights. We thank them.
  Mr. Chair, in August 2021, as America looked in horror at the 
beginning of what would soon become the greatest foreign policy 
disaster of the 21st century, then-Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan 
praised the takeover of Kabul, joyfully proclaiming that the Taliban 
had thrown off the shackles of slavery.
  Some Americans may have been puzzled that Pakistan, designated major 
non-NATO ally of the United States, would have been so bold as to 
support America's enemies back in 2021.
  However, a cursory look at Pakistan's history would clarify that this 
country, a country whose many Islamist groups support attacks against 
innocent civilians, has always supported terrorism and terrorist 
groups.
  The Haqqani Network, a designated foreign terrorist organization 
whose members now play a role of kingmaker in Afghanistan, is a proxy 
of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence, or ISI, and has been for 
decades.
  Along with many elements of the Taliban, the network was regularly 
given safe haven in Pakistan to operate and evade apprehension. The 
coordination between the Haqqani Network and Pakistan was so strong 
that in 2011, then-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral 
Mullen, described the network as a veritable arm of the Pakistani 
intelligence.
  The Haqqani Network is guilty of horrific terrorist attacks against 
U.S. servicemembers. Perhaps not coincidentally, it was the Haqqani 
Network who was put in charge by the Taliban of security of Kabul 1 
week before the tragedy at Abbey Gate that claimed the lives of 13 U.S. 
servicemembers and wounded many more.
  Mr. Chair, I urge adoption, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Chair, I claim the time in opposition to the 
amendment.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman from Texas is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Chair, we all mourn for the loss of our brave 
soldiers, not only at the time of evacuation, but also in the wars in 
Afghanistan and Iraq and throughout America's history. However, the 
State Department is the face of our international policies that will 
create the opportunities for engagement and collaboration and change.
  I chair the Pakistan Caucus. It is one of the largest caucus of 
Members of the United States Congress who understand the relationship 
that the United States and Pakistan has enjoyed for 76 years. What my 
colleague speaks of is not the Pakistan Government or people.
  Over the decades, both countries have built a multifaceted and 
diverse relationship driven by cooperation in areas such as defense, 
counterterrorism, trade, investment, agriculture, IT, energy, climate, 
health, and education. Enduring the raging aspects of the Afghan war, 
many Pakistan soldiers lost their lives fighting terrorism.
  The cooperation is rooted in our shared democratic values that they 
are still working to improve, and human rights as well. Today, the 
bilateral relationship is moving in the right direction. This past 
year, both countries have recently held dialogue on security and 
nonsecurity areas. These include trade, investment, renewable energy, 
climate change, health, education, as well as security cooperation, 
counterterrorism, and defense.
  The Pakistan diaspora has doctors and lawyers and business persons in 
our communities, and they are contributors philanthropic to the needs 
of this country. In the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, Pakistan 
assisted the United States in safe and secure evacuation of its 
citizens.
  I know some who went through Pakistan. I believe this is a 
wrongheaded decision. This will have a negative impact. In the midst of 
a horrific flood, one of the most catastrophic floods that happened in 
years that impacted 30 million people and caused the loss of life of so 
many, I was the first American to be in that area this past year.
  Mr. Chair, I ask my colleagues to oppose the amendment, and I reserve 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. OGLES. Mr. Chair, like my colleague, I too believe in great 
relationships and dialogues, but when you are in a relationship with a 
country that consistently undermines and attacks you, then maybe that 
is not a relationship that is worth being in. Because of billions upon 
billions of assistance to Pakistan, we learned a few things. First, 
insofar as Pakistan goes after terrorists, it does so selectively. It 
often targets those who are allied with our friends in India.
  Second, despite the enormous financial leverage we have historically 
had with Islamabad, we cannot obtain several key concessions, including 
the release of Dr. Shakil Afridi, a man who assisted in the capture of 
Osama bin Laden.
  Instead, Pakistan has conditioned the release of Afridi on us 
releasing a known terrorist. Little wonder that President Trump 
canceled $300 million in security aid to Pakistan back in 2018 due to 
its horrific record of going after militants in the border region 
between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

                              {time}  1330

  They are an adversary in the region, and I am not talking about the 
people, but the government in control undermines the United States, our 
interests, and even our partner India.
  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Chair, may I inquire how much time do I have 
remaining.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman from Texas has 3 minutes remaining.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Chair, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman 
from California (Ms. Lee), the ranking member of the subcommittee.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, just let me make a couple of 
points.
  First of all, 2023 marked the 76th anniversary of our partnership 
with Pakistan, the fifth largest country in the world by population.
  Strengthening Pakistan's economy, education system, delivering 
humanitarian assistance, such as the support we provided for the 
devastating floods that they faced in 2023--I remember the gentlewoman 
from Texas, we were in Africa, and she left Africa and went over to 
Pakistan to help with the response to the devastating humanitarian 
tragedy that occurred in Pakistan. I wasn't able to go with her. I 
thank her for her leadership in representing the United States.
  We must maintain the stability of the country and the region and help 
prevent the spread of extremism that we see surfacing.
  It is up to us to provide U.S. aid and assistance to Pakistan for 
programs that promote peace and security. This is important, just based 
on our humanitarian concern for people who have been impacted and have 
to live through such devastation.
  Mr. Chair, I oppose this amendment.
  Mr. OGLES. Mr. Chairman, all this amendment aims to do is continue 
mainstream U.S. policy in this Department of State and Foreign 
Operations bill.
  The 2021 Country Report on Terrorism regarding Pakistan highlighted, 
once again, Pakistan's continued listing as a jurisdiction with 
strategic deficits in its AML/CFT system.
  Pakistan does not sufficiently support anti-money laundering efforts 
and it does not support laying waste to terrorists in the border 
region. In a Gallup poll of Pakistanis it reflected that 72 percent of 
Pakistanis see us as an enemy. We spend billions and billions of 
dollars, they attack us, and they see us as an enemy.
  There are many needs that this country has, that our veterans have, 
that our borders have, and it is money that could be spent better 
elsewhere.
  There is no reason for us to continue to subsidize Pakistan or any 
function of its government until it changes its posture.
  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Chair, who has the right to close?
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentleman from Tennessee has the right to 
close.

[[Page H4782]]

  

  Mr. OGLES. Mr. Chair, may I inquire how much time I have.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentleman has 45 seconds remaining.
  Mr. OGLES. Mr. Chairman, bleeding hearts can argue all they want 
about wanting to support Pakistan despite their overwhelming support 
for terrorism within and outside its borders. I would say our money is 
better spent elsewhere.
  For what it is worth, according to a classified Pakistani Government 
document publicly released last month, the Biden administration 
apparently encouraged the overthrow of the former Prime Minister of 
Pakistan because he didn't want that country to abandon its neutrality 
stance on Ukraine.
  Ladies and gentlemen, it is important that we take a stand against 
terrorists and terrorist states. If they are going to be our ally, if 
they are going to receive hard-earned American dollars, then they 
should act like our ally. That is all I am requesting here.
  Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Chair, how much time do I have remaining?
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman from Texas has 1\1/2\ minutes 
remaining.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Chairman, many of our allies and friends live in 
tough neighborhoods, and I am very glad that Pakistan lives in a 
neighborhood with friends; that is India and Bangladesh, that at least 
they are engaged. They also live in the neighborhood of Afghanistan 
where the Taliban has risen again. Pakistan soldiers have fought 
against the Taliban.
  You don't turn your back on a nation where 650,000 Pakistani 
Americans are living here in the United States, they are contributing, 
they are patriots, and they serve in the United States military.
  We have been able to facilitate safe immigration and relocation of 
Afghans with Pakistan. Pakistan has provided humanitarian assistance to 
Ukraine, following our lead. Our bilateral ties are further 
strengthened by the presence of nearly 650,000 Pakistani Americans.
  Pakistan is a democratic state working against challenges. Yes, it 
is. Its parliament has just completed its third consecutive 5-year 
cycle without disruption. They are planning democratic elections.
  What we need to do is to ensure that Pakistan has access to migration 
and refugee assistance, economic support, international disaster 
assistance, global health, humanitarian assistance, and economic 
development. These are important taxpayer dollars that help Pakistan 
become even stronger as a democratic nation and an ally.
  For the issues my good friend has spoken about, diplomacy works these 
issues out.
  Mr. Chair, as the founder and Chair of the Congressional Pakistan 
Caucus, I stand in strong opposition to this irresponsible and 
dangerous amendment.
  The passage of this amendment would be detrimental to Pakistani U.S. 
relations and would put the livelihood of millions of people at risk.
  The United States and Pakistan have a long-standing and enduring 
partnership spanning 76 years.
  Over the decades, both countries have built a multifaceted and 
diverse relationship, driven by cooperation in areas including defense, 
counter-terrorism, trade and investment, agriculture, energy, climate, 
health, and education.
  This cooperation is rooted in our shared democratic values and 
convergence of interests on regional and strategic security.
  The passage of this amendment would severely damage our unique and 
longstanding partnership.
  In its Congressional Budget Justification for FY 2024 Foreign 
Operations, the United States State Department reported foreign 
assistance to Pakistan of about $218 million.
  These essential dollars fund critical programs in Pakistan that 
include:
  Migration and Refugee Assistance: $62 million;
  Economic Support Funds: $50 million (``Funding will support stability 
and political, economic, and judicial reforms in communities bordering 
Afghanistan, increase private-sector-led trade and investment, foster 
people-to-people exchanges, strengthen civil society, support climate 
mitigation and adaptation, and improve gender equity and women's 
empowerment'';
  International Disaster Assistance: $47 million;
  Global Health Programs: $31 million (includes funding on 
Tuberculosis, Global Health Security, Maternal and Child Health, and 
Family Planning and Reproductive Health);
  International Narcotics and Law Enforcement: $25 million (these 
programs in Pakistan ``combat violent extremism, transnational crime, 
strengthen the capacity of law enforcement, expand access to justice, 
and bolster the rule of law nationwide with a focus on the newly merged 
districts along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border''; and
  International Military Education and Training: $3.5 million (these 
programs ``emphasize professional military education, respect for the 
rule of law, human rights, and civilian control of the military'')
  USAID has a total of $82 million in obligated assistance for Pakistan 
in FY 2023, which funds 110 activities in five major sectors:
  Humanitarian Assistance: $40.12 million (15 activities led by 
emergency food assistance at $21.5 million);
  Economic Development: $15.5 million (13 activities include power 
sector improvement at $7.5 million);
  Democracy, Human Rights and Governance: $13.7 million (10 activities 
include those on good governance and rule of law/human rights);
  Education and Social Services: $4 million (13 activities focused on 
both basic and higher education); and
  Health: $1.2 million (6 activities mainly tuberculosis-related 
projects).
  Last year Pakistan faced a catastrophic monsoon season with floods of 
Biblical proportions leaving over one third of the country under water 
and directly impacted the lives of 33 million Pakistanis.
  1,700 people lost their lives, one third of whom were children, 
12,900 people were injured, 7.9 million people were displaced, and 
there were devastating impacts to the infrastructure, crops, and 
livestock throughout the country.
  As the Chair of the Congressional Pakistan Caucus, I gathered members 
and personally organized the first congressional fact-finding mission 
to the hardest hit areas in Pakistan.
  I have seen the devastation and human suffering firsthand, and I want 
to clarify that Congress must continue to fund programs that help 
support Pakistan's flood recovery efforts and humanitarian assistance.
  By January of this year, the United States government had pledged 
more than $200 million to support Pakistan's flood recovery efforts.
  In June, USAID pledged an additional $16.4 million in additional 
development and humanitarian assistance.
  The support provided by the United States is essential to the 
recovery effort, which will likely take many years.
  Pakistan is a democratic state and remains committed to promoting and 
protecting democratic values.
  Pakistan remains a critical partner of the United States in 
stabilizing Afghanistan and promoting peace and stability in the 
region.
  Our government should continue to engage with Pakistan, addressing 
important issues related to human rights, democracy and religious 
freedom, rule of law, to advance our shared commitment to these 
universal values.
  The amendment is not in line with the long-standing ties between U.S. 
and Pakistan and its passage would disrupt the 1U.S. relations with a 
partner in the region.
  I urge all my colleagues to oppose amendment No. 51.
  The Acting CHAIR. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
  Mr. GREEN of Texas. Mr. Chair, I strongly oppose amendment 51 to the 
Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs 
Appropriations Act, 2024, which would prohibit funds in this 
legislation from being used to aid the country of Pakistan. This 
amendment is misguided and counterproductive.
  I traveled to Pakistan in September 2022 to assess in person the 
devastating flooding caused by record monsoon rains and melted glaciers 
in the region. More than 1,000 individuals had lost their lives to the 
flooding at that point, and approximately one third of Pakistan 
remained underwater. Pakistan produces less than one percent of global 
greenhouse gas emissions, yet it is at greater risk of ecological 
catastrophes from climate change. The World Bank estimated that the 
economic costs of the damage totaled over $30 billion. Therefore, the 
international community should assist Pakistan in recovering from this 
natural disaster that was massive in scale. I am grateful for the 
relief funds that the U.S. has provided Pakistan, and I firmly oppose 
what amounts to a blanket prohibition on further relief, as this would 
include much needed humanitarian relief.
  Blocking these funds will not only hurt Pakistan and prolong its 
recovery from the 2022 floods, but also give China the opportunity to 
provide much needed aid where American global leadership is lacking. We 
cannot abandon Pakistan in this time of crisis, and I urge My 
colleagues to oppose this amendment.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Ogles).

[[Page H4783]]

  The question was taken; and the Acting Chair announced that the ayes 
appeared to have it.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.
  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further 
proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Tennessee 
will be postponed.


            Amendment No. 53 Offered by Mr. Gooden of Texas

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 53 
printed in part D of House Report 118-216.
  Mr. GOODEN of Texas. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       At the end of the bill (before the short title), insert the 
     following:
       Sec. 9002.  None of the funds made available by this Act 
     may be used for the adoption or implementation of the Global 
     Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration set forth in 
     the annex to the resolution adopted by the United Nations 
     General Assembly on December 18, 2018 (A/RES/73/195).

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 723, the gentleman 
from Texas (Mr. Gooden) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.
  Mr. GOODEN of Texas. Mr. Chair, I rise to urge my colleagues to 
support amendment No. 53 to H.R. 4665 that puts an end to international 
organizations circumventing our immigration laws.
  The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration is an 
anchor that ties down our Nation's right to determine our own 
immigration policies and handcuffs our government from acting in its 
own best interest. The United Nations should not be making immigration 
laws for our country.
  President Trump pulled us out of this compact; President Biden, I 
believe, wrongfully put us back in. What this amendment does is it 
restricts any funding that will go to compliance with this.
  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I rise in strong opposition to this 
amendment.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, the Global Compact for Safe, 
Orderly, and Regular Migration supports humane migration around the 
world. It is the first intergovernmental agreement to cover all 
dimensions of international migration at a time when we are facing a 
migration crisis, as my colleagues like to remind us.
  The Global Compact's guiding principles and objectives encompass a 
range of humanitarian, development, and other migration management 
activities, most of which the United States Government supported long 
before the Global Compact on Migration existed.
  These activities include the provision of lifesaving humanitarian 
assistance, countering trafficking in persons, border management, 
access to consular services, and also dignified return and 
reintegration.
  In 2022, we saw a 21 percent increase in displaced people around the 
world. The largest ever single-year increase, and the largest number of 
people forcibly displaced in written history. It is only common sense 
to work with others on this challenge.
  Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GOODEN of Texas. Mr. Chair, I will quote Ambassador Nikki Haley, 
who said:

       While we will continue to engage on a number of fronts at 
     the United Nations, in this case, we simply cannot in good 
     faith support a process that could undermine the sovereign 
     right of the United States to enforce our immigration laws.

  We don't need to outsource our lawmaking to the United Nations. One 
of the compact issues that I have is that it strongly encourages 
migrants who do not have permission to stay in the country of 
destination, they are able to return to their country preferably on a 
voluntary basis.
  The United Nations should not be making immigration law for the 
United States. If we are admitting--which I am happy to hear my 
colleague admit--that we do have a crisis, the last thing we are going 
to admit on either side is that it is, in fact, orderly, which is what 
this compact seeks to achieve in an international body.
  Mr. Chair, I support this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my 
time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. GOODEN of Texas. Mr. Chair, I urge adoption, and I yield back the 
balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gooden).
  The amendment was agreed to.


            Amendment No. 54 Offered by Mr. Gooden of Texas

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 54 
printed in part D of House Report 118-216.
  Mr. GOODEN of Texas. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       At the end of the bill (before the short title), insert the 
     following:
       Sec. 9002.  None of the funds made available by this Act 
     may be used for the program of the Bureau for Population, 
     Refugees, and Migration of the Department of State 
     administered by the International Organization for Migration 
     and known as the ``Refugee Travel Loan Program''.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 723, the gentleman 
from Texas (Mr. Gooden) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.
  Mr. GOODEN of Texas. Mr. Chair, this amendment ends the United 
Nations International Organization for Migration taxpayer-funded slush 
funds, commonly referred to as the Refugee Travel Loan Program. While 
this may be a noble idea, a lot of Americans don't realize that what 
this money does is it first flows through the nongovernmental 
organizations that then, cheerfully, take a cut of that, 25 percent.
  Mr. Chair, 25 percent of all of these moneys go through NGOs and they 
keep 25 percent. It is turned into a loan that is obviously never paid 
back. These numbers of refugees are continuing to be encouraged, and 
the caps continue to be encouraged to be raised by these 
nongovernmental organizations that are making money off of this 
program.
  Mr. Chair, I would say to anyone who is for this, I hope they will 
join me in reforming this program, but until then, I don't think it is 
wise to spend American taxpayer dollars on something that is just 
enriching these NGOs on the backs of the American taxpayer.
  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to 
this amendment.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, the Department of State through 
the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration funds the 
transportation of refugees admitted into the United States Refugee 
Admissions Program for resettlement to the United States through IOM.
  Refugees admitted into the program and ready for travel to the United 
States receive interest-free loans from IOM to pay for their 
transportation from their overseas location to their domestic 
resettlement site.
  Upon accepting the travel loan, refugees sign a promissory note to 
repay the loan over time.
  The transportation is provided in the form of a loan, not a grant 
because the core belief of the program is that refugees' financial 
participation in making repayments against their debt will strengthen 
their determination to make a success of their migration.
  In a melting pot like the United States, which some have probably 
forgotten, I shouldn't have to remind anyone of the valuable 
contributions of refugees to our Nation. Maybe I do need to remind the 
other side of this.
  Refugees from Afghanistan, Burma, or Yemen are seeking a new, more 
stable home, and they deserve our support.
  Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GOODEN of Texas. Mr. Chair, it is true that this is issued as a 
loan, but

[[Page H4784]]

less than 1 percent of these have been paid back. These aren't real 
loans; these are giveaways of taxpayer dollars to refugees.
  I don't have a problem supporting legitimate refugees, but what 
really bothers me is that these nongovernment organizations are taking 
a 25 percent cut. So the refugees are not even getting the total amount 
of this loan, but the enriched nongovernment organizations are.
  That is why you hear from groups like Lutheran Family Services, 
Jewish Family Services, and Catholic Charities that say: We are happy 
to help with this refugee problem. We are happy to go down to the 
border. We are happy to help facilitate this loan program because we 
know that we are not going to be on the hook for any of this money, it 
is the American taxpayer. In fact, we are going to get a 25 percent cut 
of whatever fake loan we give out.
  Mr. Chair, it is really un-American to force the American taxpayer to 
fund this ridiculous program. The fact that we have charitable 
organizations profiting off of it and encouraging more and more of it 
is offensive to me, as well.
  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

                              {time}  1345

  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, once again, I guess I need to 
either clarify or tell the truth about the loan repayment percentage. 
My colleague indicated that less than 1 percent of these loans are paid 
back, but I have to tell you, approximately 81 percent of all IOM 
travel loan amounts are repaid within 10 years. As of the end of fiscal 
year 2022, 84 percent of IOM travel amounts were repaid within 15 
years. That is the truth.
  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GOODEN of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I urge passage, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gooden).
  The question was taken; and the Acting Chair announced that the ayes 
appeared to have it.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.
  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further 
proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Texas will 
be postponed.


                Amendment No. 55 Offered by Mrs. Boebert

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 55 
printed in part D of House Report 118-216.
  Mrs. BOEBERT. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       At the end of the bill (before the short title), insert the 
     following:
       Sec. 9002.  None of the funds made available by this Act 
     may be used to enforce or otherwise implement a requirement 
     for individuals traveling outside of the United States to 
     receive a vaccination against COVID-19.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 723, the gentlewoman 
from Colorado (Mrs. Boebert) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Colorado.
  Mrs. BOEBERT. Mr. Chair, I rise today to offer my amendment that 
ensures no funds to enforce or implement a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for 
international travelers.
  This simple, straightforward amendment will ensure that Joe Biden's 
bureaucrats can never, ever again implement or enforce another 
ludicrous and unscientific vaccine mandate for international travel.
  When this rule was in place from 2021 to earlier this year, it made 
everyday life so much harder for so many people, from tearing apart 
family reunifications to punishing companies overseas for doing 
business with America.
  Just a few stories my congressional office has come across include:
  The mother of a Dutch tourist who died on the Appalachian Trail was 
unable to come to the United States to collect her son's body;
  A woman's fiance who lives in Canada has been unable to visit her on 
American soil for the past 3 years;
  A man working for a company in the United Kingdom who is unable to 
travel to the United States for business meetings; and
  A family in New Hampshire with Canadian in-laws has been unable to 
have Canadian family members visit for Christmas in the United States 
since COVID started.
  My colleagues on the other side of the aisle have already started 
ramping up the new round of COVID hysteria.
  Last month, it was reported that TSA team members were told that they 
will receive new guidelines on how the restrictions will evolve and 
that by mid-October, pilots, flight staff, passengers, and airport 
patrons will be required to once again wear masks.
  Allegedly, administration officials were told that it was not a 
matter of ``if'' but ``when'' COVID numbers rise, the Biden 
administration plans to roll out a new round of COVID restrictions.
  Moreover, numerous Federal agencies have reported purchasing more 
COVID-19 equipment and have awarded contracts to private companies to 
help enforce COVID-19 pandemic-era safety protocols.
  Joe Biden's unilateral vaccine mandates posed an existential threat 
to our system of government. It is long past time Congress takes our 
Article I authority outlined in the Constitution to rein in Biden's 
overreaching mandates that are trampling on our liberties.
  The Biden administration fumbled the bag on handling COVID last time 
around. We should all be concerned that hysteria regarding the new 
COVID-19 variant will be used as justification to return to shutdowns, 
mandates, restrictions, and so much more, despite the fact that the 
evidence shows that these measures did nothing to combat this virus.
  COVID is over. Let's ensure Biden's bureaucrats don't have the power 
to impose unpopular and unconstitutional liberty-stripping vaccine 
mandates again. I urge my colleagues to support my amendment and put an 
end to this COVID hysteria led by the ``branch Covidian'' Joe Biden.
  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I rise in strong opposition to this 
amendment.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, first of all, let me just state 
a fact. President Biden and Vice President Harris saved many, many, 
many lives.
  Secondly, this amendment would prohibit the use of funds to enforce 
or implement a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for individuals traveling 
outside of the United States. Guess what? Let me just point out that 
there is not and has not been a COVID vaccine requirement for travelers 
outside of the United States. I don't know why we would mandate people 
leaving the United States be vaccinated. The gentlewoman knows that. 
Those are requirements usually, and most of the time for countries that 
have those requirements, they are set by those countries for people 
entering their borders.
  Once again, this is disingenuous, and I am determined to tell the 
truth about what the majority is trying to do and what message they are 
trying to send.
  Setting health requirements for travelers coming into the United 
States may be an important health response, but that would not be a 
decision by the State Department. I am not sure what this amendment 
really is trying to achieve.
  As the COVID pandemic continues to remind us--and, yes, COVID is 
still alive and well--infectious diseases do not abide by national 
boundaries. While some would like to act like COVID is over, it is not. 
In the United States, more than 500 people die from COVID each 
week. That is a fact. That is a fact. It is clear to those families 
that COVID is not over.

  New variants are an expected part of the evolution of viruses and can 
be more aggressive, transmittable, or cause more severe disease than 
the original strain. That is a fact. Our Nation's public health 
officials need to have options available to them to protect our 
communities as we continue to live with COVID, as well as other 
infectious diseases. That is a fact.
  Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. BOEBERT. Mr. Chair, I appreciate the gentlewoman's concern for

[[Page H4785]]

lives lost in America, and I would hope that the gentlewoman would join 
our efforts in securing our southern border. This administration has 
stripped title 42 away that prevented illegal aliens from coming into 
our country who may pose some sort of threat with an illness or a 
virus. If they were serious about COVID-19, this should never be 
something that they would want to eliminate. Instead, it is American 
citizens and those trying to travel to our country and from our country 
who are restricted by these unconstitutional vaccine mandates.
  If the gentlewoman is concerned about the numbers of lives being 
lost, maybe she should join us in supporting our efforts to secure the 
southern border, where there is a flow of fentanyl coming into our 
country killing 300 Americans a day, making every State a border State.
  It is hard to take any of the paper masks seriously when we know that 
they don't work. It has been proven time and time again while they are 
on their seventh booster shot and still supposedly getting COVID.
  Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, this amendment has nothing to do 
with securing our southern border or fentanyl or anything else. What 
this amendment actually does is misrepresent the actual reality of our 
policy. There is not and has not been a COVID vaccine requirement for 
travelers outside of the United States. This amendment would prohibit 
the use of funds to enforce or implement a COVID vaccine mandate for 
individuals traveling outside of the United States, which does not 
exist. This amendment has nothing to do with the southern border or 
fentanyl.
  Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentlewoman from Colorado (Mrs. Boebert).
  The amendment was agreed to.


                 Amendment No. 56 Offered by Mr. Mooney

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 56 
printed in part D of House Report 118-216.
  Mr. MOONEY. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       At the end of the bill (before the short title), add the 
     following:
       Sec. _.  None of the funds made available by this Act under 
     chapter 4 of part II of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 
     (22 U.S.C. 2346 et seq.) (relating to the economic support 
     fund) may be obligated or expended for assistance for Mexico.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 723, the gentleman 
from West Virginia (Mr. Mooney) and a Member opposed each will control 
5 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from West Virginia.
  Mr. MOONEY. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of my amendment to 
prevent tax dollars from hardworking Americans from being sent to 
Mexico allegedly in support of economic development until the President 
of the United States of America informs Congress that Mexico has 
decided to stop the free flow of fentanyl across our southern border.
  My plan is a simple and strong response to the Mexican Government's 
refusing to take action to address the crisis of fentanyl pouring 
across our border. The Mexican President continues to falsely state 
that fentanyl is not manufactured or consumed in his country.
  On March 17, 2023, Mexico President Obrador said at a news conference 
in Mexico City, ``Here, we do not produce fentanyl, and we do not have 
consumption of fentanyl.'' Suggesting why doesn't the United States 
take care of its own issues.
  However, the numbers do not lie. The Drug Enforcement Administration 
said in December that ``Most of the fentanyl trafficked by the Sinaloa 
and CJNG cartels is being mass-produced at secret factories in Mexico 
with chemicals sourced largely from China.'' There were 14,000 pounds 
of fentanyl seized last year at the southern border and more than 
11,000 pounds this year so far.
  Fentanyl is pouring across our border because of the disastrous open-
border policies of President Biden and his Democrat allies in Congress. 
Meanwhile, Mexico refuses to act against the cartels. Todd Robinson, 
who is President Biden's Assistant Secretary of State for International 
Narcotics, testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 
February 2023, To be honest, the challenge that we have with Mexico is 
their unwillingness to put sufficient resources into the fight against 
fentanyl, and we are pushing them to do that.
  Multiple administrations have pushed Mexico to do more, yet they 
refuse to act. Now is the time for Congress to step up and use the 
power of the purse to hold Mexico accountable until they change their 
behavior.
  Mr. Chair, this amendment is focused solely on economic aid. This 
amendment does not impact narcotics interdiction and border security 
assistance that we also provide to Mexico. Mexico should not be 
rewarded with economic support funding when they refuse to stop the 
production of fentanyl that has killed hundreds of thousands of 
Americans. West Virginia, in particular, has been hit hard by the drug 
epidemic, and a lot of the poison on our streets can be traced directly 
back to Mexican drug cartels.
  We need to secure our border, but we also need Mexico to partner with 
us. Our practice of giving them more United States taxpayer dollars as 
an inducement to fight against drug trafficking has failed. It is time 
to cut off economic funding until the President of the United States 
can report to Congress that Mexico is working with us to address the 
flow of fentanyl across the border. I call on all my colleagues to join 
me in supporting this amendment. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance 
of my time.

                              {time}  1400

  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I rise in strong opposition to this 
amendment.
  The Acting CHAIR (Mr. Luttrell). The gentlewoman is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, U.S. relations with Mexico are 
strong and vital. Our two countries share a 2,000-mile border with 55 
active ports of entry, and our bilateral relations with Mexico have a 
direct impact on the lives and livelihoods of millions of Americans.
  I was born and raised in the border town of El Paso, Texas, and I 
know the importance of the exchanges and support between Mexico and the 
United States. Our significant cooperation on issues, including trade 
and economic reform, entrepreneurship and innovation, and energy, are 
as critical today as they have ever been.
  Cutting ESF assistance to Mexico would have severe detrimental 
impacts, crippling the work we do to reduce violence, build a better 
business environment, and address the root causes of migration.
  Without our continued support, our assistance to keep youth released 
from prison from recommitting criminal offenses and being recruited by 
cartels and other organizations would not be able to continue.
  The work we do to level the playing field for investors, which 
includes bringing greater transparency to corrupt business practices 
and promoting growth in key sectors central to the United States' 
businesses, such as semiconductors, for example, would be negatively 
impacted.
  Cutting ESF would undermine our work to create economic opportunities 
in high out-migration areas in Mexico's least developed areas and 
states.
  A prosperous and safe Mexico should not only and will not only 
benefit the Mexican people but us, as well.
  Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment, and I yield 
back the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Mooney).
  The amendment was agreed to.


                Amendment No. 57 Offered by Mrs. Spartz

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 57 
printed in part D of House Report 118-216.
  Mrs. SPARTZ. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       At the end of the bill (before the short title), insert the 
     following:

[[Page H4786]]

       Sec. __.  None of the funds made available by this Act may 
     be used by the Secretary of State as a contribution to any 
     organization, agency, commission, or program within the 
     United Nations system except as authorized by law.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 723, the gentlewoman 
from Indiana (Mrs. Spartz) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Indiana.
  Mrs. SPARTZ. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Chairman, I have a very simple but very important amendment. All 
this amendment says is that the Secretary of State cannot use any funds 
in this appropriation that are not explicitly authorized by Congress to 
be given to the United Nations. I think it is very important.
  I have been in the trenches quite a bit with a lot of conflicts and 
where people are dying in many countries.
  The American people are very generous and help a lot of people around 
the world, but we want to make sure that this money doesn't go to very 
fancy executives that pay themselves big salaries in the U.N. and are 
driving very fancy cars, eating steak dinners, and staying in very 
fancy hotels while the people next door are dying. It actually should 
go to the people that the American people are willing to help.
  I think it is very important that unauthorized funds by Congress 
won't be frivolously given out by the Secretary of State.
  That is the intent of Congress, and I think this is a very good 
amendment.
  Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support it, and I reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to 
this amendment.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, I recently returned from 
representing the United States at the United Nations General Assembly, 
and I would be happy to talk to any of my colleagues about the value of 
our partnership with the United Nations system.
  It is not perfect--no large bureaucracy is--but our ability to 
improve its operations, make sure its stances reflect our values, and 
have the United Nations serve its mission for peace hinges on the 
United States being an active, participating member of the 
organization.
  Organizations like UNICEF deliver last-mile education and health 
services in over 120 countries. If you have ever seen kids in South 
Sudan--and I have many times--walking with their blue UNICEF backpacks 
to school or visited with 1 of the 365 million kids under the age of 5 
who received malnutrition services last year, you would know that their 
presence is real and felt by millions of kids and their families around 
the world.
  This amendment would cut off contributions to UNICEF. What will these 
young people think about the United States, quite frankly, when they 
grow up?
  I don't think they would be very happy to know that we actually cut 
off humanitarian assistance, especially what UNICEF delivers on behalf 
of the United States.
  The United Nations Development Program worked with 26 countries in 
2021 to implement national action plans to tackle radicalization and 
registered 38 million new voters. Eighty percent of these 38 million 
were women. They helped 82 countries adopt digital platforms for 
commerce and governance, cutting down on corruption. This amendment 
would cut off contributions to UNDP and many others.
  I fully support the authorization of these entities, but we all know 
that will not happen overnight. While we work toward that goal, we 
can't cut off participation and support.
  Once again, we are retreating from our responsibilities as a global 
leader throughout the world.
  Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. SPARTZ. Mr. Chairman, I think the gentlewoman has misrepresented 
this amendment. This amendment says if Congress doesn't authorize these 
funds, they shouldn't be spent by the other branch and given to the 
U.N. It should not preclude Congress from doing its job and actually 
authorizing the funds.
  I tell you, this organization failed many people around the world. 
Millions of people are dying in Africa.
  When I talk to these people, they haven't seen the big input the U.N. 
is doing. They failed to deter from conflicts, including Ukraine. I 
haven't seen them on the ground in Ukraine or Poland.
  We have major issues around the world. I saw what is happening in 
countries in South America. Don't tell me we are not giving money in 
the Middle East. I just went there. What is happening in Syria and 
other countries--don't tell me that this organization didn't fail the 
American people and people around the world.
  If our Congress is going to continue this, we need to look seriously 
at why they cater to Russia and China at the expense of American 
taxpayers and their hard-earned money.
  I think Congress needs to do its job. Before any money would be given 
to this organization, they have to be accountable to the American 
people, and they have to be authorized.
  If Congress authorizes money and gives it to the Secretary of State 
to provide to the United Nations, you can still do that, but we have to 
start doing our job because a lot of people are suffering around the 
world. If America doesn't stand up for them, no one else will.
  The American people expect accountability for our hard-earned money, 
and I hope that it can be on a bipartisan basis because there are a lot 
of people who make a lot of money around the world over there.
  They have very high-paying jobs, but a lot of poorer people, 
including in Africa, are dying. I think we have to be accountable and 
responsible for that, and it shouldn't be a partisan issue.
  We actually just had a bipartisan codel, and both the committee chair 
and the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia Subcommittee chair 
were concerned about what they heard about the U.N. from real people, 
not executives at the U.N. They have this job and protect their 
salaries and live a very good life, but actual, real people are 
suffering.

  We are willing to help real people that are suffering, but we need to 
put pressure on the U.N. to be accountable to the American people.
  Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to stand up with the people, not with 
the special interest groups that lobby for a lot of things here, 
destroying our Republic and destroying peace around the world.
  These organizations were created for some purposes, and they failed. 
Maybe it is time to rethink what kind of structure we should have that 
actually benefits peace around the world.
  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, I guess I am totally confused, 
then, because I don't know why we would want to cut off the funds for 
children through UNICEF, UNDP, and other agencies when, in fact, the 
gentlewoman should take this to the Foreign Affairs Committee. That is 
where her initiative belongs.
  In terms of the authorizing process, that belongs in the Foreign 
Affairs Committee. It doesn't belong here on an appropriations bill to 
defund programs that are providing badly needed malnutrition services 
for children.
  We can't just cut this off. These are appropriated funds the 
authorizing committee authorizes, and that is where this belongs.
  Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mrs. SPARTZ. Mr. Chairman, I just want to say one more time that 
Congress is supposed to authorize this funding. If we are not doing the 
job, we shouldn't waive the rules.
  Mr. Chair, are they doing their job or not? If Congress believes, 
based on consideration, that these funds should be provided, the other 
side needs to make the case. We can authorize these funds, but they 
have to be accountable that the funds are used wisely.
  All it says is unauthorized spending is not going to be waived by 
Congress. We need to stop waiving and neglecting our job.
  Maybe if we get a little bit more pressure, we will start doing our 
job. We should be actually authorizing funds and appropriating funds.

[[Page H4787]]

  If not, then we have to be accountable. I truly believe this is very 
important for Congress to start looking at spending and start providing 
proper oversight.
  I truly believe that this is an issue that I hope will be supported 
on a bipartisan basis, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentlewoman from Indiana (Mrs. Spartz).
  The question was taken; and the Acting Chair announced that the ayes 
appeared to have it.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.
  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further 
proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from Indiana 
will be postponed.


                Amendment No. 58 Offered by Ms. Hageman

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 58 
printed in part D of House Report 118-216.
  Ms. HAGEMAN. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       At the end of the bill (before the short title), insert the 
     following:
       Sec. ___.  None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made 
     available by this Act may be made available to the Office of 
     Global Change of the Department of State.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 723, the gentlewoman 
from Wyoming (Ms. Hageman) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Wyoming.
  Ms. HAGEMAN. Mr. Chairman, I rise in favor of my amendment No. 58 to 
H.R. 4665. This amendment would prohibit funding for the State 
Department's Office of Global Change.
  Mr. Chairman, the underlying bill rightfully targets U.S. taxpayer 
dollars from being sent to globalists who foment climate change 
hysteria and that provide no benefits to American citizens.
  While the underlying bill provides temporary relief from these bad 
policies, we must target the actual source of this nonsense. That is 
why my amendment is needed.
  The Office of Global Change is responsible for implementing and 
managing the U.S. international policy on climate change. It is, in 
other words, the executive office that was created with the mission 
statement of funding our enemies and destroying our own prosperity.
  This is the office that oversees all of Mr. Biden's misguided 
policies, and we must, therefore, cut off the source of that funding by 
targeting the money, not just play whack-a-mole whenever a new issue 
arises.
  Any American that is concerned about the globalist agenda 
infiltrating our sovereign decision-making process should be concerned 
about any office whose mission statement is ``global change,'' 
especially when this global change is all about disrupting and 
destroying our reliable, clean, and affordable domestic energy 
resources so that they can force a green dystopia that will cause 
energy poverty on a massive scale.
  The Office of Global Change seeks to force CCP-inspired policies on 
the U.S. so that we become more and more energy insecure while the CCP, 
the Chinese Communist Party, becomes more and more energy independent 
and secure.
  If this majority is to deliver on the promises that we made to the 
American people, which means substituting radical climate politics for 
actual real governance, we must identify and eradicate the source of 
the problems. That means defunding the Office of Global Change.
  My amendment would do just that.
  Mr. Chair, I urge all of my colleagues to support this amendment, and 
I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to 
this amendment.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, it is clear from the science 
that the most existential crisis the world faces is from the growing 
climate crisis. It is an emergency.
  Without intervention, our warming planet will have negative impacts 
on the United States and throughout the world.
  This bill already ignores the changing climate and its implications 
for so many other global challenges, including promoting food and water 
security, global health, the protection of tropical forests and other 
vital natural resources, and social and political stability in 
strategically important regions.
  According to the World Bank, changes in the environment could put 132 
million people back into extreme poverty by 2030, only a few more 
years. It also could drive the internal migration of an additional 216 
million people by 2050.

                              {time}  1415

  The State Department through the office that this amendment is 
defunding must be able to work with other countries and use every tool 
available to us to prevent the worst of increasingly ferocious natural 
disasters, failing crops, loss of biodiversity, and the rise of new 
diseases.
  The climate crisis poses threats to the stability of countries, 
heightens social and political tensions, and adversely affects food 
prices and availability. This again, as I said earlier, is according to 
our own military.
  The need for foreign assistance will only increase if we do not 
address this significant driver of crises around the world. At COP27, 
this is what we heard over and over and over again, so it is critical 
that we continue to fund the work of this office.
  Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. HAGEMAN. Mr. Chair, again, I think what folks need to understand 
is that the Office of Global Change is responsible for implementing and 
managing the U.S. international policy on climate change, the very 
purpose of which is to destroy the prosperity of the United States of 
America.
  As I listened to my colleagues on the other side talk about the 
``existential crisis'' that we face because of climate change or the 
other rote talking points that they use, what you find is that none of 
those talking points, none of that hysteria is actually rooted in 
science, other than political science.
  Every decision that has been made by the Biden administration in 
relation to energy policy has resulted in real, immediate energy 
poverty for thousands, if not millions, of people across the United 
States of America.
  The failed policies of this administration have been visited upon us 
from the very moment that Joe Biden took office when he started 
canceling pipelines to be able to deliver affordable, clean, 
accessible, reliable energy.
  I find it to be absolutely astounding to listen to the other side 
talk about issues of poverty and things around the world when we have 
an administration who right now with their policies is creating that 
very policy here.
  We watch the border crisis and we see millions of people pouring 
across the border. We see what is happening in our inner cities. We see 
what is happening with people who have to make a decision about buying 
food or buying gasoline. Yet, they want to talk about funding an agency 
that the very purpose of which is to visit energy poverty around the 
world upon millions and millions of people.
  Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of amendment 58. We 
do not need an Office of Global Change. We need to defund it. That is 
the purpose of my amendment.
  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, the gentlewoman says that this 
office is going to destroy the prosperity of America, but I would 
suggest that this amendment will continue to destroy our planet. Our 
young people deserve better.
  Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. HAGEMAN. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentlewoman from Wyoming (Ms. Hageman).
  The question was taken; and the Acting Chair announced that the ayes 
appeared to have it.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

[[Page H4788]]

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further 
proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from Wyoming 
will be postponed.


                Amendment No. 59 Offered by Ms. Hageman

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 59 
printed in part D of House Report 118-216.
  Ms. HAGEMAN. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       At the end of the bill (before the short title), add the 
     following:
       Sec. _.  None of the funds made available by this Act may 
     be used to carry out or administer any Remote Work Agreement 
     of a domestically-assigned direct-hire employee if the 
     employee's alternate worksite is located outside of the 
     locality pay area of the regular worksite for the employee's 
     position of record.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 723, the gentlewoman 
from Wyoming (Ms. Hageman) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Wyoming.
  Ms. HAGEMAN. Mr. Chairman, I rise in favor of my amendment No. 59 to 
H.R. 4665.
  Mr. Chair, this amendment would prohibit State Department Remote Work 
Agreements, which allow a domestically assigned employee's alternative 
worksite to be located outside of the locality pay area of the regular 
worksite.
  Now that is a lot of words that may seem confusing, but let me 
explain what I mean.
  What it is at bottom is it is time for the Federal workforce to 
return to work. This has been the policy of the Republicans in the 
118th Congress majority, and my amendment would bring the State 
Department in line with this stance.
  Several concerns with Federal telework and remote work arose during 
COVID. One concern rightfully echoed by countless Americans struggling 
to make ends meet is whether Federal workers were receiving increased 
locality pay based off the cost of living in larger cities while they 
were actually working remotely from a different location where the cost 
of living was much less.
  Mr. Chairman, you can imagine my concern when I found that the State 
Department's Foreign Affairs Manual defines its remote work agreement 
as ``full-time core telework arrangements in which the teleworker's 
`alternate worksite' is located outside of the locality pay area of the 
regular worksite for the employee's position of record.''
  Remote and telework for Federal employees should be used sparingly. 
It should be used to accommodate health issues. It should be used 
during a crisis. In other words, during select situations. It should 
not be used as a hidden benefit for Federal workers so that they can 
pocket extra cost-of-living cash.
  Our Republican House majority should be committed to reforming 
Federal remote work, so it is fair and reasonable and used only when 
needed.
  Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support my amendment, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to this 
amendment.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, I understand the underlying wish 
for all of us to get back to the way things were prior to the onset of 
the COVID pandemic. However, a total ban seems a bit excessive.
  The government as a whole is in competition with the private sector 
for workers. The priority of where they live has changed for some 
workers, and without being offered this flexibility, the State 
Department may find it more difficult to recruit or retrain exceptional 
employees, which seems to be the goal of some on the other side.
  Technology now exists that was never contemplated only a few years 
ago and opens new possibilities for how to be effective, productive 
participants in any office, whether physically present or not.
  We need to ensure that our national security and effective diplomacy 
is conducted by the most capable employees. Options should be available 
to the Department.
  Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment, and I yield 
back the balance of my time.
  Ms. HAGEMAN. Mr. Chairman, I think there is a misunderstanding on the 
other side of the aisle as to the purpose of my bill. The purpose of 
this bill is very simple. If you are being paid to live in Denver and 
work in Denver and your cost of living is associated with living in 
Denver, you should not be able to live in a little, tiny town of 300 
people 200 miles away that has a substantially less cost of living but 
continue to receive your benefits based upon the more expensive cost of 
living that is in Denver, Colorado.
  That is just the purpose of this. If you are going to live in a lower 
cost-of-living area and telework, you shouldn't be paid as though you 
are living in a large city. That is the point of this. It is very 
simple.
  It is about nothing more than fairness. I think the American people 
expect our Federal employees to be honest about where they are working 
and the cost of living that they have. I do not believe that it is 
fair, and the American people don't believe that it is fair that we are 
actually paying people to live in more expensive areas while they are 
living in less expensive areas.
  That is not what we agreed to as Congress. I don't believe that it is 
appropriate, and I urge my fellow Members to support amendment No. 59.
  Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentlewoman from Wyoming (Ms. Hageman).
  The amendment was agreed to.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Chair understands that amendment No. 60 will 
not be offered.


                  Amendment No. 61 Offered by Ms. Foxx

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 61 
printed in part D of House Report 118-216.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       At the end of the bill (before the short title), insert the 
     following:
       Sec. __.  None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made 
     available by this Act may be made available for any employee 
     of the Department of State to travel to or attend any 
     conference or event hosted by the Clinton Global Initiative.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 723, the gentlewoman 
from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from North Carolina.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of my amendment.
  My amendment is simple. It would prevent taxpayer funds from paying 
for State Department employees to travel to or attend events hosted by 
the Clinton Global Initiative.
  The rationale is quite simple. The Clinton Global Initiative has 
engaged in blatant corruption and influence peddling that would make 
even Hunter Biden blush.
  In perhaps its most famous episode in 2014, Hillary Clinton 
approached the Moroccan Government about hosting a Clinton Global 
Initiative conference in Morocco. The Moroccans fronted the money for 
the event by funneling it through a state-owned enterprise that was 
extracting and exploiting phosphates from a non-self-governing 
territory: Western Sahara.
  This sleight of hand amounted to condoning Morocco's sovereignty over 
this disputed land.
  You heard that right. It was a cash-for-sovereignty deal, formulated 
just as former Secretary of State Clinton began her run for President 
of the free world.
  This deal was so rotten that even Huffington Post deemed FOX News' 
investigation into this matter, ``a brutal, clean hit on Hillary 
Clinton's campaign.''
  Indeed, the Clinton Global Initiative's scandals are myriad and 
include an episode uncovered by The New York Times revealing 
undisclosed donations linked to the sale of U.S. uranium production to 
a Russian Government agency.
  As expected, the Clinton Global Initiative was unable to withstand 
the scrutiny and shuttered shortly after

[[Page H4789]]

the 2016 campaign. That is, until late last year when the organization 
reconstituted itself. Its operations are no longer dark, and this is 
the first State and Foreign Operations appropriations bill considered 
since its resurrection.
  It has since morphed into a factory of radical elitist woke schemes.
  Just last week, the Clinton Global Initiative convened in New York to 
discuss how to reshape our economy to tackle the left's pet projects 
that will make life for ordinary Americans more expensive and worse.
  Given the State Department's enmeshment with the Clintons and the 
Initiative, we need to send a clear message:
  No more coordination with the U.S. Government.
  No more conferences with corrupt governments at the expense of the 
oppressed peoples of the globe.
  No more representation and participation by the State Department--an 
end to its commingling with official policy.
  And hopefully, the beginning of the end of this corrupt 
organization's influence on U.S. policymaking.
  Mr. Chair, Americans simply can't afford more radical policies 
purveyed by an organization that allowed the global elite to buy and 
influence American foreign policy. Join me in condemning the Clinton 
Global Initiative's misconduct.
  Mr. Chair, I ask my colleagues to support my amendment, and I reserve 
the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to this 
amendment.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, boy, is this the level we have 
gotten to, to tell the State Department what meetings they cannot 
attend?
  Will we start saying what meetings they have to attend?
  The Clinton Global Initiative is a platform for government 
philanthropy, business, media, and academia to discuss identified 
problems and brainstorm solutions. We should be encouraging such 
collaboration.
  The problems facing the world are daunting, and solutions will not 
come from one place. Let's take good ideas from wherever we can and not 
micromanage who goes to what meetings.
  Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Chairman, I see that my colleague has not refuted any 
of the things that I have said about the Clinton Global Initiative.
  Why in the world, again, would we ask American taxpayers to pay for 
people from the State Department to attend these conferences when they 
are likely not to gain anything positive from them and support a 
corrupt organization?
  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, I understand what this amendment 
does, and I don't accept the fact that it is a corrupt organization. I 
do know the importance of these meetings and conferences in terms of us 
coming together for solutions to lead us to global peace and security.
  Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

                              {time}  1430

  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Chair, may I inquire as to how much time is remaining.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman from North Carolina has 1\1/2\ 
minutes remaining.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Chair, we have a terrific debt on our hands in this 
country. We don't need to be spending any money that is not absolutely 
necessary to spend.
  Curbing attendance at meetings such as the Clinton Global Initiative 
is a good way for us to chip away at that debt and to save the American 
taxpayers some money.
  I think this is an excellent amendment. I believe that my colleagues 
will see that it is an excellent amendment, and I will continue to 
advocate for its passage.
  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, finally, I will just say what this 
does: It is another attempt to chip away at our diplomacy.
  Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Chair, I appreciate the opportunity to offer this 
amendment. I believe, again, that it is good for us to highlight this 
organization and the fact that we do not need people from the State 
Department attending its meetings.
  Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx).
  The question was taken; and the Acting Chair announced that the ayes 
appeared to have it.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.
  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further 
proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from North 
Carolina will be postponed.


                  Amendment No. 62 Offered by Mr. Issa

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 62 
printed in part D of House Report 118-216.
  Mr. ISSA. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       At the end of the bill (before the short title), add the 
     following:
       Sec. _.  None of the funds appropriated by this Act may be 
     made available to support the negotiations toward an 
     extension of the Scientific and Technological Cooperation 
     Protocol Between the United States of America and China.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 723, the gentleman 
from California (Mr. Issa) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.
  Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Chair, we are in a competition right now--it is undeniable--with 
a Chinese Communist Party-led country. We have been in that race for 
more than 40 years.
  Decades ago, we made a decision that engagement would change the 
trajectory of China. It was a fair and reasonable attempt, but 
throughout those years, as China has gained power, they have only 
gained a ruthless disregard for the norms of our planet, including 
those that they bid into.
  They claim to be a fair trader; they are not. They claimed that they 
would not steal technology; they did. As a matter of fact, they have 
ruthlessly become the largest spy organization, not just on our 
military and defense structures but, in fact, on our industries. It is 
legendary the level that they have one-sided done to.
  For that reason it is time for us to shift.
  Under the last administration, we began shifting. Under this 
administration we continue to recognize China as a threat. In those 
years since we opened up our relationship, we did a number of things as 
a planet, as a world, as countries.
  Hong Kong and Macau were voluntarily given back, each based on a 
promise to their host nations that they would continue to operate in a 
way that was consistent with the democracies that had led them.
  In both cases through a slow but steady change, that has been 
completely eroded.
  An old communist statement that I think bears repeating, is that when 
we will be hung, when capitalism will be hung, they will be hung with a 
rope that we sold to the communist. It is time to stop selling rope to 
China.
  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I rise in strong opposition to this 
amendment.
  The Acing CHAIR. The gentlewoman is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, this science and technology 
agreement, or STA, with the PRC was extended for 6 months this past 
August and does not commit us to a longer-term extension. The extension 
will allow the administration time to amend and strengthen the terms of 
the STA. Without the STA, the United States would lose valuable insight 
into China's technical advances.
  Additionally, many STA outcomes have been deeply beneficial to the 
United States and the rest of the world. This includes determining the 
importance of folic acid supplementation in preventing birth defects 
and

[[Page H4790]]

decreasing China's air pollution which blows across the Pacific 
contributing to our West Coast air pollution.
  Opponents of this agreement cite concerns that the PRC would exploit 
civilian research partnerships for military purposes; however, all 
legitimate concerns about information sharing can be addressed through 
modifications to the STA, rather than eliminating it entirely.
  Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ISSA. Mr. Chair, earlier I attempted to quote Vladimir Lenin: The 
capitalist will sell the rope with which we hang them. This is exactly 
what we have been doing.
  There is another truism that came from Einstein: Insanity is doing 
the same thing over and over again expecting a different outcome.
  If the administration wants to negotiate something new and bring it 
to us in a way in which we believe the outcome will be different, let 
them do it. We simply cannot continue doing the same thing for decades 
with currently tens of thousands of actual hits on our country by the 
Chinese Communist Party to steal our technology daily--something that 
our administrations have said.
  It is no longer one of those instances in which they are stealing 
ancient technology or they are trying to catch up. When one of our 
Cabinet officers recently visited China, she arrived only to find them 
demonstrating 5G technology and 7 nanometer chip technology in order to 
show us that they had stolen the technology necessary to be cutting 
edge in the cellular world and in chip production.
  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, this amendment would not allow only 
renegotiation. That is why I oppose it.
  Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. ISSA. Mr. Chair, in closing, every day, this administration tells 
us the nature of the kind of technology theft that is going on.
  The conclusion of this amendment is simply the result of the very 
statements made not by the previous administration but by the current 
administration, and this supports the recognition. It is time to make 
real change. This amendment does that.
  Mr. Chair, I urge support of this amendment, and I yield back the 
balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Issa).
  The amendment was agreed to.


                Amendment No. 63 Offered by Mr. Burchett

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 63 
printed in part D of House Report 118-216.
  Mr. BURCHETT. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       At the end of the bill (before the short title), insert the 
     following:
       Sec. ___.  The salary of Setareh Sieg, Special Assistant to 
     the Director of Programming at Voice of America, shall be 
     reduced to $1.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 723, the gentleman 
from Tennessee (Mr. Burchett) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Tennessee.
  Mr. BURCHETT. Mr. Chair, my amendment would do one thing: It will 
reduce the salary of the special assistant to the director of 
programming at Voice of America to $1.
  This amendment follows an internal investigation which concluded the 
special assistant to the director of programming at Voice of America 
had misused Federal taxpayer dollars and lied on her resume. She was 
fired under the previous administration and then rehired at the 
beginning of this administration.
  Mr. Chair, I submit to you that people who misuse taxpayer dollars 
have no business being paid by taxpayers, and they should be fired.
  We need to get rid of corruption in our government. My amendment 
would do just that. I am requesting to reduce her salary to $1.
  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I rise in strong opposition to this 
amendment.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, once again, the subject of this 
amendment has been a public servant.
  This public servant has worked at USAGM for nearly 25 years speaking 
truth to Iranians and promoting democratic values of American society.
  Once again, if we have policy issues, let's discuss it, but, please, 
we have to stop demeaning our public servants.
  Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. BURCHETT. Mr. Chair, I submit to you that the duty of folks that 
work for the American taxpayer is not to lie and not to take taxpayer 
money illegally.
  Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Burchett).
  The question was taken; and the Acting Chair announced that the ayes 
appeared to have it.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.
  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further 
proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Tennessee 
will be postponed.


                Amendment No. 64 Offered by Mr. Burchett

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 64 
printed in part D of House Report 118-216.
  Mr. BURCHETT. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:
       At the end of the bill (before the short title), insert the 
     following:
       Sec. ___.  The salary of David Kotz, Chief Management 
     Officer at the United States Agency for Global Media, shall 
     be reduced to $1.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 723, the gentleman 
from Tennessee (Mr. Burchett) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Tennessee.
  Mr. BURCHETT. Mr. Chair, I rise to speak on this amendment, which 
will reduce the salary of the chief management officer for the U.S. 
Agency for Global Media to $1.
  The chief management officer of the U.S. Agency for Global Media is 
responsible for rehiring Setareh Sieg, who knowingly misused Federal 
tax dollars and lied on her resume.
  Whistleblowers have come forth to shed light on the rampant misuse of 
taxpayer dollars, and the chief management officer at the U.S. Agency 
for Global Media is responsible for rehiring the individual that did 
so.
  There should be no place for this conduct in public service, Mr. 
Chair. I am requesting the salary of the chief management officer at 
the U.S. Agency for Global Media be reduced to $1.
  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I rise in strong opposition to this 
amendment.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. LEE of California. The subject of this amendment, again, has 
served in the government for 15 years, including time in two inspectors 
general offices.
  Once again, the other side continues to try to really destroy our 
dedicated public servants. I don't quite understand it.
  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BURCHETT. Mr. Chair, we cannot continue to keep rewarding bad 
behavior. This isn't some soccer game where nobody keeps score and 
everybody gets a trophy. This is the American government. We are 
responsible to the taxpayers for this money.
  I submit to you, Mr. Chair, that this type of activity, if we turn 
the other cheek, it will continue to run rampant in our society and in 
our government, and we have got to start somewhere, Mr. Chair.
  We are $33 trillion in debt, and paying people that are doing things 
that are illegal should not be the makeup of this government.

[[Page H4791]]

  Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

                              {time}  1445

  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, bad behavior is not being rewarded. 
Public servants are doing their jobs, and they are carrying out the 
policies of the United States of America.
  This is a personnel decision. All of these would be personnel 
decisions. Unfortunately, they are being politicized, and it is really 
a shame and disgrace that our public servants, who represent us so 
well, are the subject of these despicable attacks.
  Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Burchett).
  The question was taken; and the Acting Chair announced that the ayes 
appeared to have it.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.
  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further 
proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Tennessee 
will be postponed.
  Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Chair, I move that the Committee do now rise.
  The motion was agreed to.
  Accordingly, the Committee rose; and the Speaker pro tempore (Mr. 
Alford) having assumed the chair, Mr. Luttrell, Acting Chair of the 
Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union, reported that 
that Committee, having had under consideration the bill (H.R. 4665) 
making appropriations for the Department of State, foreign operations, 
and related programs for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, and 
for other purposes, had come to no resolution thereon.

                          ____________________