[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 120 (Wednesday, July 24, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S5439]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 3127. Mr. CARDIN submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by 
him to the bill S. 4638, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 
2025 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military 
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, 
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for 
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the end of subtitle F of title XII, add the following:

     SEC. 1291. OFFICE OF THE CHIEF ECONOMIST.

       (a) In General.--There is established at the Department of 
     State an Office of the Chief Economist.
       (b) Duties.--The Office will be led by the Chief Economist 
     of the Department of State, at the Senior Executive Service 
     or equivalent level, and shall be responsible for--
       (1) conducting economic research, collecting and analyzing 
     data, and preparing reports and assessments and policy 
     recommendations to senior Department leadership on 
     international economic trends, opportunities, and challenges 
     and unanticipated global developments with economic impacts; 
     and
       (2) providing economic analysis to inform policy making, 
     including related to--
       (A) international trade and trade policy;
       (B) international macroeconomics and finance;
       (C) economic development;
       (D) competition and industrial strategy;
       (E) economic sanctions development and implementation, and 
     sanctions evasion; and
       (F) capacity building;
       (3) coordinating with allies and partners, other relevant 
     agencies, departments, and stakeholders on international 
     economic matters;
       (4) identifying countries vulnerable to PRC economic 
     coercion, and analyzing commodities, products, services, and 
     other economic linkages of each such country that may be 
     vulnerable targets for PRC economic coercion, including 
     examining risk factors such as--
       (A) perishability;
       (B) strategic or political value, or to regional or global 
     supply chains;
       (C) proportion of the total export value for the exporting 
     country of the product being exported to a country engaged in 
     economic coercion;
       (D) potential exposure of the product to arbitrary or 
     excessive regulatory, phytosanitary, or other safety or 
     inspection requirements; and
       (E) reliance of a country on the import of such 
     commodities, product, or services; and
       (5) analyzing and monitoring economic linkages to identify 
     goods and commodities with respect to which United States 
     allies and partners may be vulnerable to economic coercion 
     that is informed by--
       (A) current market data;
       (B) information, including United States intelligence, on 
     economic coercion strategies;
       (C) relevant data from before, during and after past 
     instances of economic coercion; and
       (D) any other relevant information needed to support 
     economic analysis and policy recommendations, including 
     access to information technology systems which integrate and 
     synthesize economic and related data.
       (c) Personnel.--In addition to a qualified professional 
     Chief Economist, the Secretary of State is authorized to 
     employ sufficient full-time equivalent individuals to fully 
     execute the Office of the Chief Economist, including--
       (1) a Deputy Chief Economist, who must be a qualified 
     professional economist;
       (2) at least four qualified professional economists at the 
     GS-15 level;
       (3) a Chief Data Officer;
       (4) a Chief of Staff;
       (5) research economists;
       (6) career members of the foreign service, including 
     program support staff; and
       (7) temporary staff, including fellows.
       (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized 
     to be appropriated $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 
     through 2029 for the Office for personnel costs, project and 
     data services, and limited travel funds.
                                 ______