[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 123 (Monday, July 29, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S5555]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 3186. Mr. KAINE (for himself and Mr. Young) 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 X, add the following:

     SEC. 1067. ANNUAL UNFUNDED PRIORITY REPORT.

       (a) Short Title.--This section may be cited as the ``Fully 
     Funding our National Security Priorities Act''.
       (b) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
       (1) A report issued by the Department of State in 2023 
     identified a $41,300,000,000 gap between the resources made 
     available to the Department of State and the United States 
     Agency for International Development and the resources 
     required to effectively counter the People's Republic of 
     China in the Indo-Pacific region.
       (2) While the Department of State and the United States 
     Agency for International Development remain less than fully 
     funded, the PRC has provided some $1,340,000,000,000 in 
     grants and loans over the past 22 years. In October 2023, the 
     PRC and President Xi announced an additional $100,000,000,000 
     for China's development banks.
       (3) As competitors like the PRC and Russia expand their 
     global diplomatic footprints, the Department of State today 
     has, on average, a 13 percent staffing gap.
       (c) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
       (1) the United States is a beacon of democracy and freedom 
     in an increasingly fraught world;
       (2) the Department of State, as a critical national 
     security agency, remains chronically understaffed and 
     underfunded at a time when geopolitical rivals, including the 
     People's Republic of China, are rapidly expanding their 
     global diplomatic presences; and
       (3) it is imperative to empower the Department of State and 
     the United States Agency for International Development to 
     ensure the United States can--
       (A) effectively advance the national security interests of 
     the United States;
       (B) respond strategically to emerging technologies; and
       (C) respond with flexibility to metastasizing global 
     threats.
       (d) Defined Term.--In this section, the term ``unfunded 
     priority'', with respect to a fiscal year, means a program, 
     activity, or mission requirement of an element of the 
     Department of State or the United States Agency for 
     International Development (referred to in this section as 
     ``USAID'') that--
       (1) is not funded in the budget for such fiscal year 
     submitted by the President to Congress pursuant to section 
     1105 of title 31, United States Code;
       (2) is necessary to fulfill a foreign policy or national 
     security objective or to satisfy an information requirement 
     associated with a goal or objective outlined in the Joint 
     Strategic Plan agreed upon by the Department of State and 
     USA/ID; and
       (3) would have been recommended for funding by the 
     Secretary of State or the USAID Administrator if--
       (A) additional resources had been available for such budget 
     to fund such program, activity, or mission requirement; or
       (B) the program, activity, or mission requirement has 
     emerged since such budget was formulated.
       (e) Annual Report.--
       (1) In general.--Not later than 10 days after the date on 
     which the budget for any fiscal year is submitted by the 
     President to Congress, the Secretary of State and the USAID 
     Administrator shall each prepare and submit a report to the 
     Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate, the Committee 
     on Appropriations of the Senate, the Committee on Foreign 
     Affairs of the House of Representatives, and the Committee on 
     Appropriations of the House of Representatives the unfunded 
     priorities of the programs under the jurisdiction of the 
     Secretary or the Administrator, as applicable.
       (2) Elements.--
       (A) In general.--Each report submitted to Congress pursuant 
     to paragraph (1) shall include, with respect to each unfunded 
     priority covered by such report--
       (i) a summary description of such priority, including the 
     objectives to be achieved if such priority is funded (whether 
     in whole or in part);
       (ii) the additional amount of funds recommended to be made 
     available to achieve the objectives referred to in clause 
     (i); and
       (iii) budget information with respect to such priority, 
     including--

       (I) the appropriation account;
       (II) the expenditure center; and
       (III) the project and, if applicable, any subprojects.

       (B) Prioritization.--Each report submitted to Congress 
     pursuant to paragraph (1) shall present the unfunded 
     priorities covered by such report in overall order of urgency 
     of priority among unfunded priorities.
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