[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 104 (Monday, June 22, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3013-S3014]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 5892. Mr. THUNE (for Mr. Curtis) submitted an amendment intended 
to be proposed by Mr. Thune to the bill S. 4784, to authorize 
appropriations for fiscal year 2027 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 E of title XII, add the following:

     SEC. 1270A. STRATEGY TO COUNTER IRANIAN AND HEZBOLLAH 
                   INFLUENCE OPERATIONS IN LATIN AMERICA.

       (a) Short Titles.--This section may be cited as the 
     ``Barring Adversarial Networks and Notorious Extremist 
     Destabilizers in Latin America Act'' or the ``BANNED in Latin 
     America Act''.
       (b) Strategy Required.--Not later than 180 days after the 
     date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State 
     shall submit a comprehensive strategy to the Committee on 
     Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign 
     Affairs of the House of Representatives for countering Iran's 
     and Hezbollah's propaganda, missionary networks, and 
     influence operations in Latin America.
       (c) Contents of Strategy.--The strategy required under 
     subsection (b) shall include--
       (1) measures that address the proliferation of Iranian 
     cultural centers in Latin America that promote Iranian 
     ideology, including diplomatic efforts to limit their 
     operations, sanctions on affiliated entities, and public 
     diplomacy to expose their activities;
       (2) actions that restrict the travel and activities of 
     Iranian emissaries, including diplomats, cultural attaches, 
     and other agents who facilitate propaganda, radicalization, 
     and terror-supporting networks in Latin America, through visa 
     denials, sanctions, or other travel restrictions;
       (3) initiatives that strengthen the capacity of United 
     States intelligence agencies to identify, monitor, and 
     disrupt Iran's and Hezbollah's networks, including their 
     cooperation academic institutions and nongovernmental 
     organizations in Latin America;

[[Page S3014]]

       (4) a framework for taking actions, similar to those 
     implemented against Al-Manar and Press TV, to disrupt Iran's 
     HispanTV and Hezbollah's Al Mayadeen Espanol platforms, 
     including sanctions, designations, and cooperation with 
     regional partners to limit their broadcasting reach and 
     digital presence; and
       (5) a plan to address Iran's Al Mustafa International 
     University network and its affiliated entities, including by 
     designating them as foreign terrorist organizations or 
     specially designated global terrorists, as appropriate, due 
     to their respective roles in radicalization and recruitment 
     for Iran's ideological and terrorist objectives.
       (d) Form.--The strategy required under subsection (b) shall 
     be submitted in unclassified form and may include a 
     classified annex.
                                 ______