[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Page S3420]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 6263. Mr. SCHATZ submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by 
him 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 D of title XII, add the following:

     SEC. 1252. INITIATIVE FOR ENHANCED COOPERATION WITH JAPAN AND 
                   THE PHILIPPINES.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall 
     establish an initiative to enhance trilateral cooperation 
     among the United States, Japan, and the Philippines (referred 
     to in this section as the ``Initiative'').
       (b) Elements.--The Initiative shall address the following 
     issues:
       (1) Maritime cooperation and information sharing.
       (2) Economic security.
       (3) Digital, cyber, and technology cooperation.
       (4) Humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
       (5) Any other matter the Secretary of State considers 
     appropriate.
       (c) Designated Official.--
       (1) In general.--The Secretary of State shall designate an 
     employee of the Department of State to be responsible for the 
     Initiative.
       (2) Additional roles.--The official designated under 
     paragraph (1) may carry out additional roles within the 
     Department of State.
       (d) Trilateral Working Group.--The Secretary of State shall 
     seek to establish, within the United States Embassy in 
     Manila, a trilateral working group to support the Initiative 
     that includes representatives from the Government of the 
     Philippines and the Embassy of Japan in Manila.
       (e) Congressional Engagement.--Not later than 180 days 
     after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
     State shall--
       (1) notify the appropriate committees of Congress of the 
     official designated under subsection (c)(1); and
       (2) make such official available to provide briefings to 
     Congress on plans to enhance trilateral cooperation under the 
     Initiative.
       (f) Report.--
       (1) In general.--Not later than one year after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the 
     Secretary of State, in coordination with head of any relevant 
     Federal department or agency, shall submit to the appropriate 
     committees of Congress a report that--
       (A) details the results of cooperation under the 
     Initiative;
       (B) describes trilateral engagements and initiatives; and
       (C) explains any barriers to enhanced cooperation.
       (2) Form.--Each report required by paragraph (1) shall be 
     submitted in unclassified form but may include a classified 
     annex.
       (g) Appropriate Committees of Congress Defined.--In this 
     section, the term ``appropriate committees of Congress'' 
     means--
       (1) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on 
     Armed Services of the Senate; and
       (2) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on 
     Armed Services of the House of Representatives.
                                 ______