[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 6264. 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. REPORT ON BENEFITS OF FACT-BASED JOURNALISM IN 
                   INDO-PACIFIC REGION.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, in 
     consultation with the Secretary of State, shall submit to the 
     appropriate committees of Congress a report outlining the 
     benefits, to United States defense and security objectives in 
     the Indo-Pacific region, of editorially independent, fact-
     based journalism in the Indo-Pacific region, including 
     throughout the Pacific Islands.
       (b) Elements.--The report required by subsection (a) shall 
     include an assessment of the following:
       (1) The benefits to United States defense and security 
     interests of an information environment in the Indo-Pacific 
     region, including the Pacific Islands, that includes fact-
     based reporting on the malign activities of competitors and 
     adversaries in the region.
       (2) The risks to Department of Defense operations and 
     activities of insufficient editorially independent news media 
     in the Indo-Pacific region.
       (c) Form.--The report required by subsection (a) shall be 
     submitted in unclassified form but may include a classified 
     annex.
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