[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Page S3622]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 6509. Mrs. SHAHEEN submitted an amendment intended to be proposed
by her 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 title XII, add the following:
Subtitle F--Reporting on Syria
SEC. 1281. REPORT ON THE IMPACT OF UNITED STATES ASSISTANCE.
(a) Report Required.--Not later than 60 days after the date
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall
submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report
that describes the foreign assistance strategy of the United
States in support of United States-Syria policy and provides
comprehensive details on foreign assistance programs
(including humanitarian and nonhumanitarian efforts) inside
Syria paused or canceled since January 2025.
(b) Elements.--The report required under subsection (a)
shall include, at a minimum, the following elements:
(1) A listing of any United States foreign assistance
program currently operating in Syria, including a description
of the scope of each program and how each program serves
United States objectives in Syria.
(2) A description of efforts to leverage international
donors, multilateral organizations, charities, or other
external funders to fill gaps, where they exist.
(3) An accounting of all sustained and ongoing humanitarian
and foreign assistance programs inside Syria, including a
comprehensive description of each project, any supporting
organizations, relevant details related to funding,
performance metrics, progress towards meeting United States
objectives, and other relevant details, as needed.
SEC. 1282. STRATEGY ON ISIS-RELATED DETAINEE AND DISPLACEMENT
CAMPS IN SYRIA.
Section 1262 of the National Defense Authorization Act for
Fiscal Year 2024 (Public Law 118-31) is amended--
(1) in subsection (e)(1), by inserting ``, and annually
thereafter through January 2029,'' after ``Not later than 180
days after the date of the enactment of this Act''; and
(2) in subsection (f)(1)--
(A) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking
``January 31, 2025'' and inserting ``January 31, 2029''; and
(B) in subparagraph (A), by striking clause (ii) and
inserting the following:
``(ii) an assessment of the status of all United States
efforts, including via foreign assistance, to encourage and
facilitate repatriation and reintegration of all individuals
from such camps, consistent with all relevant domestic and
applicable international laws;''.
SEC. 1283. STRATEGY FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH SYRIAN AUTHORITIES
AND FOR EVALUATING SECURITY AT THE UNITED
STATES MISSION.
(a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) the United States should take measures to expand its
engagement with Syrian authorities in support of mutual
national security interests, such as combating terrorism,
eliminating chemical weapons, and mitigating Captagon
smuggling; and
(2) the Department of State should take measures to
evaluate and mitigate known security vulnerabilities at the
United States mission in Damascus in support of eventually
reopening the embassy compound for official usage.
(b) Report Required.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 60 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, and every 180 days thereafter
until January 1, 2029, the Secretary of State shall submit to
the appropriate congressional committees a report that
describes the strategy of the United States to establish and
sustain deepened engagement with Syrian authorities and
assesses in detail the security conditions at the United
States mission in Damascus and any known security
preparations to re-establish operations on the compound.
(2) Elements.--The report required under paragraph (1)
shall include, at a minimum, the following elements:
(A) A strategy to strengthen and sustain broader United
States engagement with Syrian authorities, which includes
policy objectives, staffing plans domestically and overseas,
regional engagement efforts, and efforts to engage Syrians,
including activists, political groups, and civil society
organizations.
(B) A detailed accounting of progress made on the
engagement strategy, including meetings, travel, staffing
patterns and changes, and notable gaps or areas where
additional engagement is needed.
(C) A comprehensive assessment of security conditions at
the United States mission in Damascus, any notable changes or
progress made towards hardening security, and any progress
towards re-establishing a permanent presence or re-opening
the embassy.
SEC. 1284. STRATEGY TO ENSURE THE ENDURING DEFEAT OF ISIS IN
SYRIA.
(a) Strategy Required.--Not later than 90 days after the
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in
consultation with the Secretary of Defense and the heads of
other appropriate Federal agencies, shall jointly develop and
submit to the appropriate congressional committees a strategy
to combat and prevent the further resurgence of ISIS and its
affiliates in Syria.
(b) Elements of the Strategy.--The strategy required under
subsection (a) shall include the following elements:
(1) A summary of the United States national security
interests in Syria and the impact a resurgence of ISIS would
have on those interests.
(2) A comprehensive assessment of current training and
support programs by agency or department, specifically
focused on countering ISIS and other terrorist organizations,
including nonlethal assistance, training, and organizational
capacity for the Syrian authorities and others to counter
gains by ISIS and its affiliates.
(3) A detailed description of United States Government
efforts to support, develop, and expand the capacity of
Syrian authorities to combat ISIS and prevent its return.
(4) An estimate of the number of current, active ISIS
members in Iraq and Syria, including an assessment of those
being held in detainee camps or prisons.
(5) A comprehensive plan to repatriate or secure ISIS
detainees currently being held in Syria and Iraq, including--
(A) repatriation, transfer, prosecution, and intelligence-
gathering;
(B) coordinating a whole-of-government approach with other
countries and international organizations, including
INTERPOL, to ensure secure chains of custody and locations of
ISIS foreign terrorist fighter detainees;
(C) coordinating technical and evidentiary assistance to
foreign countries to aid in the successful prosecution of
ISIS foreign terrorist fighter detainees;
(D) multilateral and international engagements led by the
Department of State and other agencies that are related to
the current and future handling, detention, and prosecution
of ISIS foreign terrorist fighter detainees;
(E) engagement with international partners on legal,
tenable mechanisms for repatriating foreign fighters; and
(F) a plan for how funds in appropriations Acts will
support disarmament, demobilization, disengagement,
deradicalization, and reintegration of current and former
members and affiliates of ISIS and their family members.
(6) A description, which may be in classified form, of ISIS
senior leadership and infrastructure and efforts to target
leadership figures.
(7) A comprehensive description of the activities of the
United States Government, utilizing social media and other
communication technologies, to counter ISIS's propaganda and
influence and its ability to use such technologies to recruit
fighters domestically and internationally, including through
private technology companies and a description of how such
activities are being coordinated across the United States
Government.
(8) A description of the steps taken by the United States
Government, including through the use of economic sanctions
to deny financial resources to ISIS and its affiliates, in
conjunction with international partners and financial
institutions.
(9) A description of United States Government efforts to
support credible war crimes prosecutions against ISIS
fighters.
(10) A plan to ensure the delivery of humanitarian and
reintegration assistance.
(c) Appropriate Congressional Committees Defined.--In this
section, the term ``appropriate congressional committees''
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.
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