[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 113 (Monday, July 13, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Page S3836]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 6638. Mr. CURTIS 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 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 networks and influence operations 
     in Latin America.
       (c) Contents of Strategy.--The strategy required under 
     subsection (b) shall include--
       (1) initiatives that strengthen the capacity of the United 
     States to identify, monitor, and disrupt Iran's and 
     Hezbollah's malign networks, including their cooperation 
     academic institutions and nongovernmental organizations in 
     Latin America;
       (2) a framework for taking actions, similar to those 
     implemented against Al-Manar and Press TV, to disrupt 
     Hezbollah's Al Mayadeen Espanol platform, including 
     sanctions, designations, and cooperation with regional 
     partners to limit their broadcasting reach and digital 
     presence;
       (3) a plan to expose Iran's Al Mustafa International 
     University network and its affiliated entities, including by 
     working with local governments to address its role in 
     radicalization and recruitment for Iran's ideological and 
     terrorist objectives;
       (4) initiatives designed to weaken the ability of Iranian- 
     and Hezbollah-linked individuals from engaging in drugs and 
     contraband smuggling and money laundering;
       (5) actions to restrict Iranian- and Hezbollah-linked 
     networks from their ability to exploit natural resources for 
     financial gain, including by benefitting from illicit mining, 
     including of gold, in Venezuela and elsewhere in the region; 
     and
       (6) initiatives aimed at working with partners and allies 
     to counter Hezbollah document fraud operations, including the 
     production of falsified passports, birth certificates, 
     driver's licenses, and other government identification.
       (d) Form.--The strategy required under subsection (b) shall 
     be submitted in unclassified form and may include a 
     classified annex.
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