HR 5246
Cleared committee
Creates a State Department Under Secretary for Political Affairs and several regional posts, including ambassadors for the Arctic and Indian Ocean, and allows a China influence fund unit within the East Asian and Pacific bureau.
Official title: To provide for the political affairs authorities of the Department of State, and for other purposes.
Timeline each lane is a chamber; dates pull from congress.gov actions
House
Introduced
10-SEP-2025
Referred
10-SEP-2025
Approved by committee
18-SEP-2025
- Establishes an Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs responsible for regional and bilateral diplomacy, and authorizes funds for fiscal years 2026 and 2027.
- Requires the Under Secretary to notify Congress at least 15 days before changing any regional bureau's geographic or functional jurisdiction, with a justification.
- Establishes ambassadors-at-large for the Arctic and the Indian Ocean Region, and requires the President to nominate the Indian Ocean ambassador by April 1, 2026.
- Allows a Countering PRC Influence Fund Unit within the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, which terminates two years after enactment.
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CRS is the Library of Congress's nonpartisan research office. Check on congress.gov- Foreign Affairs Committee (House)
International Affairs
No cosponsors.