S.Amdt. 4490

SA 4490. Mr. RISCH submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to
amendment SA 3867 submitted by Mr. Reed and intended to be proposed to
the bill H.R. 4350, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2022
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. 1253. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR COUNTERING
CHINESE INFLUENCE FUND.

(a) Countering Chinese Influence Fund.--There is authorized
to be appropriated $300,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022
through 2026 for the Countering Chinese Influence Fund to
counter the malign influence of the Chinese Communist Party
globally. Amounts appropriated pursuant to this authorization
are authorized to remain available until expended and shall
be in addition to amounts otherwise authorized to be
appropriated to counter such influence.
(b) Consultation Required.--The obligation of funds
appropriated or otherwise made available to counter the
malign influence of the Chinese Communist Party globally
shall be subject to prior consultation with, and consistent
with section 634A of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22
U.S.C. 2394-1), the regular notification procedures of--
(1) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on
Appropriations of the Senate; and
(2) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on
Appropriations of the House of Representatives.
(c) Policy Guidance, Coordination, and Approval.--
(1) Coordinator.--The Secretary of State shall designate an
existing senior official of the Department at the rank of
Assistant Secretary or above to provide policy guidance,
coordination, and approval for the obligation of funds
authorized pursuant to subsection (a).
(2) Duties.--The senior official designated pursuant to
paragraph (1) shall be responsible for--
(A) on an annual basis, the identification of specific
strategic priorities for using the funds authorized to be
appropriated by subsection (a), such as geographic areas of
focus or functional categories of programming that funds are
to be concentrated within, consistent with the national
interests of the United States and the purposes of this
division;
(B) the coordination and approval of all programming
conducted using the funds authorized to be appropriated by
subsection (a), based on a determination that such
programming directly counters the malign influence of the
Chinese Communist Party, including specific activities or
policies advanced by the Chinese Communist Party, pursuant to
the strategic objectives of the United States, as established
in the 2017 National Security Strategy, the 2018 National
Defense Strategy, and other relevant national and regional
strategies as appropriate;
(C) ensuring that all programming approved bears a
sufficiently direct nexus to such acts by the Chinese
Communist Party described in subsection (d) and adheres to
the requirements outlined in subsection (e); and

[[Page S7988]]

(D) conducting oversight, monitoring, and evaluation of the
effectiveness of all programming conducted using the funds
authorized to be appropriated by subsection (a) to ensure
that it advances United States interests and degrades the
ability of the Chinese Communist Party, to advance activities
that align with subsection (d) of this section.
(3) Interagency coordination.--The senior official
designated pursuant to paragraph (1) shall, in coordinating
and approving programming pursuant to paragraph (2), seek
to--
(A) conduct appropriate interagency consultation; and
(B) ensure, to the maximum extent practicable, that all
approved programming functions in concert with other Federal
activities to counter the malign influence and activities of
the Chinese Communist Party.
(4) Assistant coordinator.--The Administrator of the United
States Agency for International Development shall designate a
senior official at the rank of Assistant Administrator or
above to assist and consult with the senior official
designated pursuant to paragraph (1).
(d) Malign Influence.--In this section, the term ``malign
influence'' with respect to the Chinese Communist Party
should be construed to include acts conducted by the Chinese
Communist Party or entities acting on its behalf that--
(1) undermine a free and open international order;
(2) advance an alternative, repressive international order
that bolsters the Chinese Communist Party's hegemonic
ambitions and is characterized by coercion and dependency;
(3) undermine the national security or sovereignty of the
United States or other countries; or
(4) undermine the economic security of the United States or
other countries, including by promoting corruption.
(e) Countering Malign Influence.--In this section,
countering malign influence through the use of funds
authorized to be appropriated by subsection (a) shall include
efforts to--
(1) promote transparency and accountability, and reduce
corruption, including in governance structures targeted by
the malign influence of the Chinese Communist Party;
(2) support civil society and independent media to raise
awareness of and increase transparency regarding the negative
impact of activities related to the Belt and Road Initiative
and associated initiatives;
(3) counter transnational criminal networks that benefit,
or benefit from, the malign influence of the Chinese
Communist Party;
(4) encourage economic development structures that help
protect against predatory lending schemes, including support
for market-based alternatives in key economic sectors, such
as digital economy, energy, and infrastructure;
(5) counter activities that provide undue influence to the
security forces of the People's Republic of China;
(6) expose misinformation and disinformation of the Chinese
Communist Party's propaganda, including through programs
carried out by the Global Engagement Center; and
(7) counter efforts by the Chinese Communist Party to
legitimize or promote authoritarian ideology and governance
models.
______