S.Amdt. 5761

1. Adds SEC. 1254. INCREASING DEPARTMENT OF STATE PERSONNEL AND RESOURCES DEVOTED TO THE INDO-PACIFIC REGION at the end of subtitle D of title XII of division A

   Adds a section

   In S.Amdt. 5499 as proposed

   (2) modifies or deletes in any way the content of the project as a result of any direction from any entity of the Government of the People's Republic of China or the Chinese Communist Party.

   Inserted: SEC. 1254. INCREASING DEPARTMENT OF STATE PERSONNEL AND RESOURCES DEVOTED TO THE INDO-PACIFIC REGION.

   Inserted: (a) Action Plan.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit an action plan to the appropriate committees of Congress that--

   Inserted: (1) identifies requirements to advance United States strategic objectives in the Indo-Pacific region and the personnel and budgetary resources needed to meet such objectives, assuming an unconstrained resource environment;

   Inserted: (2) includes a plan for increasing the portion of the Department of State's budget that is dedicated to the Indo-Pacific region in terms of diplomatic engagement and foreign assistance focused on development, economic, and security assistance;

   Inserted: (3) includes a summary of the actions that have been taken to increase the number of positions at posts in the Indo-Pacific region and bureaus with responsibility for the Indo-Pacific region, and an action plan for further increasing such positions during the next 2 fiscal years including--

   Inserted: (A) a description of increases at each post or bureau;

   Inserted: (B) a breakdown of increases by cone;

   Inserted: (C) a description of how such increases in personnel will advance United States strategic objectives in the Indo-Pacific region; and

   Inserted: (D) a description of training opportunities to be provided to such officers to improve their abilities--

   Inserted: (i) to advance free, fair, and reciprocal trade and open investment environments for United States companies, and engaged in increased commercial diplomacy in key markets;

   Inserted: (ii) to better articulate and explain United States policies;

   Inserted: (iii) to strengthen civil society and democratic principles;

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   Inserted: (iv) to enhance reporting on the People's Republic of China's global activities;

   Inserted: (v) to promote people-to-people exchanges;

   Inserted: (vi) to advance United States' influence in the Indo-Pacific region; and

   Inserted: (vii) to increase capacity at small- and medium-sized embassies and consulates in the Indo-Pacific region and in other regions around the world, as necessary;

   Inserted: (4) defines concrete and annual benchmarks that the Department of State will meet in implementing the action plan; and

   Inserted: (5) describes any barriers to implementing the action plan.

   Inserted: (b) Updates to Report and Briefing.--Not later than 90 days after the submission of the action plan required under subsection (a), and semiannually thereafter until September 30, 2030, the Secretary of State shall submit an updated action plan and brief the appropriate committees of Congress on the implementation of such action plan, with supporting data, including a detailed assessment of benchmarks that have been reached.

   Inserted: (c) Secretary of State Certification.--Not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit a certification to the appropriate committees of Congress that indicates whether or not the benchmarks described in the action plan required under subsection (a) have been met. This certification requirement may not be delegated to another Department of State official.

   Inserted: (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be appropriated, for fiscal year 2024--

   Inserted: (1) $2,300,000,000 for bilateral and regional foreign assistance resources to carry out the purposes of part 1 and chapter 4 of part II of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq. and 2346 et seq.) in the Indo-Pacific region; and

   Inserted: (2) $1,000,000,000 for diplomatic engagement resources to the Indo-Pacific region.

   Original wording

   At the end of subtitle D of title XII of division A, add the following:

Read automatically from the Congressional Record. Check the original before relying on it.

As printed