S.Amdt. 3553

SA 3553. Mrs. SHAHEEN submitted an amendment intended to be proposed
by her to the bill S. 2296, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year
2026 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 C of title XII, add the following:

SEC. 1230B. ENABLING THE KYIV EMBASSY TO OPERATE AT FULL
CAPACITY.

(a) Termination of Personnel Cap.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary of State shall terminate all
restrictions on the number of United States personnel
permitted to be posted at the United States Embassy in Kyiv,
Ukraine (in this section referred to as ``Embassy Kyiv'').
(2) Restoration of staffing.--The Secretary of State shall
take all steps required to return at least the number of
personnel at Embassy Kyiv to the level present on January 1,
2025. This level of staffing shall constitute a minimum
number of personnel present at Embassy Kyiv, unless the post
is put on Authorized or Ordered Departure status pursuant to
a request from Embassy Kyiv's Emergency Action Committee.
(3) Waiver.--
(A) In general.--The Secretary of State may waive the
requirements under paragraphs (1) or (2) if the Secretary
submits to the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate
and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of
Representatives a report certifying one of the following
conditions:
(i) Russian forces have broken through the line of contact
between Ukrainian and Russian forces as it existed in July
2025.
(ii) Russian forces have established air superiority over
Ukraine.
(iii) Either of the events described in clauses (i) or (ii)
are likely to occur within 30 days time.
(B) Form.--The report required under subparagraph (A) may
be submitted in classified form.
(b) Travel Authorization.--All decisions regarding the
ability of United States personnel to travel within Ukraine
shall rest exclusively with the Chief of Mission at Embassy
Kyiv.
(c) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) Embassy Kyiv requires additional capacity and
flexibility to carry out the functions expected of our
professional diplomats in Ukraine by Congress;
(2) the Ukrainian armed forces have heroically kept Russian
forces a safe distance from Kyiv for United States personnel
to operate and support our Ukrainian partners; and
(3) the women and men at Embassy Kyiv are brave and
committed personnel who understand both the risks of
operating in a country at war and the meaningful impact they
can impart through advancing the United States mission in
Ukraine.
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