HR8625Referred to Committee

USTDA Modernization Act of 2026

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Introduced
In Committee
3
Passed One Chamber
4
Passed Both
5
Signed into Law
119th
Congress
2026-04-30
Introduced
1
Cosponsors
HR
ⓘ
Type

Sponsor

James C. Moylan
James C. Moylan
Republican · GU · Representative
Votes with party: 63.6% (55 recorded votes)

Full profile: /officials/M001219

Source: Congress.gov · FEC

Cosponsors (1)

Members who have signed on to support this bill since introduction. Source: Congress.gov.

Latest Action

The most recent step in the bill's legislative path. Committee Activity below shows referrals and reports; the full action-by-action history including floor proceedings lives at Congress.gov →

Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

2026-04-30

Source: Congress.gov

Committee Activity

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Plain-English Summary

The proposal would allow the U.S. government to provide development aid and assistance to wealthy countries, which is not currently permitted under existing foreign aid law. This change would expand where American foreign aid dollars can be spent, potentially supporting development projects in high-income nations alongside traditional aid to lower-income countries. The measure is currently being reviewed by the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

AI-assisted summary generated from the official bill metadata (title, subjects, actions) sourced from Congress.gov. Cached and reviewed. Always verify against the official text linked below.

Subjects

International Affairs

Full Bill Text

Verbatim text published on Congress.gov via GovInfo. Use Cmd+F / Ctrl+F to search within this excerpt.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 8625 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 8625 To amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize assistance for certain development activities in high-income countries, and for other purposes. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES April 30, 2026 Mr. Moylan (for himself and Ms. Tokuda) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize assistance for certain development activities in high-income countries, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``United States Trade and Development Agency Modernization Act of 2026'' or the ``USTDA Modernization Act of 2026''. SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS. It is the sense of Congress that the United States Trade and Development Agency plays a critical role in advancing United States commercial, energy, digital, and infrastructure interests in priority emerging markets by supporting early-stage project preparation and technical assistance and should be authorized to allocate some of its annual program funds for activities in high-income countries that directly affect United States economic and national security. SEC. 3. EXPANSION OF COUNTRY ELIGIBILITY. Section 661(b) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2421(b)) is amended-- (1) by redesignating paragraphs (3), (4), and (5) as paragraphs (4), (5), and (6), respectively; and (2) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following: ``(3) Assistance in high-income countries.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Director of the Trade and Development Agency is authorized to provide not more than 15 percent of the total amount of funds appropriated in a fiscal year for assistance under this section for-- ``(A) activities described in paragraph (2) in high-income countries; or ``(B) projects in high-income countries that serve United States strategic interests in the energy, critical minerals, transport, or telecommunications sectors.''. SEC. 4. PERSONNEL AUTHORITIES. Section 661(c) of such Act (22 U.S.C. 2421(c)) is amended-- (1) in paragraph (2)(C), by striking ``2'' and inserting ``5'' before ``may be appointed''; and (2) by adding at the end the following: ``(3) Personal services contractors.-- ``(A) The Trade and Development Agency may contract with individuals for personal services, and such individuals may not be considered Federal employees for the purpose of any provision of law administered by the Director of the Office of Personnel Management. ``(B) The Director shall submit to Congress an annual report describing the number of individuals contracted for personal services by the Trade and Development Agency, the roles of such contractors, and the costs associated with such contracts.''. <all>
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