Text of Senate Amendment 6509

On 2026-06-24, Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) delivered a floor speech titled "Text Of Senate Amendment 6509" in the Senate.

Text of Senate Amendment 6509

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026)] [Senate] [Page S3622] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] SA 6509. Mrs. SHAHEEN submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by her to the bill S. 4784, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2027 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 title XII, add the following: Subtitle F--Reporting on Syria SEC. 1281. REPORT ON THE IMPACT OF UNITED STATES ASSISTANCE. (a) Report Required.--Not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report that describes the foreign assistance strategy of the United States in support of United States-Syria policy and provides comprehensive details on foreign assistance programs (including humanitarian and nonhumanitarian efforts) inside Syria paused or canceled since January 2025. (b) Elements.--The report required under subsection (a) shall include, at a minimum, the following elements: (1) A listing of any United States foreign assistance program currently operating in Syria, including a description of the scope of each program and how each program serves United States objectives in Syria. (2) A description of efforts to leverage international donors, multilateral organizations, charities, or other external funders to fill gaps, where they exist. (3) An accounting of all sustained and ongoing humanitarian and foreign assistance programs inside Syria, including a comprehensive description of each project, any supporting organizations, relevant details related to funding, performance metrics, progress towards meeting United States objectives, and other relevant details, as needed. SEC. 1282. STRATEGY ON ISIS-RELATED DETAINEE AND DISPLACEMENT CAMPS IN SYRIA. Section 1262 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (Public Law 118-31) is amended-- (1) in subsection (e)(1), by inserting ``, and annually thereafter through January 2029,'' after ``Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act''; and (2) in subsection (f)(1)-- (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking ``January 31, 2025'' and inserting ``January 31, 2029''; and (B) in subparagraph (A), by striking clause (ii) and inserting the following: ``(ii) an assessment of the status of all United States efforts, including via foreign assistance, to encourage and facilitate repatriation and reintegration of all individuals from such camps, consistent with all relevant domestic and applicable international laws;''. SEC. 1283. STRATEGY FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH SYRIAN AUTHORITIES AND FOR EVALUATING SECURITY AT THE UNITED STATES MISSION. (a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that-- (1) the United States should take measures to expand its engagement with Syrian authorities in support of mutual national security interests, such as combating terrorism, eliminating chemical weapons, and mitigating Captagon smuggling; and (2) the Department of State should take measures to evaluate and mitigate known security vulnerabilities at the United States mission in Damascus in support of eventually reopening the embassy compound for official usage. (b) Report Required.-- (1) In general.--Not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and every 180 days thereafter until January 1, 2029, the Secretary of State shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report that describes the strategy of the United States to establish and sustain deepened engagement with Syrian authorities and assesses in detail the security conditions at the United States mission in Damascus and any known security preparations to re-establish operations on the compound. (2) Elements.--The report required under paragraph (1) shall include, at a minimum, the following elements: (A) A strategy to strengthen and sustain broader United States engagement with Syrian authorities, which includes policy objectives, staffing plans domestically and overseas, regional engagement efforts, and efforts to engage Syrians, including activists, political groups, and civil society organizations. (B) A detailed accounting of progress made on the engagement strategy, including meetings, travel, staffing patterns and changes, and notable gaps or areas where additional engagement is needed. (C) A comprehensive assessment of security conditions at the United States mission in Damascus, any notable changes or progress made towards hardening security, and any progress towards re-establishing a permanent presence or re-opening the embassy. SEC. 1284. STRATEGY TO ENSURE THE ENDURING DEFEAT OF ISIS IN SYRIA. (a) Strategy Required.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense and the heads of other appropriate Federal agencies, shall jointly develop and submit to the appropriate congressional committees a strategy to combat and prevent the further resurgence of ISIS and its affiliates in Syria. (b) Elements of the Strategy.--The strategy required under subsection (a) shall include the following elements: (1) A summary of the United States national security interests in Syria and the impact a resurgence of ISIS would have on those interests. (2) A comprehensive assessment of current training and support programs by agency or department, specifically focused on countering ISIS and other terrorist organizations, including nonlethal assistance, training, and organizational capacity for the Syrian authorities and others to counter gains by ISIS and its affiliates. (3) A detailed description of United States Government efforts to support, develop, and expand the capacity of Syrian authorities to combat ISIS and prevent its return. (4) An estimate of the number of current, active ISIS members in Iraq and Syria, including an assessment of those being held in detainee camps or prisons. (5) A comprehensive plan to repatriate or secure ISIS detainees currently being held in Syria and Iraq, including-- (A) repatriation, transfer, prosecution, and intelligence- gathering; (B) coordinating a whole-of-government approach with other countries and international organizations, including INTERPOL, to ensure secure chains of custody and locations of ISIS foreign terrorist fighter detainees; (C) coordinating technical and evidentiary assistance to foreign countries to aid in the successful prosecution of ISIS foreign terrorist fighter detainees; (D) multilateral and international engagements led by the Department of State and other agencies that are related to the current and future handling, detention, and prosecution of ISIS foreign terrorist fighter detainees; (E) engagement with international partners on legal, tenable mechanisms for repatriating foreign fighters; and (F) a plan for how funds in appropriations Acts will support disarmament, demobilization, disengagement, deradicalization, and reintegration of current and former members and affiliates of ISIS and their family members. (6) A description, which may be in classified form, of ISIS senior leadership and infrastructure and efforts to target leadership figures. (7) A comprehensive description of the activities of the United States Government, utilizing social media and other communication technologies, to counter ISIS's propaganda and influence and its ability to use such technologies to recruit fighters domestically and internationally, including through private technology companies and a description of how such activities are being coordinated across the United States Government. (8) A description of the steps taken by the United States Government, including through the use of economic sanctions to deny financial resources to ISIS and its affiliates, in conjunction with international partners and financial institutions. (9) A description of United States Government efforts to support credible war crimes prosecutions against ISIS fighters. (10) A plan to ensure the delivery of humanitarian and reintegration assistance. (c) Appropriate Congressional Committees Defined.--In this section, the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' means-- (1) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate; and (2) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives. ______