Floor SpeechBipartisan2026-07-14

Text of Senate Amendment 6689

EnvironmentForeign PolicyDefenseTradeTechnologyInfrastructure

Context

On 2026-07-14, Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) delivered a floor speech titled "Text Of Senate Amendment 6689" in the Senate.

Full Text

Text of Senate Amendment 6689

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 114 (Tuesday, July 14, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 114 (Tuesday, July 14, 2026)] [Senate] [Pages S3958-S3961] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] SA 6689. Mr. CASSIDY (for himself, Ms. Lummis, and Mrs. Blackburn) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him 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 X, add the following: Subtitle H--Mined in America Act SEC. 1094. SHORT TITLE. This subtitle may be cited as the ``Mined in America Act of 2026''. SEC. 1095. FINDINGS; PURPOSE. (a) Findings.--Congress finds that-- (1) blockchain and digital asset technologies serve an essential role in the future economic, technological, and strategic interests of the United States, as reflected in official statements from the President, bipartisan action in Congress, and recent legislation establishing oversight and regulatory frameworks for digital assets; (2) Bitcoin is the original digital asset, has operated through an open, decentralized network with no central authority for more than 15 years, and continues to demonstrate technical resilience, economic relevance, and functional independence; (3) the establishment and management of a strategic reserve of Bitcoin by the Federal Government reinforces the continuing role in the national interest and the important long-term strategic value of Bitcoin; (4) the reliability of the Bitcoin blockchain depends on a decentralized validation process and a globally distributed infrastructure, but a substantial portion of mining hardware currently in use is manufactured by companies related to foreign adversaries, creating national security and operational integrity risks; (5) the ability of the United States to lead in Bitcoin and digital asset innovation requires that critical blockchain infrastructure, including mining hardware and consensus software, be developed, operated, and maintained within the United States, or friendly nations, and free from control by entities related to foreign adversaries; (6) Bitcoin mining operators in the United States have contributed materially to domestic artificial intelligence capabilities by converting existing facilities and infrastructure to support machine learning, inference, and high-density compute operations; and (7) the replacement of mining hardware related to foreign adversaries with compute infrastructure manufactured in the United States, or friendly nations, is a necessary national objective. (b) Purpose.--The purpose of this subtitle is to facilitate the objective described in subsection (a)(7) through the use of existing Federal programs and authorities. SEC. 1096. DEFINITIONS. In this subtitle: (1) Certification program.--The term ``certification program'' means the Mined in America Certification Program established under section 1097(a). (2) Demand response; demand-responsive.--The terms ``demand response'' and ``demand-responsive'' mean the capability of a facility, including a distributed energy system or controllable load, to adjust electricity consumption in response to price signals, grid reliability needs, or market incentives to enhance grid efficiency and resilience. (3) Foreign adversary.--The term ``foreign adversary'' has the meaning given the term ``covered nation'' in section 4872(f) of title 10, United States Code. (4) Friendly nation.--The term ``friendly nation'' means a foreign country that-- (A) is not a foreign adversary; and (B) the Secretary of State designates as an ally or partner of the United States for purposes of this subtitle. (5) High-density compute.--The term ``high-density compute'' means a computational operation or facility characterized by high power density and intensive processing workloads, including those used for artificial intelligence training, inference, blockchain validation, advanced data processing, and other energy intensive compute tasks. (6) Mining facility.--The term ``mining facility'' means a physical site that houses and operates specialized computer hardware for the purpose of performing proof-of-work mining, including associated power, cooling, and network infrastructure. (7) Mining pool.--The term ``mining pool'' means a group of participants in a proof-of-work mining network that-- (A) combine their computational resources over a network to increase the probability of validating a block; and (B) share any resulting rewards in proportion to the contributed hash power of each participant. (8) Proof-of-work mining.--The term ``proof-of-work mining'' means the operation of specialized hardware or computing systems to validate transactions and secure decentralized blockchain networks by solving cryptographic puzzles, resulting in the issuance of new units of a digital asset as a reward. (9) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of Commerce. SEC. 1097. MINED IN AMERICA CERTIFICATION PROGRAM. (a) Establishment.-- (1) In general.--The Secretary shall establish a voluntary certification program, to be known as the ``Mined in America Certification Program'', to certify mining facilities and mining pools that meet the requirements established under this section. (2) Scope.--A certification under the certification program-- (A) shall not confer any regulatory license or waiver of legal requirements under any other provision of law (including regulations); (B) may serve as a basis for eligibility for, priority for, or participation in a Federal loan, grant, reimbursement, or procurement program, in accordance with applicable law or regulations; and (C) shall not be required for any mining facility or mining pool except as a condition of eligibility for, priority for, or participation in a program described in subparagraph (B), in accordance with applicable law or regulations. (b) Certification Criteria and Administration.-- (1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall promulgate regulations governing the certification of mining facilities and mining pools under the certification program. (2) Eligibility.--To be eligible for certification under the certification program-- (A) the proof-of-work mining operations of the mining facility or mining pool shall be physically located within the United States or a friendly nation; (B) in the case of the certification of a mining pool, the mining pool-- (i) shall be headquartered and operated in the United States or a friendly nation; and [[Page S3959]] (ii) shall not be owned, controlled, or subject to undue influence by an entity related to a foreign adversary; (C) in the case of the certification of a mining facility, the mining facility-- (i) shall not be owned, controlled, or subject to undue influence by an entity related to a foreign adversary; and (ii) shall participate in a mining pool described in subparagraph (B); (D) the mining facility or mining pool shall document and attest to compliance with the applicable hardware sourcing standards described in paragraph (3); (E) the mining facility or mining pool shall maintain cybersecurity protocols consistent with minimum standards established by the Secretary, including protection of network systems, private keys, remote access tools, and physical facilities; and (F) the mining facility or mining pool shall satisfy any additional criteria that the Secretary determines to be necessary to uphold the integrity of the certification. (3) Hardware sourcing standards.-- (A) In general.--To be eligible for certification under the certification program, a mining facility or mining pool shall be in compliance with the following hardware sourcing standards: (i) Beginning on January 1, 2027, the mining facility or mining pool may not purchase any proof-of-work mining equipment manufactured by any entity related to any foreign adversary. (ii) Beginning on January 1, 2028, not more than 75 percent of the active proof-of-work mining hardware of the mining facility or mining pool may be manufactured by an entity related to a foreign adversary. (iii) Beginning on January 1, 2029, not more than 50 percent of the active proof-of-work mining hardware of the mining facility or mining pool may be manufactured by an entity related to a foreign adversary. (iv) Beginning on January 1, 2030, 0 percent of the active proof-of-work mining hardware of the mining facility or mining pool may be manufactured by an entity related to a foreign adversary. (B) Initial certifications.--The Secretary may issue a certification under the certification program before January 1, 2027, if-- (i) the applicable mining facility or mining pool has not purchased any proof-of-work mining equipment manufactured by any entity related to any foreign adversary since the date of enactment of this Act; and (ii) the operator of the applicable mining facility or mining pool submits to the Secretary a plan for achieving compliance with the hardware sourcing standards described in subparagraph (A). (C) Preferred certifications.--During the period beginning on January 1, 2027, and ending on December 31, 2029, the Secretary may designate a certification of a mining facility or mining pool under the certification program as a preferred certification for Federal program eligibility if not more than 25 percent of the active proof-of-work mining hardware of the mining facility or mining pool is manufactured by an entity related to a foreign adversary. (D) Recognition of infrastructure conversion.--For the purposes of determining compliance with subparagraph (B) or (C), the Secretary shall consider proof-of-work mining hardware related to foreign a

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Text of Senate Amendment 6689 Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 114 (Tuesday, July 14, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 114 (Tuesday, July 14, 2026)] [Senate] [Pages S3958-S3961] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] SA 6689. Mr. CASSIDY (for himself, Ms. Lummis, and Mrs. Blackburn) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him 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 X, add the following: Subtitle H--Mined in America Act SEC. 1094. SHORT TITLE. This subtitle may be cited as the ``Mined in America Act of 2026''. SEC. 1095. FINDINGS; PURPOSE. (a) Findings.--Congress finds that-- (1) blockchain and digital asset technologies serve an essential role in the future economic, technological, and strategic interests of the United States, as reflected in official statements from the President, bipartisan action in Congress, and recent legislation establishing oversight and regulatory frameworks for digital assets; (2) Bitcoin is the original digital asset, has operated through an open, decentralized network with no central authority for more than 15 years, and continues to demonstrate technical resilience, economic relevance, and functional independence; (3) the establishment and management of a strategic reserve of Bitcoin by the Federal Government reinforces the continuing role in the national interest and the important long-term strategic value of Bitcoin; (4) the reliability of the Bitcoin blockchain depends on a decentralized validation process and a globally distributed infrastructure, but a substantial portion of mining hardware currently in use is manufactured by companies related to foreign adversaries, creating national security and operational integrity risks; (5) the ability of the United States to lead in Bitcoin and digital asset innovation requires that critical blockchain infrastructure, including mining hardware and consensus software, be developed, operated, and maintained within the United States, or friendly nations, and free from control by entities related to foreign adversaries; (6) Bitcoin mining operators in the United States have contributed materially to domestic artificial intelligence capabilities by converting existing facilities and infrastructure to support machine learning, inference, and high-density compute operations; and (7) the replacement of mining hardware related to foreign adversaries with compute infrastructure manufactured in the United States, or friendly nations, is a necessary national objective. (b) Purpose.--The purpose of this subtitle is to facilitate the objective described in subsection (a)(7) through the use of existing Federal programs and authorities. SEC. 1096. DEFINITIONS. In this subtitle: (1) Certification program.--The term ``certification program'' means the Mined in America Certification Program established under section 1097(a). (2) Demand response; demand-responsive.--The terms ``demand response'' and ``demand-responsive'' mean the capability of a facility, including a distributed energy system or controllable load, to adjust electricity consumption in response to price signals, grid reliability needs, or market incentives to enhance grid efficiency and resilience. (3) Foreign adversary.--The term ``foreign adversary'' has the meaning given the term ``covered nation'' in section 4872(f) of title 10, United States Code. (4) Friendly nation.--The term ``friendly nation'' means a foreign country that-- (A) is not a foreign adversary; and (B) the Secretary of State designates as an ally or partner of the United States for purposes of this subtitle. (5) High-density compute.--The term ``high-density compute'' means a computational operation or facility characterized by high power density and intensive processing workloads, including those used for artificial intelligence training, inference, blockchain validation, advanced data processing, and other energy intensive compute tasks. (6) Mining facility.--The term ``mining facility'' means a physical site that houses and operates specialized computer hardware for the purpose of performing proof-of-work mining, including associated power, cooling, and network infrastructure. (7) Mining pool.--The term ``mining pool'' means a group of participants in a proof-of-work mining network that-- (A) combine their computational resources over a network to increase the probability of validating a block; and (B) share any resulting rewards in proportion to the contributed hash power of each participant. (8) Proof-of-work mining.--The term ``proof-of-work mining'' means the operation of specialized hardware or computing systems to validate transactions and secure decentralized blockchain networks by solving cryptographic puzzles, resulting in the issuance of new units of a digital asset as a reward. (9) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of Commerce. SEC. 1097. MINED IN AMERICA CERTIFICATION PROGRAM. (a) Establishment.-- (1) In general.--The Secretary shall establish a voluntary certification program, to be known as the ``Mined in America Certification Program'', to certify mining facilities and mining pools that meet the requirements established under this section. (2) Scope.--A certification under the certification program-- (A) shall not confer any regulatory license or waiver of legal requirements under any other provision of law (including regulations); (B) may serve as a basis for eligibility for, priority for, or participation in a Federal loan, grant, reimbursement, or procurement program, in accordance with applicable law or regulations; and (C) shall not be required for any mining facility or mining pool except as a condition of eligibility for, priority for, or participation in a program described in subparagraph (B), in accordance with applicable law or regulations. (b) Certification Criteria and Administration.-- (1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall promulgate regulations governing the certification of mining facilities and mining pools under the certification program. (2) Eligibility.--To be eligible for certification under the certification program-- (A) the proof-of-work mining operations of the mining facility or mining pool shall be physically located within the United States or a friendly nation; (B) in the case of the certification of a mining pool, the mining pool-- (i) shall be headquartered and operated in the United States or a friendly nation; and [[Page S3959]] (ii) shall not be owned, controlled, or subject to undue influence by an entity related to a foreign adversary; (C) in the case of the certification of a mining facility, the mining facility-- (i) shall not be owned, controlled, or subject to undue influence by an entity related to a foreign adversary; and (ii) shall participate in a mining pool described in subparagraph (B); (D) the mining facility or mining pool shall document and attest to compliance with the applicable hardware sourcing standards described in paragraph (3); (E) the mining facility or mining pool shall maintain cybersecurity protocols consistent with minimum standards established by the Secretary, including protection of network systems, private keys, remote access tools, and physical facilities; and (F) the mining facility or mining pool shall satisfy any additional criteria that the Secretary determines to be necessary to uphold the integrity of the certification. (3) Hardware sourcing standards.-- (A) In general.--To be eligible for certification under the certification program, a mining facility or mining pool shall be in compliance with the following hardware sourcing standards: (i) Beginning on January 1, 2027, the mining facility or mining pool may not purchase any proof-of-work mining equipment manufactured by any entity related to any foreign adversary. (ii) Beginning on January 1, 2028, not more than 75 percent of the active proof-of-work mining hardware of the mining facility or mining pool may be manufactured by an entity related to a foreign adversary. (iii) Beginning on January 1, 2029, not more than 50 percent of the active proof-of-work mining hardware of the mining facility or mining pool may be manufactured by an entity related to a foreign adversary. (iv) Beginning on January 1, 2030, 0 percent of the active proof-of-work mining hardware of the mining facility or mining pool may be manufactured by an entity related to a foreign adversary. (B) Initial certifications.--The Secretary may issue a certification under the certification program before January 1, 2027, if-- (i) the applicable mining facility or mining pool has not purchased any proof-of-work mining equipment manufactured by any entity related to any foreign adversary since the date of enactment of this Act; and (ii) the operator of the applicable mining facility or mining pool submits to the Secretary a plan for achieving compliance with the hardware sourcing standards described in subparagraph (A). (C) Preferred certifications.--During the period beginning on January 1, 2027, and ending on December 31, 2029, the Secretary may designate a certification of a mining facility or mining pool under the certification program as a preferred certification for Federal program eligibility if not more than 25 percent of the active proof-of-work mining hardware of the mining facility or mining pool is manufactured by an entity related to a foreign adversary. (D) Recognition of infrastructure conversion.--For the purposes of determining compliance with subparagraph (B) or (C), the Secretary shall consider proof-of-work mining hardware related to foreign a