HR 5250
To provide for the foreign assistance authority of the Department of State, and for other purposes.
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Bill overview
This bill establishes new roles within the Department of State to improve the management and oversight of foreign assistance. Specifically, it creates an Under Secretary for Foreign Assistance responsible for building relationships with allies and partners, and a Director of United States Foreign Assistance Oversight who will coordinate strategic planning, budgeting, and oversight of all foreign aid programs. It also creates an Office of Foreign Assistance Oversight to support these roles, focusing on data-driven assessments and ensuring accountability in foreign assistance spending.
Key provisions
- Establishes an Under Secretary for Foreign Assistance with responsibilities for ally and partner relations.
- Creates a Director of United States Foreign Assistance Oversight to coordinate strategic oversight of all foreign assistance.
- Authorizes the creation of an Office of Foreign Assistance Oversight to support the Director and Under Secretary.
- Outlines specific responsibilities for the new roles, including strategic planning, budgeting, and performance assessment.
- Requires the Director of Foreign Assistance Oversight to coordinate with other agencies like the Millennium Challenge Corporation.
- Mandates data-driven performance assessments and policy diagnostics.
- Establishes a process for vetting foreign recipients of assistance.
- Authorizes appropriations for the Under Secretary for Foreign Assistance for fiscal years 2026 and 2027.
Who is affected
- Department of State
- Foreign Allies and Partners
Sponsors
Official sponsors from legislative records.
Primary sponsor
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119th CONGRESS — 1st Session
H. R. 5250
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
A BILL
To provide for the foreign assistance authority of the Department of State, and for other purposes.
There shall be in the Department an Under Secretary for Foreign Assistance who shall be responsible to the Secretary of State for matters pertaining to the creation and maintenance of allies and partners to United States interests abroad, and such other related duties as the Secretary may from time to time designate.
In addition to the responsibilities described under subsection (a), the Under Secretary for Foreign Assistance shall maintain continuous observation and coordination of all matters pertaining to assistance to foreign allies and partners in the conduct of foreign policy, including, as appropriate—
providing the strategic policy direction for, and policy and programmatic oversight of, funds and bureaus within the Under Secretary’s assigned jurisdiction; and
overseeing and reviewing all matters pertaining to human rights and humanitarian affairs, including matters relating to prisoners of war and members of the United States Armed Forces Missing in Action.
There is authorized to be established in the Department a Director of United States Foreign Assistance Oversight, who shall be responsible to the Under Secretary for Foreign Assistance for matters pertaining to coordination and strategic oversight of all foreign assistance activities across the Department of State, and such other related duties as the Secretary may from time to time designate.
In addition to the responsibilities described in subsection (a), the Director of United States Foreign Assistance Oversight shall coordinate and oversee the strategic direction, planning, and budgeting of foreign assistance programs in the conduct of foreign policy, including, as appropriate—
developing and implementing comprehensive foreign assistance strategies;
coordinating interagency assistance planning;
providing senior-level leadership for the planning, operational management, and oversight of foreign aid programming across the United States Government;
improving strategic coordination of, and oversight over, all foreign assistance funding, focusing on efficacy and strategy;
integrating foreign assistance strategies with the broader objectives of United States foreign policy, including security, diplomacy, and development coherence;
supporting interagency collaboration on foreign assistance programs and policies of other agencies and entities, including the Millennium Challenge Corporation, the United States International Development Finance Corporation, United States Department of the Treasury, Trade and Development Agency, and Export-Import Bank;
generating data-driven performance assessments and policy diagnostics for dissemination to Congress and the Executive Office of the President;
leading coordination and oversight of vetting of foreign recipients of assistance, to ensure compliance, accountability, and alignment with United States foreign assistance policies; and
such other related duties as the Under Secretary for Foreign Assistance may from time to time designate.
The Secretary of State shall establish an Office of Foreign Assistance Oversight, which shall perform such functions related to department-wide management of foreign assistance as the Under Secretary for Foreign Assistance may prescribe.
The Director of Foreign Assistance Oversight shall be the head of the Office of Foreign Assistance Oversight.
The Office of Foreign Assistance Oversight shall, as appropriate—
support the Director of Foreign Assistance Oversight in the development and implementation of comprehensive foreign assistance strategies;
coordinate interagency assistance planning and align bilateral cooperation frameworks;
coordinate and allocate United States foreign assistance funding across thematic and regional areas;
continually improve strategic coordination of and oversight over all foreign assistance funding, focusing on efficacy and strategy;
generate data-driven performance assessments and policy diagnostics for dissemination to Congress and the Executive Office of the President;
ensure monitoring, evaluation, and transparency of foreign assistance programs; and
perform such other duties as the Director may from time to time designate.
Of the funds authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of State under section 141, the Under Secretary for Foreign Assistance shall receive the funds necessary to fulfill the Under Secretary’s responsibilities for fiscal years 2026 and 2027.
The Office of Law Revision Counsel shall—
utilize sections 160–190 of title 22, United States Code, to classify the sections of this title; and
maintain the legislative history, under editorial notes, of repealed law which previously occupied the corresponding sections of United States Code.