HR 5251
To provide for the public diplomacy authorities of the Department of State, and for other purposes.
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Bill overview
This bill establishes a new Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy within the Department of State, along with Assistant Secretaries for Educational and Cultural Affairs and Strategic Communications. It outlines the responsibilities of these officials, including leading information operations, coordinating public diplomacy efforts, overseeing exchange programs, and managing strategic communication strategies. The bill also authorizes appropriations for these new roles and related bureaus for fiscal years 2026 and 2027.
Key provisions
- Creates an Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy to oversee global public diplomacy and information operations.
- Establishes Assistant Secretaries for Educational and Cultural Affairs and Strategic Communications to manage related programs and strategies.
- Authorizes regional public diplomacy teams to implement public diplomacy strategies at the regional level.
- Provides funding for public diplomacy functions within the Department of State, including the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the Bureau of Strategic Communications.
- Defines the responsibilities of the Assistant Secretary for Strategic Communications, including managing foreign policy messaging and overseeing media operations.
- Reclassifies certain sections of the United States Code.
- Authorizes appropriations for the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy for fiscal years 2026 and 2027.
- Establishes an Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs with responsibilities for exchange programs and integrating them into global public diplomacy.
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119th CONGRESS — 1st Session
H. R. 5251
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
A BILL
To provide for the public diplomacy authorities of the Department of State, and for other purposes.
There shall be in the Department an Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy who shall be responsible to the Secretary of State for matters pertaining to global public diplomacy, information operations targeting foreign audiences, strategic communications and information, international educational and cultural exchange programs, and such other duties as the Secretary may from time to time designate.
overseeing and directing Department personnel in the United States and abroad who conduct or implement public diplomacy policies, programs, and activities;
submitting statements of United States policy and editorial material to the United States-funded media;
allocating and managing the financial and human resources for all public diplomacy functions within the Department of State, including for—
the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs;
the Bureau of Strategic Communications; and
the public diplomacy functions within the regional and functional bureaus;
integrate all public diplomacy programming and operations of the Department;
implement such programming and operations in the region of such team; and
operationalizing the Department’s public diplomacy strategy in the region of such team;
enabling region-specific execution of such strategy; and
maintaining coherence with a unified United States strategy and overarching global objectives of the Department;
serving as Chair of interagency meetings on public diplomacy to align messaging across the Department of Defense, Department of State, Department of Commerce, Department of the Treasury, the intelligence community, and members of the Group of Seven; and
performing such other duties as the Secretary 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 Public Diplomacy shall receive the funds necessary to fulfill missions and responsibilities for fiscal years 2026 and 2027.
There shall be in the Department an Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs who shall be responsible to the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy for matters pertaining to the development, implementation, and oversight of all educational, cultural, and professional exchange programs, as well as related initiatives and activities, and such other related duties as the Secretary may from time to time designate.
In addition to the responsibilities described under subsection (a), the Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs shall be responsible for matters pertaining to academic, cultural, and professional exchanges in the conduct of foreign policy, including, as appropriate—
integrating all exchange programming into global public diplomacy planning;
identifying regional priorities;
reducing overhead and administrative spending costs for programs;
consolidating support services for programs;
expanding cost-sharing partnerships with the private and nonprofit sectors;
ensuring clear foreign policy outcomes and performance; and
performing such other duties as the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy may from time to time designate.
The Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs shall be the head of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
Of the funds authorized to be appropriated to the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy under section 702, the Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs shall receive the funds necessary to fulfill Bureau functions and the Assistant Secretary’s responsibilities for fiscal years 2026 and 2027.
There is authorized to be in the Department an Assistant Secretary for Strategic Communications who shall be responsible to the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy for matters pertaining to strategic communication, global access to free information, countering foreign censorship efforts, and such other related duties as the Secretary may from time to time designate.
In addition to the responsibilities described under subsection (a), the Assistant Secretary for Strategic Communications shall oversee and coordinate all matters pertaining to foreign policy messaging in the conduct of foreign policy, including, as appropriate—
overseeing foreign-facing information operations;
managing regional content operations and media relations;
overseeing and providing strategic direction for all United States Government funded media entities;
establishing and overseeing an Office of Global Distribution and News Services that shall—
create and lead the open-content wire service; and
manage translation and distribution of United States Government content;
supporting investigative and independent media;
advocating for internet freedom;
advancing circumvention and access tools;
opposing censorship by foreign governments;
leading diplomatic engagements on information freedom; and
performing such other duties as the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy may from time to time designate.
The individual serving as the Assistant Secretary for Global Public Affairs on the day immediately prior to the date of the enactment of this Act shall be the Assistant Secretary for Strategic Communications on and after the date of the enactment of this Act, until such individual vacates or is removed from such position.
Of the funds authorized to be appropriated to the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy under section 702, the Assistant Secretary for Strategic Communications shall receive the funds necessary to fulfill Bureau functions and the Assistant Secretary’s responsibilities for fiscal years 2026 and 2027.
Section 204 of the Admiral James W. Nance and Meg Donovan Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 2000 and 2001 (22 U.S.C. 2452b) is repealed.
The Office of Law Revision Counsel shall—
utilize sections 191 through 221 of title 22, United States Code, to classify the sections of this title; and
maintain the legislative history, under editorial notes, of repealed and reclassified law which previously occupied the corresponding sections of United States Code.