To provide for the foreign assistance authority of the Department of State, and for other purposes.
This bill reorganizes the management and oversight of U.S. foreign assistance within the Department of State. It would create an Under Secretary for Foreign Assistance ( reporting to the Secretary of State ) to set policy, coordinate efforts, and oversee human rights and humanitarian affairs related to foreign aid. It also would establish a Director of United States Foreign Assistance Oversight to coordinate strategic planning, budgeting, and interagency collaboration across the entire foreign aid enterprise. Additionally, the Secretary of State would establish an Office of Foreign Assistance Oversight led by the Director, with duties to support strategy development, funding allocation, monitoring, evaluation, and transparency. The bill authorizes funding for 2026 and 2027 to support these roles and includes provisions about how the new title should be classified in the U.S. Code and maintained in legislative history. In short, the bill aims to centralize and strengthen strategic planning, budgeting, oversight, and vetting of foreign assistance to improve coherence with U.S. foreign policy, security, diplomacy, and development goals.
Key Points
- 1Establishment of an Under Secretary for Foreign Assistance within the State Department, responsible for policy direction and coordination of foreign assistance and related human rights/humanitarian affairs.
- 2Creation of a Director of United States Foreign Assistance Oversight to oversee strategic planning, interagency coordination, budgeting, and performance of foreign aid programs across the federal government.
- 3Establishment of an Office of Foreign Assistance Oversight, headed by the Director, to support strategy development, fund allocation, monitoring, evaluation, transparency, and coordination with other agencies and programs.
- 4Authorization of appropriations: funds from the Secretary of State’s budget (section 141) would be allocated to support the Under Secretary’s responsibilities for fiscal years 2026 and 2027.
- 5Administrative provision requiring the Office of Law Revision Counsel to classify the bill’s sections in the United States Code and maintain legislative history for any repealed provisions.