What This Bill Does
This bill authorizes money to be spent on a fund that counters harmful activities by the Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese government around the world. The bill sets up how the money should be used and who should oversee the effort to reduce China's negative influence globally.
Who It Affects
The bill directly affects federal agencies, specifically the Department of State and the United States Agency for International Development. Congress will also be involved through oversight and reporting requirements. Indirectly, programs funded under this bill may affect communities and organizations in countries where these activities take place.
Key Provisions
• Money of $325,000,000 is approved for each year from 2023 through 2027 to counter harmful influence by the Chinese Communist Party and Chinese government globally (Sec. 2(a)(1))
• The Secretary of State must designate a senior official to provide guidance and approval for how these funds are used, and the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development must designate an official to help coordinate (Sec. 2(c))
• Each year, the designated State Department official must identify specific geographic areas or program types that will receive focus for these funds (Sec. 2(c)(3)(A))
• The bill defines harmful influence to include acts that undermine a free international order, create alternative repressive systems, threaten national or economic security, or promote corruption and coercive economic practices (Sec. 2(d))
• The designated official must submit annual reports to Congress identifying each approved activity, where it takes place, and what specific harmful acts it is designed to counter (Sec. 2(f))
What Changes
If this bill becomes law, the federal government gains authorization to spend $325,000,000 each year for five years specifically on countering Chinese government influence. New coordination roles are created within the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development. Congress will receive annual reports on how this money is being spent and what specific programs are being funded.
Important Definitions
The bill defines "malign influence" as acts by the Chinese Communist Party or Chinese government that undermine a free and open international order, advance a repressive alternative system based on coercion and dependency, threaten national security or sovereignty of any country, or threaten economic security by promoting corruption and coercive economic practices (Sec. 2(d)).
Effective Date
Not specified in bill text
IIB
118TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 1157
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
SEPTEMBER 10, 2024
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
AN ACT
To provide for the authorization of appropriations for the
Countering the People’s Republic of China Malign Influ-
ence Fund, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
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tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
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This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Countering the PRC
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Malign Influence Fund Authorization Act of 2023’’.
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SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR COUN-
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TERING THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
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MALIGN INFLUENCE FUND.
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(a) COUNTERING
THE
PEOPLE’S
REPUBLIC
OF
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CHINA MALIGN INFLUENCE FUND.—
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(1) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be
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appropriated $325,000,000 for each of fiscal years
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2023 through 2027 for the Countering the People’s
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Republic of China Malign Influence Fund to counter
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the malign influence of the Chinese Communist
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Party and the Government of the People’s Republic
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of China and entities acting on their behalf globally.
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(2) AVAILABILITY; AMOUNTS IN ADDITION TO
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OTHER AMOUNTS.—Amounts appropriated pursuant
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to the authorization of appropriations under para-
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graph (1)—
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(A) are authorized to remain available
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until expended; and
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(B) shall be in addition to amounts other-
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wise authorized to be appropriated for the pur-
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poses described in paragraph (1).
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(b) CONSULTATION REQUIRED.—The obligation of
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funds appropriated pursuant to the authorization of ap-
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propriations under subsection (a) or otherwise made avail-
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able for the purposes described in subsection (a)(1) shall
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be subject to prior consultation with, and consistent with
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section 634A of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22
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U.S.C. 2394–1), the regular notification procedures of—
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(1) the Committee on Foreign Relations and
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the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate; and
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(2) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the
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Committee on Appropriations of the House of Rep-
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resentatives.
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(c) POLICY GUIDANCE, COORDINATION, AND AP-
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PROVAL.—
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(1) COORDINATOR.—The Secretary of State
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shall designate an existing senior official of the De-
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partment of State to provide policy guidance, coordi-
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nation, and approval for the obligation of funds ap-
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propriated pursuant to the authorization of appro-
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priations under subsection (a).
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(2) ASSISTANT COORDINATOR.—The Adminis-
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trator of the United States Agency for International
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Development shall designate an existing senior offi-
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cial of the United States Agency for International
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Development to assist and consult with the senior
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official of the Department of State designated pur-
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suant to paragraph (1).
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(3) DUTIES.—The senior official of the Depart-
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ment of State designated pursuant to paragraph (1)
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shall be responsible for—
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(A) on an annual basis, the identification
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of specific strategic priorities for using funds
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appropriated pursuant to the authorization of
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appropriations under subsection (a), such as ge-
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ographic areas of focus or functional categories
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of programming that funds are to be con-
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centrated within, consistent with the national
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interests of the United States and the purposes
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of this section;
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(B) the coordination and approval of all
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programming conducted using such funds,
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based on an assessment that such programming
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directly counters the malign influence of the
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Chinese Communist Party or the Government
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of the People’s Republic of China, including
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specific activities or policies advanced by the
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Chinese Communist Party or the Government
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of the People’s Republic of China and entities
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acting on their behalf globally, pursuant to the
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strategic objectives of the United States, as es-
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tablished in the 2017 National Security Strat-
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egy, the 2018 National Defense Strategy, and
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other relevant national and regional strategies
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as appropriate;
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(C) ensuring that all programming ap-
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proved bears a sufficiently direct nexus to such
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activities of the Chinese Communist Party or
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the Government of the People’s Republic of
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China described in subsection (d) and adheres
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to the requirements outlined in subsection (e);
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and
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(D) conducting oversight, monitoring, and
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evaluation of the effectiveness of all program-
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ming conducted using such funds to ensure that
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it advances United States interests and de-
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grades the ability of the Chinese Communist
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Party or the Government of the People’s Re-
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public of China, to advance activities that align
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with subsection (d) of this section.
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(4) INTERAGENCY COORDINATION.—The senior
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official of the Department of State designated pur-
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suant to paragraph (1) shall, in coordinating and
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approving programming pursuant to paragraph (2),
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seek—
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(A) to conduct appropriate interagency
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consultation; and
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(B) to ensure, to the maximum extent
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practicable, that all approved programming
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functions in concert with other Federal activi-
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ties to counter the malign influence of the Chi-
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nese Communist Party or the Government of
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the People’s Republic of China.
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(d) MALIGN INFLUENCE.—In this section, the term
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‘‘malign influence’’, with respect to the Chinese Com-
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munist Party or the Government of the People’s Republic
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of China, shall be construed to include acts conducted by
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the Chinese Communist Party or the Government of the
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People’s Republic of China, or entities acting on their be-
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half that—
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(1) undermine a free and open international
14
order;
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(2) advance an alternative, repressive inter-
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national order that bolsters the Chinese Communist
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Party’s or the Government of the People’s Republic
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of China’s hegemonic ambitions and is characterized
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by coercion and dependency;
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(3) undermine the national security or sov-
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ereignty of the United States or other countries; or
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(4) undermine the economic security of the
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United States or other countries, including by pro-
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moting corruption and advancing coercive economic
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practices.
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(e) COUNTERING MALIGN INFLUENCE.—In this sec-
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tion, countering malign influence through the use of funds
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appropriated pursuant to the authorization of appropria-
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tions under subsection (a) shall include efforts—
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(1) to promote transparency and accountability,
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and reduce corruption, including in governance
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structures targeted by the malign influence of the
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Chinese Communist Party or the Government of the
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People’s Republic of China;
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(2) to support civil society and independent
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media to raise awareness of and increase trans-
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parency regarding the negative impact of activities
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related to the Belt and Road Initiative, associated
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initiatives, other economic initiatives with strategic
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or political purposes, and coercive economic prac-
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tices;
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(3) to counter transnational criminal networks
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that benefit, or benefit from, the malign influence of
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the Chinese Communist Party or the Government of
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the People’s Republic of China;
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(4) to encourage economic development struc-
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tures that help protect against predatory lending
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schemes, including support for market-based alter-
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natives in key economic sectors, such as digital econ-
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omy, energy, and infrastructure;
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(5) to counter activities that provide undue in-
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fluence to the security forces of the People’s Repub-
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lic of China;
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(6)
to
expose
misinformation
and
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disinformation of the Chinese Communist Party’s or
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the Government of the People’s Republic of China’s
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propaganda, including through programs carried out
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by the Global Engagement Center; and
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(7) to counter efforts by the Chinese Com-
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munist Party or the Government of the People’s Re-
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public of China to legitimize or promote authori-
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tarian ideology and governance models.
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(f) ANNUAL SUMMARY.—Not later than September
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30, 2023, and annually thereafter for 5 years, the senior
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official of the Department of State designated pursuant
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to subsection (c)(1) shall submit to the congressional com-
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mittees specified in paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection
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(b), a summary identifying each activity or program ap-
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proved pursuant to subsection (c), and shall include—
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(1) for each program or activity, an identifica-
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tion of the country or regional location of the pro-
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gram or activity;
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(2) for each program or activity, whether the
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program or activity was ongoing prior to receiving
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support from funds from the Countering People’s
3
Republic of China Malign Influence Fund, or any
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predecessor resource intended for the same or sub-
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stantially similar purpose;
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(3) for each program or activity, an identifica-
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tion of the acts described in subsection (d) that such
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program or activity is intended to counter; and
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(4) a table identifying the respective allocation
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of all programs or activities approved during that
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fiscal year across accounts and regional or functional
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bureaus.
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Passed the House of Representatives September 9,
2024.
Attest:
KEVIN F. MCCUMBER,
Clerk.
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