Sponsors
The bill strengthens and funds targeted intelligence, counterintelligence, and emerging-technology security measures while expanding reporting and classified authorities—trading increased operational capability and oversight mechanisms for reduced transparency, higher administrative burden, potential costs to taxpayers, and elevated privacy and civil‑liberties risks.
Federal intelligence operations and management (including DNI oversight) and CIA retirement benefits are funded for FY2026, reducing short‑term budget uncertainty for the Intelligence Community and retirees.
The bill increases formal congressional oversight and transparency within the Intelligence Community by requiring regular reports, briefings, and notifications on counterintelligence incidents, expenditures, counternarcotics funding, and novel intelligence activities.
Tighter coordination and security standards for emerging technologies (AI playbook, common metrics, removal of a risky application, designated biotech officials, and improved data sharing) aim to protect advanced intelligence capabilities and reduce technology-related vulnerabilities.
The bill authorizes classified appropriations and restricts public disclosure of funding details, reducing transparency about how taxpayer money is used and limiting public and broader congressional oversight.
Provisions that expand data sharing, narrow privacy protections, and repeal or weaken certain reporting/privacy safeguards create heightened risks to civil liberties and privacy—particularly for immigrants and racial/ethnic minorities.
Extensive new reporting, auditing, briefing, and notification requirements across multiple IC elements will increase administrative burden and classified analytic workloads, risking diversion of staff time and resources from operational missions.
Based on analysis of 20 sections of legislative text.
Introduced September 8, 2025 by Rick Crawford · Last progress September 8, 2025
Authorizes FY2026 funding and policy changes across the U.S. intelligence community, creates a new National Counterintelligence Center to consolidate counterintelligence functions, and imposes new reporting, personnel, acquisition, AI, biotechnology, open-source intelligence (OSINT), and China-focused intelligence requirements. It also sets specific dollar amounts for certain intelligence management accounts and the CIA Retirement and Disability Fund, updates notification and briefing requirements for Congress, and directs multiple agency reorganizations and deadlines for implementation. The bill tightens oversight of commercially available information and AI use by intelligence agencies, requires new training and auditing for OSINT/CAI/PAI purchases, expands reporting on PRC activities (including biotech), changes handling of restricted nuclear data access for some high officials, and adds requirements for FBI notifications and watchlist reporting. Several temporary operational authorities and terminations of advisory boards are included, along with many statutory technical conforming edits and repeals.