Sponsors (5)
The bill helps allied countries and U.S. actors build and coordinate investment‑screening capabilities to improve national security and supply‑chain resilience, but does so at modest taxpayer cost while creating compliance burdens for businesses and leaving room for politicized or uneven application through broad discretion over partner country designation.
Partner countries, U.S. agencies, and private-sector actors will receive up to three years of technical assistance and improved coordination to build investment‑screening capacity and standardize best practices, strengthening detection of risky foreign investments and reducing cross‑border supply‑chain vulnerabilities.
Appropriate congressional committees and taxpayers will receive annual reports for three years, increasing transparency and enabling congressional oversight of U.S. engagement on investment screening.
Foreign investors and U.S. small businesses could face uneven or politicized treatment because a broad 'partner country' definition gives the Secretary substantial discretion over which countries are covered.
U.S. and foreign businesses—particularly financial institutions and small businesses operating abroad—may incur added compliance costs and operational burdens from diplomatic efforts to shape partner countries' screening rules.
Taxpayers could face higher federal spending because the State Department's investment‑screening assistance activities are expanded for three years.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Creates a three-year State Department initiative to help partner countries screen foreign investments for national security risks through training, technical assistance, and coordination.
Introduced February 25, 2026 by Joaquin Castro · Last progress February 25, 2026
Creates a temporary Department of State initiative to help U.S. partner countries build or strengthen systems that screen foreign investments for national security risks. The State Department must set up the program within 180 days, run it for up to three years, coordinate with other agencies, provide technical assistance and training, and file annual reports to relevant congressional committees for three years.