Sponsors
The bill increases congressional transparency and accountability over terrorist watchlist use (which can protect civil liberties and prompt reforms) at the cost of added administrative burdens, possible operational delays, and heightened risk that sensitive intelligence methods or weakened procedural protections could be exposed or normalized.
Congress (oversight committees) gains substantially greater transparency into watchlist policies and practices — including 30-day summaries of material changes, access to current guidance, annual counts, and agency breakdowns — enabling more informed oversight and potential reforms.
Reporting how many U.S. persons are on no‑fly and selectee lists makes it possible to identify and reduce wrongful travel restrictions, protecting innocent Americans from unnecessary travel barriers.
Identifying which agencies nominate individuals to the watchlist (with counts by agency) increases accountability for nomination practices and can prompt agency-level reforms.
Disclosing detailed watchlist policies, counts, and breakdowns to congressional committees risks exposing sensitive intelligence methods, targets, or sources, which could harm counterterrorism operations and national security.
Requiring and publicizing counts of U.S. persons placed on the list as exceptions to reasonable suspicion risks normalizing lower procedural protections for Americans and could entrench practices that bypass stronger safeguards.
Preparing, securing, and delivering detailed reports and guidance imposes administrative burdens and additional costs on the FBI and partner agencies, with budgetary and staffing impacts for taxpayers and federal employees.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Requires the FBI to notify specific congressional committees within 30 days whenever there is a material change to policies or procedures governing the terrorist watchlist or the transnational organized crime watchlist, and to provide existing guidance on those watchlists within 30 days of a committee request. Also requires the FBI to deliver three annual reports (first due January 31, 2026) with totals and detailed breakdowns of known or presumed U.S. persons on the terrorist watchlist, including screening categories, associated organizations, and which federal agencies nominated those persons.
Introduced December 10, 2025 by Joaquin Castro · Last progress December 10, 2025