Sponsors
The bill increases congressional transparency and oversight of FBI watchlisting—improving accountability and the chance to reduce wrongful listings—while elevating privacy risks for listed U.S. persons and creating potential operational and national-security constraints if sensitive information is widely shared.
Congressional oversight committees and federal policymakers will receive timely summaries and regular detailed counts of material changes to FBI watchlist policies and numbers of U.S. persons listed, enabling more informed oversight and accountability of watchlisting and surveillance practices.
People at risk of wrongful inclusion (including people with disabilities and other vulnerable individuals) may face fewer erroneous or unjustified watchlist placements because greater transparency and access to watchlist criteria and guidance encourages scrutiny and corrective action.
Taxpayers and the public will gain clearer metrics to assess the scope and trends of watchlisting (through counts and reporting), supporting evidence-based policy debate and potential reforms.
U.S. persons placed on or connected to the watchlist (including immigrants, racial/ethnic minorities, and people with disabilities) may face increased privacy, reputational, and collateral harms if more detailed information about their listing (such as affiliations and nominating agency) is compiled and transmitted to congressional committees.
FBI and law-enforcement operational flexibility could be constrained and urgent counterterrorism updates slowed because mandatory disclosure timelines and reporting requirements limit rapid, behind-the-scenes adjustments to watchlists.
Sensitive operational methods and sources risk exposure if detailed guidance or counts are shared with many committees or are improperly handled, potentially degrading investigative effectiveness.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Requires the FBI to notify committees of material watchlist policy changes, provide governing guidance on request, and submit annual counts of U.S. persons on the terrorist watchlist.
Requires the FBI to notify designated congressional committees when it makes material changes to policies or procedures governing the terrorist watchlist or the transnational organized crime watchlist, and to provide governing guidance on request. It also requires the FBI to deliver annual reports (first due January 31, 2026, then annually for two years) with counts of known or presumed United States persons on the terrorist watchlist broken out by list type, exceptions, suspected organization affiliations, and the nominating federal agency.
Introduced December 10, 2025 by Joaquin Castro · Last progress December 10, 2025