To provide for the political affairs authorities of the Department of State, and for other purposes.

House Votes

This bill updates how the State Department organizes its day‑to‑day diplomacy. It sets clear duties for the Under Secretary for Political Affairs and funds that office for fiscal years 2026 and 2027. It creates two new senior diplomats: one focused on the Arctic (covering energy, environment, trade, and infrastructure) and one focused on the Indian Ocean region; the Indian Ocean ambassador must be nominated by April 1, 2026. It also confirms assistant secretary roles for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, African Affairs, Near Eastern Affairs, and South and Central Asian Affairs, and sets up a Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs .

The bill requires the State Department to tell Congress 15 days before changing which countries fall under any regional bureau, with an explanation of why and the expected impact. It lets the East Asia and Pacific office manage funds to counter harmful influence by the People’s Republic of China, and it creates a unit to run, monitor, and evaluate those programs; this unit ends two years after the law takes effect . It also directs how these sections should be placed in the U.S. Code.

• Who is affected: State Department leadership and regional offices for the Arctic, Indian Ocean, East Asia and the Pacific, Africa, the Middle East and North Africa, and South and Central Asia .
• What changes: New ambassadors-at-large for the Arctic and Indian Ocean; formal roles and funding for political affairs; a new Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs; stronger oversight and a dedicated unit to counter PRC influence; advance notice to Congress before shifting regional boundaries .
• When: Funding covers 2026–2027; the Indian Ocean ambassador nomination is due by April 1, 2026; the PRC influence unit ends two years after enactment .