[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2602 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2602
To prohibit the Executive branch from engaging in any reorganization of
the Department of State without congressional consultation and
approval.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 2, 2025
Ms. Kamlager-Dove (for herself, Mr. Meeks, Mr. McGovern, Ms. Jacobs,
Mr. Castro of Texas, Mrs. Cherfilus-McCormick, Mr. Keating, Ms. Titus,
Mr. Mfume, Mr. Olszewski, Mr. Connolly, Mr. Carter of Louisiana, Ms.
Tokuda, Mr. Cohen, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Mr. Tonko, Mr. Khanna, Ms.
Velazquez, Mr. Cleaver, Ms. Norton, Mr. Jackson of Illinois, and Mr.
Thanedar) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To prohibit the Executive branch from engaging in any reorganization of
the Department of State without congressional consultation and
approval.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Defending American Diplomacy Act''.
SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON IMPLEMENTATION ABSENT SPECIFIC STATUTORY
AUTHORIZATION.
(a) In General.--No reorganization of the Department of State may
be implemented or otherwise take effect unless both of the following
conditions are met:
(1) There is enacted specific statutory authorization to
carry out such reorganization.
(2) The Secretary of State has submitted to the appropriate
congressional committees a detailed plan, pursuant to section
3, with respect to the reorganization.
(b) Consequence for Noncompliance.--On and after the date on which
the Comptroller General certifies to the Chair and Ranking Member of
each of the appropriate congressional committees that the Secretary of
State has implemented a reorganization in a manner that is not in
compliance with the prohibition under subsection (a)--
(1) no Federal funds may be made available to facilitate
any activity of the Department of Government Efficiency; and
(2) none of the funds appropriated or otherwise made
available to the Department of State may be obligated or
expended for official travel by any politically appointed
official of the Department.
SEC. 3. REQUIREMENT FOR SUBMISSION OF DETAILED PLANS.
Upon determining that any reorganization of the Department of State
or any component of such Department is necessary, the Secretary of
State shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a
detailed plan for such reorganization that shall include, at a minimum,
the following elements:
(1) A clear description of the proposed organizational
changes and a justification for such changes, including a
description of the manner and extent to which current roles,
responsibilities, and personnel of the Department or relevant
component of the Department will be affected.
(2) A clear description of what, if any, new
responsibilities the Department or affected component will
absorb and a detailed plan of how the Department or affected
component will develop or acquire the competencies and
expertise to carry out these new responsibilities.
(3) An analysis of the potential impacts on the ability to
advance United States foreign policy interests, including
impacts to each of the following:
(A) Diplomatic footprint and operations abroad.
(B) Consular services and visa processing times,
including as a result of any closures of consulates and
diplomatic posts abroad.
(C) The ability to carry out existing multilateral
and bilateral diplomatic commitments.
(D) Bilateral and multilateral military cooperation
and security assistance.
(E) United States intelligence gathering
capabilities and United States intelligence posture
abroad.
(F) Interagency coordination with international
partners.
(G) Advancing United States development objectives
abroad and facilitating the delivery of lifesaving
humanitarian assistance.
(4) An explanation of how the proposed changes will improve
the Department of State's ability to carry out its overall
strategic objectives in comparison to the previous
organizational structure.
(5) An assessment of the potential risks or unintended
consequences that may result from the proposed changes,
including--
(A) how United States competitors might capitalize
on any downsizing of diplomatic functions to advance
their own military, intelligence, soft power, economic,
or political interests; and
(B) which diplomatic relationships and United
States interests would be especially vulnerable to the
impacts of the desired reorganization.
(6) A detailed implementation plan and timeline for making
the proposed changes, including mechanisms to mitigate any
adverse effects on the Department or affected component's
functions and personnel that would provide a more stable
transition.
(7) A detailed analysis of the impact on the workforce and
personnel of the affected components as well as the broader
Department and a transition plan for the termination or
reassignment and retraining of employees, including plans for
the compensation of any terminated employees.
(8) A certification that no Federal laws or regulations
will be violated for the purposes of executing the
reorganization, including specifically that no affected
employee's rights or protections will be violated.
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means the Committee on
Foreign Affairs and Committee on Appropriations of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations and the
Committee on Appropriations of the Senate.
(2) Reorganization.--The term ``reorganization'' means any
action which, pursuant to section 7063 of division F of Public
Law 118-47, would require prior consultation and notification.
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