WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, released the statement below following the announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

“This ceasefire announcement will reunite families with their loved ones by securing the release of innocent Israelis, Americans, and other individuals who were abducted by Hamas in their brutal October 7 terror attacks and have continued to be held for more than 460 days. It will also bring sorely needed respite to civilians in Gaza who have been suffering for too long in the face of extreme hunger, death, and widespread destruction. I applaud the President and his administration, who worked tirelessly to reach this agreement, and officials from Qatar and Egypt for bringing this to fruition. Like so many people around the world, I am both heartened to see an end in sight for a painful war that has torn apart families and leveled entire communities, and solemn in remembrance of the lives taken on October 7 and all those who have been killed since. I remain committed to working with the incoming administration to ensure that the terms of this agreement are met on both sides and that humanitarian assistance can make its way to the Palestinian people as outlined in the deal.”

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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, applauded congressional passage of the nation’s annual defense bill, which includes key priorities for Virginia, as well as a number of Warner-championed measures. The legislation now heads to the president to be signed into law.

“I’m glad to see the Senate vote to pass our nation’s annual defense bill, which delivers critical funding to equip our nation’s military, provide for our veterans, and strengthen our national security amid a complicated landscape of emerging threats,” said Sen. Warner. “I look forward to seeing the president sign this legislation. In the meantime, I will continue to deliver for Virginia by working prevent a costly government shutdown ahead of the holiday.”

The legislation supports $895.2 billion in funding for our nation’s defense and a number of other measures supported by thesenator, including – 

Servicemembers and the civilian defense workforce: 

• Authorizes a 14.5 percent pay raise for junior enlisted servicemembers and a 4.5 percent pay raise for all other servicemembers, a move that will dramatically improve quality of life for the men and women of our armed forces and their families.

• Contributes to better living conditions for servicemembers by broadening eligibility for the Basic Needs Allowance (BNA) – a supplemental monthly payment for qualifying service members on active duty – to 200% of federal poverty guidelines.
• Improves investment in military facilities by setting a statutory minimum level of investment for each military department. This will ensure adequate maintenance, sustainment, restoration, and modernization.
• Invests in unaccompanied military housing by adding $177 million in military construction design funds to accelerate replacement of poor and failing barracks.
• Provides better recourse for servicemembers facing maintenance issues in barracks by requiring the Department of Defense (DoD) to provide a digital maintenance system to residents that allows them to submit maintenance work orders, similar to what is required of military family housing. It also requires DoD to develop and implement standard criteria for a digital facilities management system that will track individual facility maintenance conditions as well as required and planned maintenance actions at the individual building level.
• Bridges the digital divide for servicemembers by requiring the Secretary of Defense to develop a policy for the military services to provide free internet to those living in barracks.
• Fully funds childcare fee assistance programs, a move that will address wait lists for eligible families in need of fee assistance.
• Improves access to childcare for servicemembers by authorizing $29.7 million to fund various Child Development Centers – including several across Virginia.
• Provides additional support for the children of servicemembers in the exceptional family member program by requiring DoD to initiate a pilot program to establish inclusive playgrounds at military installations for children with special needs.

Strengthening our military:

• Authorizes 14 military construction projects in Virginia, totaling more than $500 million. In Hampton Roads, that includes projects for the Navy at Little Creek, Oceana, Naval Station Norfolk, Yorktown, and Norfolk Naval Shipyard. It also includes a project for the Air Force at Langley-Eustis.

• Authorizes five dedicated spending requests personally championed by Sen. Warner, which will help accelerate the construction timeline of the following projects, by moving them forward in the Navy’s annual construction plan:
  • $2.75 million for design of a Child Development Center (CDC) at JEB Little Creek-Ft Story
  • $5.68 million for design of a CDC at MCB Quantico
  • $4.08 million for design of a CDC at NAS Oceana
  • $1.2 million for design of a CDC at NS Norfolk
  • $16 million for design of unaccompanied housing at NAS Oceana.
• Authorizes $33.5 billion in shipbuilding funding for the procurement of seven battle force ships, including one Virginia-class submarine, with incremental funding authority for a second ship and funding for additional material and support; and full funding of the Columbia class ballistic missile submarine program.

Strengthening our nation’s defense and cyber defense capabilities:

• Requires the NSA Director to establish an Artificial Intelligence Security Center within the National Security Agency,which would promote secure artificial intelligence adoption practices for managers of national security systems and elements of the defense industrial base. It would also develop guidance to prevent or mitigate counter-artificial intelligence techniques.
• Provides $17.5 billion for science and technology programs, including $100 million for research at HBCU and Minority Serving Institutions.
• Requires measures to improve the cybersecurity of mobile devices used by DoD in order to mitigate cyberattack risks against mobile devices and other threats that could undermine national security and defense operations.
• The bill includes a Warner-authored provision to require a pilot program proposal for a small modular reactor (SMR) on an installation of at least 60 megawatts of power. That proposal would be due to Congress by next June. 

Countering aggression by adversaries like Russia and China and strengthening democratic influence across the world:

• Includes language require a multi-agency analysis of national security risks posed by CCP-linked drone companies. This language was based on legislation authored by Sen. Warner that he has pushed to restore American leadership in the drone industry and ensure that China can’t spy on Americans or otherwise disrupt key functions of drone technology.
• Provides funding for the FCC’s Supply Chain Reimbursement Program. This program, based on Senator Warner’s United States 5G Leadership Act of 2019, provides important funding for telecommunications carriers, especially those carriers serving rural areas, to remove and replace dangerous PRC-sourced telecommunications network equipment. Sen. Warner has been a leading voice in Congress about the national security risks posed by PRC-controlled telecommunication companies. This  provision is estimated to deliver over $2.5 million in needed funding for local providers  in Virginia.
• Authorizes a Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative, modeled after the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, to enable Taiwan to maintain sufficient self-defense capabilities consistent with the Taiwan Relations Act.
• Requires the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), within 90 days of this bill’s enactment, to provide Congress with an assessment of the likely course of the war in Ukraine through December 31, 2025. The report must include information on the ability of Ukraine’s military to defend against Russian aggression if the United States continues or discontinues military and economic assistance; the ability and willingness of other countries to continue or discontinue military and economic assistance to Ukraine; and the impacts of Russia’s potential defeat of Ukraine on United States national security and foreign policy interests, including the potential for further aggression from Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea.
• Establishes a DNI and Secretary of Defense Working Group to identify and share lessons that the United States intelligence community has learned from the Ukraine conflict.
• Includes a Warner and Kaine-led provision to codify the Sudan Special Envoy role for two years, and to provide additional support and resourcing for that office.

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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and Jim Risch (R-ID), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, along with U.S. Sens. Chris Coons (D-DE), Todd Young (R-IN), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Mike Rounds (R-SD), wrote to President Biden, urging him to take more decisive action against foreign entities fueling the ongoing civil war in Sudan.

The violence in Sudan has led to a massive humanitarian crisis. Since the war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) began in April 2023, it’s estimated that the conflict has claimed the lives of tens of thousands to potentially over one hundred thousand individuals, and in the region, more than 25 million Sudanese are in need of immediate assistance. According to recent reporting, foreign entities, including those in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Russia, are providing a critical financial lifeline to the belligerents to the conflict and fueling the war. In their letter, the senators highlighted the administration’s current efforts to end this crisis, but stressed the need to do more regarding foreign influence in the war, specifically pointing to the role of illicit gold trading in financing the conflict.

The senators wrote, “We are deeply concerned that Sudan’s illicit gold trade enables lucrative revenue streams that perpetuate the documented atrocities and worsens the devastating humanitarian crisis in the country.  Sudan, one of Africa’s largest gold producers, has a gold industry worth billions of dollars. The RSF controls Sudan’s richest gold mines, including in Jebel Amir. Over the past decade, the RSF and its leader, Mohamed Hamdan (Hemedti) Dagalo, have established dominance over Sudan’s gold trade, using ‘front companies and banks based in Sudan and the UAE’  to finance weapons, propaganda, and alliances with armed groups. The U.S. Department of the Treasury has identified gold operations as ‘a vital source of revenue for the Dagalo family and the RSF.’ This revenue fuels violence, as documented by the United Nations.”

Detailing the involvement of the foreign countries in this illicit practice, the senators continued, “The UAE is a major hub for smuggled Sudanese gold entering global markets. Between 2012 and 2022, Emirati companies reportedly received over 2,500 tons of illicit African gold worth approximately $115 billion.  Sudan’s gold exports predominantly route to the UAE, but their true scale is obscured by significant smuggling and undervaluation. Despite its removal from the Financial Action Task Force’s “gray list” in February 2024, the UAE’s gold sector remains vulnerable to money laundering.  Reports have further linked Sudanese gold smuggled through the UAE to Russia’s Wagner Group, which uses these funds to support operations in Africa and Russia’s war in Ukraine, undermining international sanctions and exacerbating Sudan’s conflict.”

Sen. Warner has been a leading voice in the Senate about the need for increased diplomatic and humanitarian support for Sudan since the war erupted. In May 2023, Sen. Warner requested that the Biden administration issue a new Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for Sudan, which was subsequently issued. Later that month, Sen. Warner urged the administration to offer all available support for humanitarian efforts in the region – and to be forward leaning on prioritizing local and community-based response efforts – and to appoint a Special Envoy to Sudan tasked with coordinating and leading U.S. diplomatic efforts to address the crisis. In December 2023, Sen. Warner continued public calls to the Biden administration to appoint a Special Envoy to Sudan, and former U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello was subsequently appointed to the position. Last month, Sen. Warner also joined Sens. Risch and Coons in introducing the Sudan Accountability Act. He has also continued his efforts to provide support to Sudan and the Sudanese diaspora, regularly communicating with Special Envoy Perriello, and meeting with the Sudanese community in Virginia.

A copy of the letter is available here and below.

Dear Mr. President,

We urge immediate action by your administration to target foreign external actors and foreign business entities fueling the gruesome atrocities in the Sudanese conflict, including those smuggling gold from Sudan to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and other countries. We also urge your Administration to expeditiously coordinate with allies and partners to strengthen the international response to the conflict, including through multilateral investigations and sanctions, to ensure all responsible actors are held to account.

For over 19 months, fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has caused devastating harm to the Sudanese people.  The conflict in Sudan has claimed tens of thousands to potentially over one hundred thousand lives, with preventable diseases and starvation emerging as the leading causes of death from April 2023 to June 2024.  The violence has displaced more than 11 million people, leaving approximately 25 million people—half of Sudan’s population—in urgent need of food and critical assistance.  It has also fueled uncontrolled outbreaks of cholera, malaria, dengue fever, and other diseases. As U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield stated in September, millions of Sudanese are “on the verge of generational famine.”

We recognize the ongoing efforts of the United States, particularly the work of Special Envoy for Sudan, Tom Perriello, to end the conflict, ensure humanitarian access, and hold the two warring parties and their supporters accountable. Specifically, we applaud your administration’s actions to designate SAF and RSF members to the Office of Foreign Asset Control’s (OFAC) Specially Designated Nationals List, and to announce a blocked pending investigation action against seven UAE companies for potentially violating U.S. sanctions on Sudan.  However, the Administration must do more to hold to account not only the warring parties, but also external actors providing support to both sides of the conflict, including the UAE, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, as well as foreign business entities helping to finance both sides of the conflict.

For example, we are deeply concerned that Sudan’s illicit gold trade enables lucrative revenue streams that perpetuate the documented atrocities and worsens the devastating humanitarian crisis in the country.  Sudan, one of Africa’s largest gold producers, has a gold industry worth billions of dollars. The RSF controls Sudan’s richest gold mines, including in Jebel Amir. Over the past decade, the RSF and its leader, Mohamed Hamdan (Hemedti) Dagalo, have established dominance over Sudan’s gold trade, using “front companies and banks based in Sudan and the UAE”  to finance weapons, propaganda, and alliances with armed groups. The U.S. Department of the Treasury has identified gold operations as “a vital source of revenue for the Dagalo family and the RSF.” This revenue fuels violence, as documented by the United Nations. 

The UAE is a major hub for smuggled Sudanese gold entering global markets. Between 2012 and 2022, Emirati companies reportedly received over 2,500 tons of illicit African gold worth approximately $115 billion.  Sudan’s gold exports predominantly route to the UAE, but their true scale is obscured by significant smuggling and undervaluation. Despite its removal from the Financial Action Task Force’s “gray list” in February 2024, the UAE’s gold sector remains vulnerable to money laundering.  Reports have further linked Sudanese gold smuggled through the UAE to Russia’s Wagner Group, which uses these funds to support operations in Africa and Russia’s war in Ukraine, undermining international sanctions and exacerbating Sudan’s conflict.

We therefore urge your administration to expand efforts by OFAC to fully leverage existing executive authorities and congressionally authorized enforcement mechanisms to hold accountable individuals and entities destabilizing Sudan. More decisive action is needed to target the business entities and external actors fueling the conflict, particularly under the authority of Executive Order 14098 and the Global Magnitsky Act. In particular, the U.S. should identify any additional UAE entities violating U.S. sanctions relating to smuggling of gold and ensure those entities are held to account.

Finally, strengthening international coordination is essential to effectively implement and monitor investigations into the atrocities by both sides of the conflict and by external entities. We should also ensure multilateral and comprehensive sanctions against business entities supporting the conflict, including entities profiting from Sudan’s illicit gold smuggling. The United States must enhance diplomatic engagement with external actors enabling the conflict while taking concrete steps to dismantle the illegal financing and smuggling networks that sustain it.

In the final months of your administration, we look forward to working with you to enhance U.S. efforts to end the conflict in Sudan, address the humanitarian crisis, hold accountable those responsible for atrocities, and stop the actors fueling this crisis inside and outside Sudan.

Sincerely, 

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WASHINGTON – Today, Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Mark R. Warner (D-VA) released the following statement: 

“This agreement to end the war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, which has killed thousands of people, is a welcome development for the region and should increase pressure on Hamas to reach a cease-fire agreement to end the fighting and destruction in the Gaza Strip, which has already claimed so many innocent lives. I applaud diplomatic efforts by the Biden administration and other international partners over many months in helping to reach this point.”

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WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) released the statement below, following an announcement by the Biden-Harris administration that TSMC will receive up to $6.6 billion in direct funding, which will be paired with over $65 billion in private investment to support three leading-edge facilities in Arizona that will manufacture the world’s most advanced semiconductor process technologies. This funding was awarded through the Department of Commerce’s CHIPS Incentives Program and appropriated through the CHIPS and Science Act – legislation negotiated and championed by Sen. Warner. 

“Congress originally passed the CHIPS and Science Act because we knew that our national security depended on it. Today’s $6.6 billion investment will help support production of the most advanced chips, used for advanced applications like Artificial Intelligence. This is a win for American workers, for our advanced manufacturing industry, and for the resilience and security of our supply chains,” said Sen. Warner.

At full capacity, TSMC’s three fabs are expected to manufacture tens of millions of leading-edge logic chips that will power products like 5G/6G smartphones, autonomous vehicles, and high-performance computing and AI applications. Reshoring and rebuilding production of these most advanced chips in the United States will help maintain our national security by strengthening our qualitative advantage against foreign adversaries. 

Sen. Warner, co-chair of the Senate Cybersecurity Caucus and former technology entrepreneur, has long sounded the alarm about the importance of investing in domestic semiconductor manufacturing. Sen. Warner first introduced the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) for America Act in June 2020 along with Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX). 

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WASHINGTON – Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Mark R. Warner (D-VA) issued a statement condemning Iran’s missile attacks against Israel:

“As Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, I am closely monitoring Iran’s most recent missile attack against the state of Israel. America’s commitment to Israel’s security remains ironclad.”

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WASHINGTON – Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Mark R. Warner (D-VA) issued a statement after the U.S. government announced criminal charges and other actions related to Iran’s attempts to influence the elections:

“Today’s announcement once again underscores the extent to which adversaries like Iran are actively seeking to influence the outcome of our elections using a wide range of tools. I applaud the intelligence community and law enforcement for today’s actions, which are exposing those responsible and, most importantly, are raising the American public’s awareness to be on guard against attempts by our foreign adversaries to influence their votes.”

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WASHINGTON – Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Mark R. Warner (D-VA) issued a statement after the U.S. government announced criminal charges and other actions related to Russian disinformation efforts to influence the U.S. election:

“Today’s announcement underscores what the Senate Intelligence Committee has repeatedly warned: foreign adversaries are acutely interested in meddling in our elections, using a wide range of tools to seek their preferred electoral outcomes and stoke division among Americans. We applaud federal law enforcement for taking steps today to hold Russia publicly accountable for its efforts to influence the U.S. presidential election. With just 62 days until Election Day, we must remain vigilant, and the Senate Intelligence Committee will continue to work with the Intelligence Community to keep the American public alert to the threat posed by those seeking to disrupt the democratic process.”

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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) applauded committee passage of their Promoting United States Leadership in Standards Act of 2024, legislation aimed at restoring the U.S.’s position as the leader in international standards-setting for Artificial Intelligence and other critical emerging technologies (CETs). This legislation passed through the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation by a unanimous voice vote.

The legislation, first introduced in February, comes in response to the rising influence of Chinese-government affiliated companies and organizations on international technology standards and practices. For decades, the United States led the world in developing new technologies, which allowed our country to set the standards that guided the use and development of those technologies around the globe. However, in recent years, companies and organizations backed by the Chinese Communist Party have overtaken the U.S. in some key areas, which has allowed the Chinese government to influence standards in ways that further its own interests.

“I am thrilled to see this important legislation pass through the Commerce Committee with overwhelming bipartisan support,” said Sen. Warner. “This legislation clearly outlines steps we must take to reestablish our leadership and ensure that we are doing all we can to set the global standards for critical and emerging technologies. I look forward to a full Senate vote.”

“The Communist Chinese Party has made it their mission to undermine the U.S. and our interests around the globe by exploiting our deficiencies,” said Sen. Blackburn. “As they ramp up their efforts to dominate global standards for emerging technologies, the U.S. must be a global leader in innovation, and that includes setting standards that reflect our interests and values.”

Specifically, the Promoting United States Leadership in Standards Act would:

• Require the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to submit a report to Congress that identifies current U.S. participation in standards development activities for AI and other CETs;
• Create an easy-to-access web portal to help stakeholders navigate and actively engage in international standardization efforts. The portal would include a list of relevant standards and information about how to participate in standardization activities related to AI and other CETs;
• Establish a pilot program to award $5 million in grants over 5 years to support the hosting of standards meetings for AI and other CETs in the U.S.;
• Create a report to Congress, during the third year of the program, that identifies grant recipients, provides a summary of expenses, assesses the effectiveness of the program to grow the number of standards meetings in the U.S, and shows the geographic distribution of event attendees.

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WASHINGTON – Ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s joint meeting of Congress, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Ben Cardin (D-MD), and Jack Reed (D-RI), the Chairs of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Senate Armed Services Committee, wrote to President Biden to support a deal that ends the Gaza conflict, secures the return of all hostages, and ensures Israel’s long-term security through meaningful and tangible steps towards a two-state outcome for Israelis and Palestinians living side by side in equal measures of security, dignity, prosperity, and peace. The Chairs reiterated their commitment to Israel’s greater integration into the region, including through normalizing relations with Saudi Arabia, as part of a comprehensive plan for peace. They underscored that only a holistic approach could break the cycle of violence and counter terrorism, and erode the narrative of the Iranian regime, Hamas, and others who seek to sow chaos and despair in the Middle East. Finally, the Chairs reaffirmed the need for regional partners, with the support of allies, to be committed to and invested in such a future where security for both Israelis and Palestinians is ensured.

“We write to express our strong support for the agreement that immediately would release the hostages, and end the conflict in Gaza,” wrote the Chairs. “We commend your focus on moving towards a sustainable and negotiated two-state outcome that ensures Israel’s long-term security as a Jewish and democratic state, living alongside a Palestinian state with equal measures of peace, dignity, and prosperity.”

Full text of the letter is available below:

Dear President Biden:

As the Chairs of the national security committees of the Senate, and in anticipation of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s joint address to Congress, we write to express our strong support for the agreement that immediately would release the hostages, and end the conflict in Gaza. We commend your focus on moving towards a sustainable and negotiated two-state outcome that ensures Israel’s long-term security as a Jewish and democratic state, living alongside a Palestinian state with equal measures of peace, dignity, and prosperity. Such an outcome would be anchored in a historic normalization agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia and Israel’s greater regional integration. We applaud this strategic vision that seeks to counter terrorism and destabilization in the Middle East, and build a more hopeful future. Breaking the cycle of violence can only happen through a holistic approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including meaningful and tangible steps to create a viable path to a two-state outcome for both Israelis and Palestinians.

This strategy begins with an agreement to return all hostages held by Hamas and the establishment of a ceasefire in Gaza. The human cost of the October 7 attacks and the months after has been devastating for both Israelis and innocent Palestinians. While Hamas’ military capabilities have been degraded notably, lasting security rests in denying Hamas what it needs to once again govern and control Gaza. A post conflict strategy for Gaza must be comprehensive and done in cooperation with Arab and international partners to address thoroughly pressing humanitarian needs, security challenges, and governance vacuums.

Critically, to ensure lasting security for Israel and greater regional integration, the approach must include meaningful and tangible steps for a future two-state outcome. As you noted in July 2022, this includes “…two states for two peoples, both of whom have deep and ancient roots in this land, living side by side in peace and security. Both states fully respecting the equal rights of the other citizens. Both peoples enjoying equal measures of freedom and dignity.”

Israel, a reformed Palestinian Authority, and regional partners must be prepared to move the West Bank and Gaza towards a future where two peoples live without fear, and with equal measures of security, dignity, and prosperity. In Gaza, this requires a robust humanitarian, security, and governance plan with commitment and investment from the region. In the West Bank, these steps must include a reformed, capable, and accountable Palestinian Authority that can assume responsibility and security for all Palestinians and is ready and willing to fight terrorism in all its forms.

For Israel, this must include reversing the growing trend towards annexing parts of the West Bank. There are some in Israel, including members of the current government, that do not see peace, safety, and dignity for Palestinians as integral to Israel’s security, and who undermine the future of a two-state outcome. That is why any approach must also build on your Administration’s steps to lay bare the violence that targets innocent Palestinians in the West Bank, and to hold accountable those violent extremists who destroy or expropriate Palestinian land and infrastructure. We urge you to stress to Prime Minister Netanyahu the United States’ significant concerns over these trends in the West Bank. We need to make clear that such violent acts do not make Israel or Israelis safer, and that the United States will continue to address these acts, including through sanctions.

Finally, a strategy to achieve all of these objectives requires Israel’s regional integration, including normalized relations with Saudi Arabia, which in turn offers a path to broader regional security and stability with neighbors who are at peace with one another. This will require regional leaders to make difficult choices, but the alternatives are dark, dangerous, and destabilizing. The Iranian regime, through its network of proxies, destabilizes the region, harms international trade, and poses a direct threat to regional security. Failure to deepen regional integration will not only allow narratives by the Iranian regime, Hamas, and others to prevail but also enable it to dictate the pace of events in the Middle East. Broader regional integration must deal with the threat of terrorism head on. But it also must offer the prospect of hope – the hope of a political horizon towards comprehensive peace.

Regional leaders understand these threats and the potential benefits. We saw a demonstration of the threat on April 13 and 14, when Israel, along with its neighbors were the target of Iran’s attack. Regional leaders know they must step up to ensure the region – including Israel – can live in peace and security.

We are under no illusion that this will be easy and we fully understand that diplomacy requires compromise. But the pre-October 7 status quo is not sustainable. In order for the region to chart a new path forward, one that chooses cooperation and partnership over endless conflict, hope must follow the darkness of October 7 and recent months.

We see an opportunity for enduring peace and security for Israel and greater economic and security integration in the Middle East. Our interests and Israel’s interests stand to be enhanced. The potential benefits are manifold, from checking Iran and its proxy militias to supporting greater regional economic, development, and security integration, and preserving our interests against geopolitical competitors in the Middle East. As you said on May 31, “We can’t lose this moment.” We therefore urge you to seize the opportunity and stand resolute in your commitment to a path that can lead to more enduring stability, prosperity, and security for the United States, Israel, and the entire Middle East.

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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) released the following statement after Senate Republicans defeated a bipartisan bill to address the situation at the U.S. southern border:

“This failed vote is the epitome of Washington dysfunction: after years of bellyaching about the situation at the U.S. southern border, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have shut down a border bill authored by a member of their very own party. It’s been nearly 40 years since Congress last reformed our immigration system, and it shows. The dysfunction at the border, the illegal movement of fentanyl through our ports of entry, the broken system in place for fearful asylum seekers – it’s a shame that Congress would turn down the opportunity to tackle all of these challenges today with the first real bipartisan immigration compromise we’ve seen in over a decade. As the Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, I worry this failure to address the situation at the border will only serve the interests of bad actors looking to jeopardize our national security. I will continue to push for solutions to fix this broken system.”

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WASHINGTON – With under six months until the U.S. general election, Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark R. Warner (D-VA) today pushed tech companies to follow up on commitments made at the Munich Security Conference and take concrete measures to combat malicious misuses of generative artificial intelligence (AI) that could impact elections. In February, a group of AI companies signed the Tech Accord to Combat Deceptive Use of AI in 2024 Elections, a high-level roadmap for a variety of new initiatives, investments, and interventions that could improve the information ecosystem surrounding this year’s elections. Following that initial agreement, Sen. Warner is pushing for specific answers about the actions that companies are taking to make good on the Tech Accord. 

“Against the backdrop of worldwide proliferation of malign influence activity globally – with an ever-growing range of malign actors embracing social media and wider digital communications technologies to undermine trust in public institutions, markets, democratic systems, and the free press –  generative AI (and related media-manipulation) tools can impact the volume, velocity, and believability of deceptive election,” Sen. Warner wrote.

This year, elections are taking place in over 40 countries representing over 4 billion people, while AI companies are simultaneously releasing a range of powerful and untested new tools that have the potential to rapidly spread believable misinformation, as well as abuse by a range of bad actors. While the Tech Accord represented a positive, public-facing first step to recognize and address this novel challenge, Sen. Warner is pushing for effective, durable protections to ensure that malign actors can’t use AI to craft misinformation campaigns and to prevent its dissemination on social media platforms. To that end, he posed a series of questions to get specific information on the actions that companies are taking to prevent the creation and rapid spread of AI-enabled disinformation and election deception.

“While high-level, the commitments your company announced in conjunction with the Tech Accord offer a clear roadmap for a variety of new initiatives, investments, and interventions that can materially enhance the information ecosystem surrounding this year’s election contests. To that end, I am interested in learning more about the specific measures your company is taking to implement the Tech Accord. While the public pledge demonstrated your company’s willingness to constructively engage on this front, ultimately the impact of the Tech Accord will be measured in the efficacy – and durability – of the initiatives and protection measures you adopt,” Sen. Warner continued.

The letter concludes by pointing out that several of the proposed measures to combat malicious misuse in elections would also help address adjacent misuses of AI technology, including the creation of non-consensual intimate imagery, child sexual abuse material, and online bullying and harassment campaigns. Sen. Warner has been consistently calling attention to and pushing for action from AI companies on these and other potential misuses. On Wednesday, Sen. Warner will host a public Intelligence Committee hearing where leaders from the FBI, CISA, and the ODNI will provide updates on threats to the 2024 election.

Sen. Warner sent letters to every signatory of the Tech Accord: Adobe, Amazon, Anthropic, Arm, Eleven Labs, Gen, GitHub, Google, IBM, Inflection, Intuit, LG, LinkedIn, McAfee, Microsoft, Meta, NetApp, Nota, Open AI, Snap, Stability AI, TikTok, Trend, True Media, Truepic, and X.

A copy of every letter is available here and one example is included below:

Earlier this year, I joined to amplify and applaud your company’s commitment to advance election integrity worldwide through the Tech Accord to Combat Deceptive Use of AI in 2024 Elections. As generative artificial intelligence (AI) products proliferate for both commercial and general users, a multi-stakeholder approach is needed to ensure that industry, governments, and civil society adequately anticipate – and counteract – misuse of these products in ways that cause harm to vulnerable communities, public trust, and democratic institutions. The release of a range of powerful new AI tools – many enabled or directly offered by your [company/organization] -- coincides with an unprecedented number of elections worldwide. As memorialized during the Munich Summit, elections have occurred – or will occur – in over 40 countries worldwide, with more than four billion global citizens exercising their franchise. Since the signing of the Tech Accord on February 16^th, the first round of India’s elections have already concluded. European Parliament elections will take place in early June and– as primary contests are already well underway – the U.S. general election will take place on November 5^th. 

While policymakers worldwide have begun the process of developing measures to ensure that generative AI technologies (and related media manipulation tools) serve the public interest, the private sector can – particularly in collaboration with civil society – dramatically shape the usage and wider impact of these technologies through proactive measures. Against the backdrop of worldwide proliferation of malign influence activity globally – with an ever-growing range of malign actors embracing social media and wider digital communications technologies to undermine trust in public institutions, markets, democratic systems, and the free press –  generative AI (and related media-manipulation) tools can impact the volume, velocity, and believability of deceptive election information.

While high-level, the commitments your company announced in conjunction with the Tech Accord offer a clear roadmap for a variety of new initiatives, investments, and interventions that can materially enhance the information ecosystem surrounding this year’s election contests. To that end, I am interested in learning more about the specific measures your company is taking to implement the Tech Accord. While the public pledge demonstrated your company’s willingness to constructively engage on this front, ultimately the impact of the Tech Accord will be measured in the efficacy – and durability – of the initiatives and protection measures you adopt. Indeed, many of these measures will be vital in addressing adjacent misuses of generative AI products, such as the creation of non-consensual intimate imagery, child sexual abuse material, or content generated for online harassment and bullying campaigns. I request that you provide answers to the following questions no later than May 24, 2024.

1. What steps is your company taking to attach content credentials, and other relevant provenance signals, to any media created using your products? To the extent that your product is incorporated in a downstream product offered by a third-party, do license terms or other terms of use stipulate the adoption of such measures? To the extent you distribute content generated by others, does your company attach labels when you assess – based on either internal classifiers or credible third-party reports – to be machine-generated or machine-manipulated?
2. What specific public engagement and education initiatives have you initiated in countries holding elections this year? What has the engagement rate been thus far and what proactive steps are you undertaking to raise user awareness on the availability of new tools hosted by your platform?
3. What specific resources has your company provided for independent media and civil society organizations to assist in their efforts to verify media, generate authenticated media, and educate the public?
4. What has been your company’s engagement with candidates and election officials with respect to anticipating misuse of your products, as well as the effective utilization of content credentialing or other media authentication tools for their public communications? 
5. Has your company worked to develop widely-available detection tools and methods to identify, catalogue, and/or continuously track the distribution of machine-generated or machine-manipulated content?
6. (To the extent your company offers social media or other content distribution platforms) What kinds of internal classifiers and detection measures are you developing to identify machine-generated or machine-manipulated content? To what extent to these measures depend on collaboration or contributions from generative AI vendors?
7. (To the extent your company offers social media or other content distribution platforms) What mechanisms has your platform implemented to enable victims of impersonation campaigns to report content that may violate your Terms of Service? Do you maintain separate reporting tools for public figures?
8. (To the extent your company offers generative AI products) What mechanisms has your platform implemented to enable victims of impersonation campaigns that may have relied on your models to report activity that may violate your Terms of Service? 
9. (To the extent your company offers social media or other content distribution platforms) What is the current status of information sharing between platforms on detecting machine-generated or machine-manipulated content that may be used for malicious ends (such as election disinformation, non-consensual intimate imagery, online harassment, etc.)? Will your company commit to participation in a common database of violative content?

Thank you for your attention to these important matters and I look forward to your response.

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