WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Tom Cotton (R-AR), Vice Chairman and Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, released the following statement after the Senate passed the annual Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 (IAA) as a part of the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), following passage last week in the House of Representatives. The IAA represents a bipartisan effort by the Senate and House Intelligence Committees to authorize the funding, provide legal authorities, and ensure vigorous congressional oversight of national security threats and our United States Intelligence Community.

“I thank my colleagues and am glad to see this bill pass once again on a strong bipartisan basis. It provides the Intelligence Community the resources it needs to do its mission while ensuring that we maintain rigorous oversight of the IC’s activities. This year’s IAA responds to important concerns, including by demanding continued support and transparency for AHI victims, ensuring IC facilities can be protected from the growing threat of commercial drones, and requiring cyber protections for our electoral systems. At the same time, it readies the IC for the future by promoting IC energy resiliency, enhancing the IC’s ability to detect and counter threats related to emerging biotechnology, and ensuring the IC adopts artificial intelligence in a secure and responsible manner. While I am disappointed that we were unable to reach agreement on a provision to secure our Nation’s telecom infrastructure, I look forward to continuing to work with my Senate colleagues to address the unprecedented Salt Typhoon breach that exposed the personal data and communications of millions of Americans,” said Sen. Warner.

“I’d like to thank my colleagues for supporting this bill and the many members of both the House and Senate Intelligence Committees for building this bill and getting it across the finish line. Since becoming chairman, I have been clear about the need for real reform across the entire intelligence community, starting with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. The FY26 IAA will enact many of these reforms, which will mean a more efficient intelligence community and a safer United States. This law also includes many other important provisions to ensure and enhance our nation’s security. These include prohibiting the intelligence community from contracting with Chinese military companies, improving the security of CIA installations, identifying the threat to America’s food security posed by Communist China, and directing necessary resources towards defending our nation from threats posed by Iran. I’m glad this bill passed both houses of Congress as part of the NDAA and I look forward to it being signed into law by the President,” said Sen. Cotton.

The Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 will:

• Significantly reform and improve efficiencies and effectiveness within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the broader Intelligence Community;
• Prohibit the Intelligence Community from contracting with Chinese military companies engaged in biotechnology research, development, or manufacturing;
• Improve the Intelligence Community’s artificial intelligence capabilities and capacity and establish guidance for the Intelligence Community’s procurement and use of artificial intelligence;
• Increase transparency to Congress regarding Iran’s enrichment activities, including decisions to weaponize uranium;
• Improve the security of Central Intelligence Agency installations;
• Require the Intelligence Community to develop a plan for sharing biotechnological threats with U.S. agencies, allies, and private-sector partners;
• Require the Director of National Intelligence to identify sites for deployment of advanced nuclear technologies;
• Establish a strategy to support Intelligence Community efforts to acquire and integrate emerging technologies proven to meet mission needs;
• Require any Intelligence Community element with information regarding Iranian lethal threats to United States persons to provide the information to the FBI and to any person responsible for protecting the intended victim;
• Support the Intelligence Community workforce by requiring the Director of National Intelligence to issue standard guidelines for Intelligence Community personnel to document and report Anomalous Health Incidents; 
• Expose the People’s Republic of China’s investments that are undermining America’s agricultural security.
• Mandate an annual Intelligence Community survey of analytic objectivity among each element’s officers and employees, and ensure that analytic training includes instructions on avoiding political bias;
• Mandate Intelligence Community notifications and reporting to ensure greater congressional oversight of the terrorist watchlist or the transnational organized crime watchlist;
• Require the Director of National Intelligence to enhance efforts to counter narcotics trafficking with the Government of Mexico; and
• Promote transparency by requiring the Director of National Intelligence to conduct a declassification review and publish intelligence relating to the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

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