United States 119th Congress Status: In Committee Bipartisan · 21 D · 1 I cosponsors

S 491 — Foreign Assistance Accountability and Oversight Act

Last action — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed House
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced February 06, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the Senate.

Prognosis

Advancing 42% · moderate confidence

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 22 sponsors

    1 primary, 21 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (21 D · 1 I) — cross-party backing.

Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.

Bill Text

How this bill changes current law

2 changes Share ↗

Compared against current U.S. Code AI-generated reading aid — verify against the official bill.

The bill establishes the position of Director of Foreign Assistance within the Department of State, defining its duties and oversight mechanisms.

  • 22 U.S.C. 2651a

    (p) Director of Foreign Assistance.-- (1) Definitions.--In this subsection: (A) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term `appropriate congressional committees' means-- (i) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate; (ii) the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate; (iii) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives; and (iv) the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives. (B) Personnel decision.--The term `personnel decision' means any decision relating to promotions, transfers, demotions, or dismissals. (2) Establishment.--There is established in the Department of State, a Director of Foreign Assistance (referred to in this subsection as the `Director'), who-- (A) shall report directly to the Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources; and (B) should not hold another position in the United States Government while holding the position of Director. (3) Duties.--The Director shall-- (A) optimize the impact of foreign assistance by-- (i) strategically aligning foreign assistance resources to the Secretary of State's overarching foreign policy goals; (ii) measuring effectiveness; and (iii) promoting evidence-based policies, including budget formulation, justification, and execution mechanisms; (B) serve as a resource for the Secretary of State, the Deputy Secretary of State, the Under Secretaries of State, the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, and the heads of other Federal departments and agencies that implement United States foreign assistance programs to support the development of policies, plans, and programs to achieve national security, foreign policy, and development goals; (C) perform results-oriented functions related to United States foreign assistance, including-- (i) leading an integrated budget, strategic planning, and performance process as part of integrated interagency program planning to amplify foreign assistance; (ii) promoting monitoring and evaluation; (iii) increasing transparency; (iv) facilitating data analysis, information management, and reporting; and (v) developing foreign assistance policies through research and partnerships; (D) support interagency collaboration on foreign assistance programs and policies of other Federal agencies and entities, including the Millennium Challenge Corporation, the United States International Development Finance Corporation, the Department of the Treasury, the United States Trade and Development Agency, the Export-Import Bank of the United States, and the Peace Corps; (E) create and direct, as part of integrated interagency program planning to amplify foreign assistance, consolidated policy, strategic, and program plans, the operational budget, program evaluation and results reporting from bureaus and offices within the Department of State and the United States Agency for International Development. (4) Appointment; confirmation.-- (A) Appointment.--The Director shall be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. (B) Acting director.--No individual may serve as Director in an acting capacity or otherwise assume the responsibilities of the Director for more than 90 days without being confirmed to such position by the Senate. (5) Personnel decisions.--Any adverse personnel decision made by the Director, or affecting the Director or any staff member reporting to the Director, including demotions, suspensions, furloughs and reductions in force, shall require the approval of the Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources.

    This addition creates a new position focused on managing foreign assistance, outlining specific responsibilities and requirements for the role.

  • SEC. 4. TIMELY OBLIGATION OF APPROPRIATED FUNDS. All funds appropriated by Congress to the Department of State or to the United States Agency for International Development, or that are otherwise under the direction of the Director of Foreign Assistance, shall be made available to be obligated not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of the related appropriations Act.

    This provision ensures that funds appropriated to either agency are obligated within a specified timeframe.

Action History

  1. Introduced in Senate

  2. Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 21 co-sponsors · 525 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (21)

Not signed on (525)

525 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 525 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

environment
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

Who sponsors S 491?
S 491 is sponsored by Kaine, Tim (Democratic), Murray, Patty (Democratic), Schatz, Brian (Democratic), Coons, Christopher A. (Democratic), Merkley, Jeff (Democratic), Booker, Cory A. (Democratic), Van Hollen, Chris (Democratic), Durbin, Richard J. (Democratic), Welch, Peter (Democratic), Markey, Edward J. (Democratic), Sanders, Bernard (Independent), Duckworth, Tammy (Democratic), Bennet, Michael F. (Democratic), Whitehouse, Sheldon (Democratic), Schiff, Adam B. (Democratic), Rosen, Jacky (Democratic), Klobuchar, Amy (Democratic), Peters, Gary C. (Democratic), Padilla, Alex (Democratic), Smith, Tina (Democratic), Shaheen, Jeanne (Democratic), and Hickenlooper, John W. (Democratic).
What is the current status of S 491?
This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced February 06, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track S 491?
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