Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Joaquin Castro (20th District of Texas)
September 19, 2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro’s (TX-20) provisions and amendments to strengthen the State Department, improve U.S. relations abroad, and promote basic accountability and transparency were approved by the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee and now will advance to the House floor. His provisions and amendments build on previous bipartisan legislation and year-long efforts to promote U.S. leadership and values abroad as well as to improve the effectiveness of foreign assistance.
“The future of U.S. diplomacy is on the line,” said Congressman Castro. “We need a strong State Department to make America stronger, safer, and more prosperous. I am glad that my provisions and amendments that improve the effectiveness of foreign assistance, strengthen international relations, and keep America safe received bipartisan support and will advance to the House floor.”
Below are Congressman Castro’s provisions and amendments secured during the markup, along with amendments he introduced that were voted down by Republicans.
Congressman Castro’s provisions include:
Indian Ocean Region Strategic Review
The United States has important interests in the Indian Ocean Region but has not prioritized this region. This provision requires the State Department and other agencies to develop such an approach and also directs the U.S. China Economic and Security Review Commission to track Chinese military deployments in the Indian Ocean Region.
International Bridge and Port of Entry Modernization Act
This bipartisan provision, based on the International Bridge and Port of Entry Modernization Act, streamlines construction of ports of entry and bridges at the U.S.-Mexico and U.S.-Canada borders, improving infrastructure for border communities by allowing the Secretary of State to issue Presidential Permits for construction conditional on environmental reviews.
Rep. Castro worked with a bipartisan group of members, including Rep. Tony Gonzales and Sen. Cruz on this provision.
International Narcotics and Law (INL) Enforcement Compact Authority
This provision establishes a mechanism for INL programs to be conducted on a ‘compact’ basis, allowing them to be focused, and ensures accountability for the government the United States provide assistance. The legislation is based on a recommendation from the bipartisan Western Hemisphere Drug Policy Commission’s report.
Combating Firearms Trafficking in the Western Hemisphere
This provision would support countries in Latin America and the Caribbean to better track where firearms captured from criminals into the United States’ eTrace system, building a better system to track where the firearms are coming from and disrupt them. The vast majority of firearms used by gangs, cartels, and criminal organizations in the Western Hemisphere are trafficked from the United States. Rep. Castro has led efforts in the Congress to prioritize combating arms trafficking.
Investment Screening Initiative
This legislation included in H.R. 5300 would support U.S. partners establish ‘investment screening’ mechanisms similar to the United States’ Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, which allows countries to protect critical national security industries from investment by FTA-partners like Chile are adversaries like the People’s Republic of China.
Global Small Business Network Program
For years, the University of Texas at San Antonio has worked with the U.S. Department of State to support countries in establishing Small Business Development Centers modeled on U.S. SBDCs, to promote entrepreneurship and economic development. This provision supports and expands these efforts to help countries support small businesses and help U.S. small businesses in accessing foreign markets.
Global Child Thrive Act Reauthorization
This provision reauthorizes the Global Child Thrive Act of 2020 which ensures that early childhood development is a priority for U.S. foreign assistance. It requires the Secretary of State to appoint a new Special Advisor for Vulnerable Children, issues new policy guidance on the law’s implementation, and reauthorizes appropriations for the Global Child Thrive Act of 2020 for an additional two fiscal years.
Development Innovation Ventures Program
Development Innovation Ventures was a highly effect program at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) that used an innovative approach to find highly effective foreign policy approaches and scale them up. This provision would re-establish the program after the closure of USAID, significantly improving the impact and cost-effectiveness of foreign assistance programs and save the taxpayers money.
Congressman Castro’s amendments:
Removing Section 226 on Passport Revocation
Freedom of speech and freedom of conscience are among the most fundamental civil liberties our Constitution protects. This amendment prevents the Secretary of State to revoke U.S. Passports on the basis of speech or belief, effectively penalizing Americans for exercising their First Amendment rights.
This amendment was adopted 48-3.
Passport Office Briefing
This amendment requires the State Department to brief Congress on its plan to open six new passport offices in San Antonio, Salt Lake City, Kansas City, Charlotte, Cincinnati, and Orlando. This would expand access for millions of Americans who need passports for work, study, travel, or family emergencies.
This amendment was adopted by voice vote.
Financial Disclosures for Special Envoys
This amendment is about basic accountability and transparency. This amendment requires Special Envoys to file the same financial disclosure reports that other senior officials have already filed. The reports would be reviewed by the Department’s ethics office and published under the same rules that apply to other high-level appointees.
This amendment was withdrawn after an agreement to include the provision in a Managers Amendment.
Requiring a Report When U.S. Citizen or Resident Minors are Detained by a Foreign Government
This amendment ensures Congress is immediately notified whenever a foreign government detains an American child or a lawful permanent resident under the age of 18. It also requires the State Department to maintain a list of such cases that Congress can access. If Americans are sending their children abroad, they deserve to know that their government will have Congress’s full attention if a foreign government throws them in jail, bars them from leaving, or holds them as pawns.
This amendment was adopted by voice vote.
International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement (INCLE) in 502B
This amendment closes a glaring loophole in our human rights laws. Section 502B of the Foreign Assistance Act says the U.S. cannot provide security assistance to governments engaged in a consistent pattern of gross human rights violations, yet INCLE aid flows without the same guardrails. This amendment makes sure that taxpayer dollars don’t bankroll repression under the banner of counternarcotics or policing.
This amendment was adopted by voice vote.
Congressman Castro’s amendments Republicans shot down:
Prohibits State Department Spending at Properties Owned by the President, VP, or Immediate Family
This amendment would have ensured that taxpayer dollars aren’t used to enrich the sitting President, Vice President, or their families by hosting official events at their properties. This amendment sought to protect taxpayer dollars, uphold ethical standards, and reassure the American people that our diplomacy is not for sale.
This amendment failed with a vote of 23-28, with every single Republican voting against prohibiting the State Department from enriching the President, Vice President, or their immediate family by spending money or hosting events at properties owned them.
Oversight of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Funds Provided to El Salvador
Reports indicate that International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement (INCLE) funds may be tied to deportation arrangements with El Salvador that funnel people directly into these facilities. This amendment would have demanded accountability by requiring the State Department to disclose to Congress how much money is being spent, who is being deported, under what authority, and what protections, if any, they have.
This amendment failed with a vote of 23-28, with every single Republican voting against transparency and accountability in the use of U.S. counternarcotics and law enforcement cooperation funding to pay El Salvador to detain Venezuelan nationals.
Reporting on Democracy Fund Reductions in Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua
Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua are three of the most repressive regimes in our hemisphere. This amendment would have required the State Department to report to Congress on reductions in democracy funding in Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua. When their funding is cut, their work is weakened, and authoritarian governments gain ground.
This amendment failed with a vote of 23-28, with every single Republican voting against transparency and accountability in the destructive cuts to these programs.
Prohibits the State Department and U.S. Embassies from Assisting Companies Owned by the President, Vice President, or their Immediate Family in Obtaining Foreign Contracts
This amendment would have ensured that U.S. diplomats and State Department officials are never put in the position of advancing the private business interests of the President, the Vice President, or their immediate families. It prohibits embassies and diplomatic staff from supporting companies that secure contracts with foreign governments.
This amendment failed by a vote of 23-28, with every single Republican voting against prohibiting the State Department from helping the President, Vice President, or their immediate family obtain contracts with foreign governments.
Exempts Human Rights Report from Repeal of Recurring Reports
Section 101 of H.R. 5300 repeals all recurring reports that the Department of State is required to send to Congress. This would include the annual Human Rights Report which documents human rights violations in other countries and informs U.S. foreign policy. This amendment would have exempted the reports from repeal.
The amendment failed by a vote of 23-28, with all Republicans voting to repeal these reports.
Adds Torture to Annual Human Rights Report
The Trump Administration has narrowed the scope of the annual human rights report, stating that they will not report on any issues that are not strictly required by the law. This amendment would have required protection from torture and persecution to be included in the Annual Human Rights Report.
This amendment failed 24-27, with every Republican except one voting against requiring the Annual Human Rights Report document any use of torture or persecution.
Adds Free Elections to Annual Human Rights Report
Every country has a right to free and fair elections. This amendment would have added whether a country has “serious and unreasonable restrictions on political participation or the ability of citizens to elect public representatives through free and fair elections and universal and equal suffrage” to the annual human rights report.
This amendment failed 23-28, with every Republican voting against requiring the Annual Human Rights Report include information on free elections and unreasonable restrictions on political participation.
Adds Freedom of Expression to Annual Human Rights Report
Freedom of expression, and by extension, freedom of the press, freedom from censorship, and freedom from restrictions on internet freedom or access to information are fundamental to the human rights of Americans – and people across the world. This amendment would have ensured that the annual Human Rights Report documents the status of freedom of expression in other countries.
This amendment failed 24-27, with every Republican except one voting against affirming the importance of freedom of expression and requiring its inclusion in the Annual Human Rights Report.
Adds Gross Violation of Internationally Recognized Human Rights
This amendment would have strengthened our annual human rights report by requiring the State Department to clearly state whether a government has engaged in a consistent pattern of gross violations of internationally recognized human rights, as defined in Section 502B of the Foreign Assistance Act.
This amendment failed with a vote of 24-27, with every Republican except one voting against requiring the Annual Human Rights Report determine if a country has engaged in a consistent pattern of gross violations of internationally recognized human rights.
Restrictions on Travel
This amendment would have ensured that Congress could conduct oversight by requiring recipients of U.S. security assistance to commit to allowing members of Congress to visit the country of the recipients to conduct assistance. In recent years, we’ve seen foreign governments attempt to pick and choose which members of Congress can enter their country, undermining their ability to legislate and conduct oversight on behalf of the American people.
This amendment failed by voice vote.
Epstein Files
The American people deserve transparency. This amendment would have required the State Department to review and turn over to Congress all documents related to Jeffrey Epstein — including diplomatic cables, visa records, travel documents, foreign contacts, and official engagements. Mr. Epstein was known to have significant foreign ties and multiple passports.
This amendment failed 24-27, with every Republican except one voting against requiring the State Department from providing these important documents to the Congress in pursuit of justice for Mr. Epstein’s victims.
Require Periodic Review of Major Non-NATO Allies
This amendment would have strengthened congressional oversight of our foreign security partnerships by requiring a regular review of countries designated as Major Non-NATO Allies. If countries want to benefit from being a Major Non-NATO Ally, they should be expected to maintain strong defense cooperation with the United States and uphold the spirit of that partnership.
Second Degree to Mast Managers Amendment #65 to Require Reporting on Use of Force in Indo-Pacific
This amendment was about transparency, accountability, and ensuring that Congress has visibility into how their military is being used in the Indo-Pacific by adding a requirement to a U.S. security cooperation report to review the authorities and policies that permit the use of lethal force in the Indo-Pacific.
This amendment failed with a vote of 23-28, with every Republican voting against greater transparency and oversight in use of force policies in the Indo-Pacific.
Greenland
This amendment rejects the use of military force to acquire the territory of Greenland from the Kingdom of Denmark—a critical NATO Ally.
This amendment failed with a vote of 23-28, with every Republican on the Committee refusing to take military force against the Kingdom of Denmark, a NATO ally, off the table.
Panama Canal
This amendment makes clear that it is the policy of the United States to reject the use of military force to acquire the Panama Canal from the Republic of Panama. This amendment would have ensured that country’s policy is unambiguous: that the United States respects Panama’s sovereignty, and that we categorically reject the idea of using military force to take the Canal.
The amendment failed with a vote of 23-28, with every Republican on the Committee voting against rejecting the use of military force to acquire the Panama Canal from the Republic of Panama.
Strike Section on Authority of the Bureau of Counterterrorism to Access Certain Information
This amendment would have struck section 413 from H.R. 5300. As written, Section 413 gives the Counterterrorism Bureau at the State Department access to essentially all information in the federal government with minimal safeguards. This could include health, tax, and other information of U.S. citizens and highly sensitive classified information such as raw intelligence that the Department of State does not have the systems to maintain in a secure way.
This amendment failed with a vote of 23-28, with every Republican voting to allow the State Department to acquire highly sensitive information about U.S. citizens from other government agencies.
Report on Bukele and MS-13 Ties
This amendment would have required the State Department to submit a report on any relationship between Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele and the criminal organization MS-13. Recent investigations have documented negotiations between President Bukele’s government and MS-13 leaders—deals that reportedly included leniency and benefits for gang leaders in exchange for political support and a reduction in violence. This report would have allowed Congress to conduct oversight and keep Americans and Salvadorans safe.
This amendment failed with a vote of 23-28, with every single Republican voting against greater transparency in ties between Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele and the designated terrorist organization, MS-13.
Review of Conditions of U.S. Citizen Minors whose Parents were Deported
This amendment would have directed the State Department to review and report on the conditions faced by U.S. citizen children who end up living abroad after their parents are removed from the United States. It would have required the State Department to tell Congress how any children are affected, what conditions they face, and what support our consulates are providing. This amendment was about ensuring U.S. citizenship actually means something—that no child is denied their rights because of a parent’s immigration status.
This amendment failed with a vote of 23-28, with every single Republican voting against protecting U.S. citizen minors whose family members were deported from the United States.
No Offshore Procurement
Currently, Israel is the only country the United States does not require to use Foreign Military Financing (FMF) funds to buy equipment from the United States. Israel uses billions of dollars in U.S. assistance to subsidize their own economy and procure equipment from Israeli firms—not American ones. This amendment would have required money the United States provides FMF to be used to buy American equipment—not to subsidize a foreign country’s defense industry.
This amendment failed with a vote of 24-27, with every single Republican except one voting against requiring Foreign Military Financing funding to be spent in the United States, instead allowing U.S. taxpayer dollars subsidize the defense industry of Israel.