Bennet Secures Key Provisions in Senate Fiscal Year 2027 Intelligence Authorization Act

May 21, 2026 | Press Releases

Measures Bolster U.S. Support for Ukraine's Fight Against Russia, Strengthen U.S. Deterrence Against China, and Mitigate National Security Risks Posed by the Proliferation of Artificial Intelligence Technologies

Washington, D.C. - Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet secured several key amendments during the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence's mark-up of the Intelligence Authorization Act (IAA) for Fiscal Year 2027, which passed out of the Committee on May 20.

"I continue to fight for the resources and authorities our intelligence personnel, thousands of whom are Coloradans, need to protect our national security," said Bennet. "This bill ensures that they can continue that critical work, which is the backbone of our national security. I am particularly glad to see the strong bipartisan support for my amendment that would bolster U.S. intelligence support to Ukraine. As a result of U.S. and allied investments, Ukraine has substantially halted Russia's momentum on the battlefield and developed a capacity to conduct warfare unlike any NATO member state. Ukraine's armed forces are not only less dependent on U.S. military support but also postured to contribute to U.S. and NATO efforts to deter and help defeat any future Russian aggression in Europe. Today's Committee action ensures that the architecture underlying Ukraine's recent battlefield success will not be interrupted and signals continued U.S. resolve to Russian President Putin."

The bill voted out of Committee included Bennet's amendments on the following topics:

• Bolstering U.S. Intelligence Support to Ukraine. The bill requires the Intelligence Community (IC) to sustain vital U.S. intelligence support to Ukraine during ongoing hostilities, as well as adapt - but not abandon - intelligence support for Ukraine if a peace deal is reached. The amendment further requires the IC to resume full intelligence support to Ukraine if Russia violates any future peace agreement. This effectively removes the ambiguity as to whether the United States would continue its intelligence support of Ukraine after any future peace deal. The amendment will enable the long-term planning, budgeting, and execution necessary for the IC to help enforce any future peace deal, thereby bolstering U.S. and NATO deterrence against Russia and deepening joint efforts with Ukraine in areas of mutual benefit. Bennet has championed Ukraine's fight against Russia since 2022, playing a leading role in securing the April 2024 passage of the national security supplemental package and pursuing several other measures to bolster U.S.-Ukraine cooperation.
• Enhancing U.S. Intelligence Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. The bill directs the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) to strengthen intelligence cooperation with U.S. allies in the Indo-Pacific (Australia, Japan, New Zealand, the Philippines, South Korea, and Thailand), as well as regional partners, including India and Vietnam. This cooperation will help deter aggression, reinforce regional stability, and reduce the risk of miscalculation, all of which will advance U.S. national security and economic prosperity. In 2025, Bennet passed legislation requiring the Secretary of Defense to develop and implement a strategy to strengthen U.S.-led multilateral efforts with Indo-Pacific allies to deter China's aggression.
• Proliferation of Artificial Intelligence (AI)-Related Technologies. The bill requires the DNI to produce an assessment for the President and Congress before the Secretary of Commerce approves AI technologies for export or the U.S. government signs an AI agreement with a foreign government. The assessment must evaluate the recipient's export control regime, its ties to adversaries like China and Russia, the risk of onward proliferation, and the likely end-uses of the technology. U.S. adversaries can leverage frontier AI systems for a range of harmful applications, and a single wrong export decision could hand adversaries advanced capabilities that degrade U.S. military and intelligence advantages. Requiring these assessments enables the IC to surface risks before sensitive technology is exported and the harm to U.S. national security becomes irreversible.

The Committee report accompanying the bill also includes language from Bennet directing the IC to prioritize sustained investment in intelligence diplomacy and recognizing its importance to the success of U.S. foreign policy.

Additional Background:

The Senate IAA for Fiscal Year 2027 authorizes funding for the IC and ensures that the IC has the resources, personnel, and authorities necessary to protect our country and inform policymakers, while ensuring continued robust congressional oversight. In addition to Bennet's amendments, the bill advances the following key priorities:

• Refocuses the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)'s Office of Intelligence and Analysis on foreign threats to the United States, which will help prevent DHS from improperly surveilling Americans opposed to President Trump's policies.
• Prohibits the DNI from involvement in domestic law enforcement activities, including improper efforts to meddle in U.S. elections.
• Directs the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States to review real estate transactions with a foreign presence near U.S. intelligence and military facilities.
• Requires increased oversight on hostile foreign cyber actors, including foreign scam centers that target Coloradans.
• Bans IC employees and contractors from placing bets on prediction markets on subjects relating to where they have access to nonpublic information.
• Mandates the sharing of biothreat information with non-IC agencies, which will help bolster public health and readiness.
• Authorizes funding of vital IC functions and activities that were not included in the President's Fiscal Year 2027 budget request.

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