Cotton, Warner Statements on Senate Passage of Intelligence Authorization Act

United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 9, 2025

CONTACT:
Patrick McCann (Cotton) 202 224-2353
Rachel Cohen (Warner) 202 228-6884

Cotton, Warner Statements on Senate Passage of Intelligence Authorization Act

Washington, D.C. - Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas), and Senator Mark R. Warner (D-Virginia), Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, today 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). The bill authorizes funding, provides legal authorities, and enhances oversight of national security threats and our United States Intelligence Community.

"I'd like to thank my colleagues for supporting this bill and the men and women of our intelligence community on the Senate floor. This bill includes real and needed reforms across the entire intelligence community, starting with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. I am also pleased that this bill includes many provisions to ensure and enhance our nation's security by prohibiting the intelligence community from contracting with Chinese military companies, imposing severe restrictions on foreign diplomats suspected of espionage, identifying the threat to America's food security posed by Communist China, and directing necessary resources towards defending our nation from the threats posed by Iran. I urge my colleagues in the House to support this bill," said Senator Cotton.

"I'm glad to see the Senate pass this bipartisan Intelligence Authorization Act, which ensures that the Intelligence Community has the resources and authorities it needs to keep our nation safe while maintaining strong oversight of its activities," said Senator Warner. "I'll be urging my colleagues in the House to get this signed into law without further delay."

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;
• Codify tour and travel restrictions for Chinese, Russian Iranian and North Korean diplomats in the United States;
• Improve the Intelligence Community's artificial intelligence capabilities and capacity and establish guidelines for the IC's procurement and use of artificial intelligence;
• Increase transparency to Congress regarding Iran's enrichment activities, including decisions to weaponize uranium;
• Require the Intelligence Community to develop a policy 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 program to support IC 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;
• Prohibit Intelligence Community contractors from collecting or selling Intelligence Community personnel location data;
• 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;
• Enhance protections for Intelligence Community whistleblowers;
• 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.

###