CONGRESS FOR VOTERS

Tom Cotton (R-AR)

S.Amdt. 3218

S.Amdt. 3218 · Senate amendment

A Republican amendment with no cosponsors

Changes S. 2296 — National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026

Offered

Offered, and not voted on yet. Most amendments never get a vote: the Senate takes up the bill and moves on without them.

Its path through Congress

  1. Introduced
  2. Pending Consideration

What this amendment would do

SA 3218, submitted by Mr. Cotton, aims to add a section to bill S. 2296 that prohibits people who are not United States citizens from accessing Department of Defense data and systems.

The amendment seeks to change the bill by adding the following requirements:

  • Restrictions on Access: It prohibits non-U.S. citizens from maintaining, administering, operating, accessing, using, or receiving Department of Defense cloud computing systems or data, regardless of whether they are supervised by a U.S. citizen or using remote or proxy means.

  • Secretary of Defense Obligations: The Secretary of Defense must create regulations and safeguards to enforce this prohibition and review all Department guidance, directives, and regulations to ensure they comply.

  • Review and Reporting: The Secretary must review all current cloud computing contracts for violations and determine how many non-U.S. citizens—specifically those from foreign countries of concern—have had access to these systems and data. The findings must be reported to the House and Senate Committees on Armed Services.