CONGRESS FOR VOTERS

Thomas Tillis (R-NC)

To strengthen relations between the United States and the countries in the Western Balkans, and for other purposes.

S.Amdt. 3811 · Senate amendment to an amendment

A Republican amendment with 1 Democratic cosponsor · See the cosponsor

Changes S.Amdt. 3748, an amendment to S. 2296 — National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026

Last activity — Amendment SA 3811 agreed to in Senate by Voice Vote.

Adopted

The Senate agreed to this amendment, so its changes are part of the bill from here on.

Its path through Congress

  1. Introduced
  2. Passed Senate
  3. Adopted

What this amendment would do

This amendment, submitted by Mr. Tillis and Mrs. Shaheen, proposes adding a new subtitle called the Western Balkans Democracy and Prosperity Act to bill S. 2296.

The purpose of this amendment is to establish a comprehensive U.S. strategy to support six Western Balkans countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia.

Key Changes and Additions

The amendment aims to add the following to the bill:

  • Economic and Democratic Support: It directs the U.S. to increase business investment, support small businesses (especially those owned by women and youth), and help these countries reduce their dependence on Russian energy.

  • Governance and Security: It establishes initiatives to fight corruption, improve cyber resilience, and protect democratic institutions from disinformation.

  • Sanctions: It codifies existing executive orders for sanctions against people who threaten stability in the region, while providing a process for the President to terminate or waive these sanctions.

  • Strategic Partnerships: It authorizes the promotion of partnerships between U.S. and Western Balkans universities and continues the Young Balkan Leaders Initiative to develop young professionals.

  • Foreign Influence Monitoring: It requires regular reports on malign influence operations conducted by Russia and China intended to undermine democratic institutions or harm U.S. and NATO interests in the region.

  • Regional Diplomacy: It states a U.S. policy against redrawing borders along ethnic lines and supports the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia.