CONGRESS FOR VOTERS

Raphael Warnock (D-GA)

S.Amdt. 6199

S.Amdt. 6199 · Senate amendment

A Democratic amendment with 1 Republican cosponsor · See the cosponsor

Changes S. 4784 — National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027

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

This amendment, submitted by Mr. Warnock and Mr. Kennedy, aims to add a new section to bill S. 4784. Its purpose is to require an assessment of a trans-Atlantic submarine fiber optic cable.

The amendment would change the bill by adding the following requirements:

  • The Report: The Director of the Trade and Development Agency must submit a report to specific congressional committees within one year of the Act's enactment. This report must assess the cost, value, and feasibility of a fiber optic cable connecting the contiguous United States and Western Africa, and potentially the United States Virgin Islands, to improve U.S. national security.

  • What is Assessed: The report must look at:

    • Digital security, national security, and economic opportunities.
    • Current telecommunications security between the contiguous U.S. and Africa.
    • Advantages of working with trusted entities (those not determined to pose an unacceptable risk to national security) for deployment.
    • Opportunities to increase investments in the U.S. economy.
    • The current state of submarine fiber optic cables linked to U.S. infrastructure.

  • Rules for the Director: The Director cannot force any entity to provide data for the report. The final report must be unclassified, though it can have a classified annex.