Young applauds committee passage of Intelligence Authorization Act

U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.), a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI), released the following statement after SSCI passed the Intelligence Authorization Act (IAA) for Fiscal Year 2026:

“As the United States faces increasingly integrated global adversaries and non-state threats, I am proud to advance critical legislation that will empower our Intelligence Community to aggressively combat these threats and help keep America secure. This legislation will provide the Intelligence Community with the tools and talent necessary to keep our country safe. I am encouraged that this bill addresses threats to the American defense, industrial, agricultural, and health sectors. It also includes a number of provisions that will enable the U.S. to maintain its leadership in biotech innovation, defense, and economic resilience,” said Senator Young.

The bill authorizes funding, provides legal authorities, and enhances oversight of the U.S. Intelligence Community.

Senator Young worked to secure the following provisions in the committee-passed IAA:

• Sec. 502 – Directs the Director of National Intelligence to establish a policy for streamlining the declassification or downgrading and sharing of intelligence information relating to biotechnological developments and threats with allies and partners, private sector partners, and across the federal government.
• Sec. 512 – Prohibits the Intelligence Community from contracting with Chinese military companies engaged in biotechnology research, development, or manufacturing.
• Sec. 602 – Directs the Director of National Intelligence to enhance biotechnology talent within the Intelligence Community. This provision requires the DNI develop policies to ensure existing and future funding and resources to the Intelligence Community provide sufficient personnel and outside expertise, including private sector experts, to identify and respond to biotechnology threats. 
• Sec. 603 – Directs the Director of National Intelligence to provide support to and consult with the FBI and CFIUS when reviewing attempts by the People's Republic of China to leverage and acquire biological and genomic data in and outside of the U.S., enhancing the security of U.S. datasets. 
• Sec. 604 – Directs the Director of National Intelligence to establish a policy to ensure that elements of the Intelligence Community contracts for certain biotechnology services come from U.S. providers, and prevent the IC from contracting with Chinese biotechnology suppliers that are deemed to pose a security threat. 
• Sec. 606 – Requires the Director of National Intelligence to develop a strategy for addressing intelligence gaps relating to China's investment in U.S. biotechnology companies or acquisition of U.S. biotechnology IP. 
• Sec. 612 – Requires the Director of National Intelligence to develop a strategy for coordinating and sharing intelligence related to critical and emerging technologies across the intelligence community. 
• Sec. 1001 - Promotes transparency by requiring the Director of National Intelligence to conduct a declassification review and publish intelligence relating to China’s mishandling and attempts to take advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic.

 The bill now heads to the Senate floor for consideration. Full text of the Intelligence Authorization Act can be found here.