House · On PassagePassed
Yea 247 Nay 164 Present / not voting 20
H.R. 7084 · 119th CongressStatus not classified
Defending American Property Abroad Act of 2026
Latest action. Received in the Senate.
Live record from Congress.gov, updated as the official record changes.
What this bill would do
Official summary · Congressional Research ServiceDefending American Property Abroad Act of 2026
This bill authorizes the President to prohibit the entry of a vessel into the United States if the vessel has transited any U.S. port, harbor, or marine terminal that has been nationalized or expropriated (e.g., seized) by a Western Hemisphere country that has a free trade agreement with the United States.
Under the bill, the President may prohibit the entry and operation of a vessel if it has called at any port, harbor, or marine terminal that was owned, held, or controlled by a U.S. entity or individual, but has been nationalized or expropriated by the government of a country that is located in the Western Hemisphere and has a free trade agreement in effect with the United States.
The prohibition ends when the President determines that (1) the applicable country has restored ownership of the property that had been nationalized or expropriated, (2) the applicable country has provided mutually acceptable compensation for the nationalized or expropriated property, (3) the conditions for the prohibition are no longer satisfied, or (4) the dispute has been otherwise resolved to the satisfaction of the President.
The bill permits certain foreign vessels that are otherwise prohibited from entering the United States under this bill or current law to enter if the vessel is experiencing an emergency (involving the vessel or an individual on the vessel) and in certain instances where access to a covered facility was granted by a U.S. property owner.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Reported to House" stage on March 20, 2026. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Status
Latest action, as recorded
April 2, 2026
Received in the Senate.
Civibrief does not map this action to a stage in the process. See the official record.
Common questions
Composed from the official recordWhere is it in the process, and what happens next?
The latest action on file does not map to a stage Civibrief recognizes, so the page will not name one. The record's own words are the reliable fact here.
The record's latest action, on April 2, 2026: Received in the Senate.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 118th Congress (2023-24), 274 of the 16,565 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 1.7 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one has no outstanding steps listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
Yes. 1 recorded roll-call vote cites this measure, listed further down this page with every member's position.
Who is behind it?
August Pfluger (R-TX) introduced it on January 15, 2026, and 7 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 2 Democrats, 5 Republicans.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on January 15, 2026, 238 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 161 days ago, on April 2, 2026.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 119th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2027 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HousePassed on a recorded vote (official bill record may lag)
- SenateAwaiting Senate vote
- PresidentNot stated in the latest action