Strategic Competition Act of 2021
Latest action. Placed on Senate legislative calendarThe list of measures reported out of committee and eligible for floor action. Being on the calendar is not a promise of a vote.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) under General Orders. Calendar No. 54.
Strategic Competition Act of 2021
This bill addresses various foreign relations issues, with a focus on China.
Among other things, the bill
requires the U.S. Agency for Global Media to take certain actions to support independent journalism and combat censorship in countries where the Chinese Communist Party or other entities are promoting disinformation;
requires the Department of State to establish programs to engage partner countries on issues such as regulatory harmonization and technology partnerships;
prohibits any individual who has served as Secretary of State or Deputy Secretary of State from representing a foreign government entity before the executive branch;
requires the State Department to develop and implement a plan for increasing the U.S. presence in the Indo-Pacific region;
authorizes various foreign military financing and diplomatic activities in Southeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific region;
prioritizes the transfer of excess defense articles to Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Malaysia;
prohibits a country from receiving certain U.S. assistance if that country hosts a Chinese military installation within its territory, with some exceptions;
authorizes the U.S. representative to the Inter-American Development Bank to vote for an increase in the bank's capital stock;
requires strategies to engage with other countries on issues such as managing relations with China;
authorizes military training assistance activities in Latin America and the Caribbean;
establishes an interagency working group to counter Chinese cyber aggression in Africa;
authorizes activities to promote democracy in Hong Kong; and
imposes sanctions on foreign individuals and entities responsible for certain abuses (e.g., forced labor and coercive abortions) in China's Xinjiang region.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Reported to Senate" stage on May 10, 2021. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on May 10, 2021: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 54.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the Senate
- Passage by the House
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
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 117th Congress (2021-22), 362 of the 15,242 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 2.4 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
Robert Menendez (D-NJ) introduced it on April 15, 2021, and 6 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 4 Democrats, 2 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 April 15, 2021, 1974 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 1949 days ago, on May 10, 2021.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 117th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2023 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
- SenateIn committee, no floor vote yet
- HouseAwaits Senate passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers