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Congress·In Committee·H.R. 8625

USTDA Modernization Act of 2026

USTDA Modernization Act: Expanding Trade Agency Reach to High-Income Countries

8 days ago·View on Congress.gov

This bill is currently in the early stages of the legislative process after being sent to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs for review. It is actively moving forward, though no future hearings or votes have been scheduled yet. There is no companion bill listed for this legislation at this time.

Legislative Progress

House
Senate
President
Law
Unlikely to pass

The bill has bipartisan support and addresses popular topics like mineral security, but most individual bills never make it to a full vote unless they are part of a larger package.

Key Points

  • This bill allows the U.S. Trade and Development Agency to work in wealthy countries for the first time. Currently, the agency mostly focuses on developing nations, but this change would let it support projects in high-income countries that are important for national security.
  • The agency could spend up to 15 percent of its yearly budget on these new projects. It would specifically target industries like clean energy, mining for critical minerals, transportation, and high-tech phone and internet networks.
  • The bill also lets the agency hire more specialized staff and contractors. It increases the number of top-level experts the agency can hire and allows them to use outside contractors to help manage projects without making them permanent government employees.
  • Supporters say this change is needed to help American businesses compete globally and protect supply chains. By working in more countries, the agency can help ensure that major international projects use American technology and meet U.S. standards.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions
Apr 30, 2026House

Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Apr 30, 2026

Introduced in House

The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.

Votes

No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.

News

No related news coverage found for this legislation yet.

Related Bills

No related bills have been identified yet.

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

USTDA Modernization Act of 2026

Bill NumberHR 8625
Congress119th Congress
ChamberHouse of Representatives
Latest ActionReferred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(1)
D: 1

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.