The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence voted 17-0 to pass legislation authorizing fiscal year 2025 appropriations for the government’s intelligence-related activities.
Committee Chairman Sen. Mark R. Warner, D-Va., said in a statement published Wednesday the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025, or IAA, will enhance the intelligence community’s ability to counter adversarial threats, including foreign adversaries’ efforts to establish dominance in areas like artificial intelligence, biotechnologies and next-generation energy.
“The IAA also designates foreign ransomware organizations as hostile cyber actors and ensures the IC has the tools it needs to counter economic coercion and illicit technology transfer, in particular by the People’s Republic of China,” Warner said.
If enacted, the IAA would require the president to develop procedures to enhance the government’s collaboration with the private security sector on AI system-related threats and establish an AI Security Center within the National Security Agency.
The bill would also update the National Counterproliferation and Biosecurity Center’s roles and objectives to help counter threats relating to the illicit uses of biotechnologies.
“Importantly, this bill takes unprecedented steps to address counterintelligence risks to our National Laboratories by prohibiting visitors from foreign adversary nations thereby protecting America’s research and competitive advantage,” said Committee Vice Chairman Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.