II 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 3317 

To strengthen United States national security through the defense of democracy abroad and to address contemporary threats to democracy around 

the world, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

DECEMBER 6, 2021 

Mr. COONS (for himself and Mr. GRAHAM) introduced the following bill; which 

was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

A BILL 

To strengthen United States national security through the 

defense of democracy abroad and to address contemporary threats to democracy around the world, and for 

other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘Democracy in the 21st Century Act’’. 

6 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

7 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Definitions. 

Sec. 3. Program prioritization and democracy strategy. 


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Sec. 4. Authorities and limitation. 

Sec. 5. Establishment of certain funds. 

Sec. 6. Roles and responsibilities. 

Sec. 7. Coordinators for democracy programs. 

Sec. 8. Authorization of appropriations. 

1 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

2 In this Act: 

3 (1) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT4 TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com5 mittees’’ means— 

6 (A) the Committee on Appropriations of 

7 the Senate; 

8 (B) the Committee on Foreign Relations of 

9 the Senate; 

10 (C) the Committee on Appropriations of 

11 the House of Representatives; and 

12 (D) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of 

13 the House of Representatives. 

14 (2) DEMOCRACY PROGRAMS.—For purposes of 

15 funds authorized to be appropriated by this Act, the 

16 Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et 

17 seq.), or appropriated under any Act making appro18 priations for the Department of State, foreign oper19 ations, and related programs, the term ‘‘democracy 

20 programs’’ means programs that— 

21 (A) support democratic governance con22 sistent with section 133(b) of the Foreign AsVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:12 Dec 10, 2021 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3317.IS S3317

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1 sistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2152c(b)), 

2 and— 

3 (i) transparent, accountable, and 

4 democratic governance (including com5 bating corruption); 

6 (ii) credible and competitive elections; 

7 (iii) freedom of expression (including 

8 countering disinformation and misinforma9 tion), association, assembly, and religion; 

10 (iv) human rights and labor rights; 

11 (v) independent media; 

12 (vi) internet freedom and digital 

13 rights and responsibilities; and 

14 (vii) the rule of law; or 

15 (B) otherwise strengthen the capacity of 

16 democratic political parties, nongovernmental 

17 organizations and institutions, and citizens to 

18 support the development of democratic states 

19 and institutions that are responsive and ac20 countable to citizens. 

21 (3) NED.—The term ‘‘NED’’ means the Na22 tional Endowment for Democracy. 

23 (4) RELEVANT FEDERAL AGENCIES.—The term 

24 ‘‘relevant Federal agencies’’ means— 

25 (A) the Department of State; 


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1 (B) the United States Agency for Inter2 national Development; and 

3 (C) other Federal agencies that the Presi4 dent determines are relevant for purposes of 

5 this Act. 

6 (5) USAID.—The term ‘‘USAID’’ means the 

7 United States Agency for International Develop8 ment. 

9 SEC. 3. PROGRAM PRIORITIZATION AND DEMOCRACY 

10 STRATEGY. 

11 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find12 ings: 

13 (1) Democracy has weakened around the world 

14 for at least 15 consecutive years. In some places, au15 thoritarian leaders have deliberately chipped away at 

16 the pillars of democracy; in others, rampant par17 tisanship and disinformation have pitted democratic 

18 electorates against themselves. In many places, the 

19 People’s Republic of China (PRC), the Federation of 

20 Russia, and other states have found ways to encour21 age or amplify these trends, including through the 

22 strategic use of corruption. 

23 (2) The erosion of global democracy fundamen24 tally undermines the national security of the United 

25 States. Democracies consistently prove to be the 


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1 most reliable geopolitical allies and trading partners 

2 for the United States. Democracies by any reason3 able measure outperform non-democracies in deliv4 ering prosperity and good governance, and in pre5 venting instability and violent extremism. The ero6 sion of democracy in foreign countries threatens the 

7 United States at home, because the threats democ8 racy faces around the world (including 

9 disinformation, hyperpolarization, election meddling, 

10 weaponized corruption, digital repression, and at11 tacks on independent media) respect no national 

12 boundary. If left unaddressed overseas, this demo13 cratic erosion will threaten American democracy at 

14 home. 

15 (3) More generally, the competition between de16 mocracies and autocracies has again become an ani17 mating feature of global politics, with authoritarian 

18 powers (often with support from the PRC or Russia) 

19 using their resources, influence, and technology to 

20 undermine and interfere in democratic processes and 

21 co-opt public officials. 

22 (4) The current approach of the United States 

23 Government to supporting global democracy must be 

24 updated to meet today’s challenges. The survival of 

25 the democratic project will always depend on free 


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1 and fair elections, strong democratic institutions, the 

2 rule of law, and an empowered civil society. The 

3 United States Government must also establish new 

4 authorities and resources to address contemporary 

5 threats to democracy, including malign foreign inter6 ference, transnational corruption, and digital 

7 authoritarianism. 

8 (b) PROGRAM PRIORITIZATION.—The United States 

9 Government should prioritize democracy programs that— 

10 (1) advance democracy worldwide, including 

11 during a country’s transition to democracy, a con12 solidation of democracy following such a transition, 

13 and democratic backsliding in a country; 

14 (2) support democracy and democratic activists 

15 in closed and repressive societies, including defend16 ing their human rights; 

17 (3) counter the malign influence of the PRC, 

18 the Federation of Russia, and other authoritarian 

19 governments; 

20 (4) counter corruption and kleptocracy, includ21 ing by enhancing transparent, accountable, and re22 sponsive governance; 

23 (5) promote and protect independent media, 

24 civil society activists, writers, artists, and intellec25 tuals; 


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1 (6) counter misinformation and disinformation 

2 of all kinds, but especially in the digital domain; 

3 (7) counter authoritarian abuse of technology, 

4 and prevent manipulation—especially through digital 

5 means—of elections, electoral data, and critical in6 frastructure; 

7 (8) combat digital authoritarianism, including 

8 the use of the internet and other digital technologies 

9 to undermine human rights; 

10 (9) promote internet freedom and the use of 

11 technology that furthers democracy and human 

12 rights; 

13 (10) counter transnational repression and the 

14 extra-territorial extension of repressive measures, as 

15 well as the increasing use of arbitrary detention; 

16 (11) respond rapidly to democratic openings or 

17 backsliding; 

18 (12) promote civic education, voter education, 

19 and enhanced citizen participation in democratic 

20 processes; 

21 (13) seek to ensure the integrity of elections 

22 abroad; and 

23 (14) establish and promote democracy partner24 ships to maximize support to a country where a 

25 democratic opening is underway or the respective 


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1 government is a genuine partner for democratic re2 form. 

3 (c) STRATEGY.—Not later than 120 days after the 

4 date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall sub5 mit to Congress a comprehensive strategy to promote de6 mocracy abroad. The strategy shall encompass a whole of 

7 government approach to such efforts, and include detailed 

8 information on funding, goals and objectives, and over9 sight. 

10 SEC. 4. AUTHORITIES AND LIMITATION. 

11 (a) AVAILABILITY.—Funds that are authorized to be 

12 appropriated pursuant to the National Endowment for 

13 Democracy Act (22 U.S.C. 4412) or appropriated under 

14 any Act making appropriations for the Department of 

15 State, foreign operations, and related programs for the 

16 National Endowment for Democracy may be made avail17 able notwithstanding any other provision of law and any 

18 regulation. 

19 (b) BENEFICIARIES.—Funds that are made available 

20 by this Act for the NED are made available pursuant to 

21 the authority of the National Endowment for Democracy 

22 Act (title V of Public Law 98–164), including all decisions 

23 regarding the selection of beneficiaries. 

24 (c) RESTRICTIONS ON FOREIGN GOVERNMENT IN25 TERFERENCE.— 


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1 (1) PRIOR APPROVAL.—With respect to the pro2 vision of assistance for democracy programs by rel3 evant Federal agencies, the organizations imple4 menting such assistance, the specific nature of that 

5 assistance, and the participants in such programs 

6 shall not be subject to the prior approval by the gov7 ernment of any foreign country. 

8 (2) DISCLOSURE OF IMPLEMENTING PARTNER

9 INFORMATION.—If the Secretary of State, in con10 sultation with the Administrator of the United 

11 States Agency for International Development, deter12 mines that the government of a country is undemo13 cratic or has engaged in gross violations of human 

14 rights, any new bilateral agreement governing the 

15 terms and conditions under which assistance is pro16 vided to such a country shall not require the disclo17 sure of the names of implementing partners of de18 mocracy programs, and the Secretary of State and 

19 the Administrator of the United States Agency for 

20 International Development shall expeditiously seek 

21 to negotiate amendments to existing bilateral agree22 ments, as necessary, to conform to this requirement. 

23 (3) REPORTING REQUIREMENT.—The Secretary 

24 of State, in coordination with the USAID Adminis25 trator, shall submit a report to the appropriate conVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:12 Dec 10, 2021 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3317.IS S3317

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1 gressional committees, not later than January 31, 

2 2022, and annually thereafter until September 30, 

3 2026, detailing steps taken by the Department of 

4 State and USAID to comply with the requirements 

5 of this subsection. 

6 (d) INFORMATION SHARING.—The Assistant Sec7 retary for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor of the 

8 Department of State and the Assistant Administrator for 

9 Development, Democracy, and Innovation of USAID shall 

10 regularly inform the NED of democracy programs that are 

11 planned and supported by such agencies, and the NED 

12 President shall regularly inform such Secretary and Ad13 ministrator of programs that are planned and supported 

14 by the NED, consistent with the requirements of section 

15 505 of the National Endowment for Democracy Act (22 

16 U.S.C. 4414). 

17 (e) DIGITAL SECURITY.—Democracy programs sup18 ported by funds authorized to be appropriated pursuant 

19 to section 8 should include a component on digital security 

20 to enhance the security and safety of implementers and 

21 beneficiaries, including, as appropriate, assistance for civil 

22 society organizations to counter government surveillance, 

23 censorship, and repression by digital means. 

24 SEC. 5. ESTABLISHMENT OF CERTAIN FUNDS. 

25 (a) FUND TO DEFEND DEMOCRACY GLOBALLY.— 


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1 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of State 

2 and the Administrator of the United States Agency 

3 for International Development, following consulta4 tion with the appropriate congressional committees, 

5 may each establish a Fund to Defend Democracy 

6 Globally, which may accept contributions from other 

7 international donors and the private sector. The Sec8 retary and the Administrator shall regularly coordi9 nate programs and activities supported by each re10 spective Fund. 

11 (2) PURPOSE.—The purpose of such Funds is 

12 to support programs that— 

13 (A) strengthen and enhance the Depart14 ment of State and USAID’s ability to respond 

15 quickly and flexibly to democratic openings and 

16 backsliding; 

17 (B) assist fledgling or struggling democ18 racies deliver services and meet expectations for 

19 their populations through a full range of devel20 opment assistance from the United States and 

21 other international donors, in consultation and 

22 coordination with the governments of such de23 mocracies, in order to further reforms and 

24 strategies identified by such governments 


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1 through consultation with respective civil soci2 eties; 

3 (C) support, in cooperation with other 

4 international donors and in consultation with 

5 nongovernmental organizations, independent 

6 and public interest media worldwide to help 

7 such media resist the overlapping challenges of 

8 authoritarian encroachment, threats to their fi9 nancial viability, and litigation and regulatory 

10 environments meant to undercut their ability to 

11 operate; 

12 (D) center democratic values and human 

13 rights in current and emerging technologies, 

14 and counter efforts by authoritarian govern15 ments to surveil, censor, or otherwise repress 

16 populations by digital means, including through 

17 programs that— 

18 (i) counter disinformation; 

19 (ii) establish an initiative to be housed 

20 at USAID to help countries around the 

21 world implement governing regulations for 

22 the procurement and use of technology 

23 consistent with democratic and human 

24 rights norms and standards; 


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1 (iii) provide ‘‘digital public goods’’ to 

2 reduce the appeal of authoritarian-leaning 

3 technologies to cash-strapped countries; 

4 (iv) provide education on digital lit5 eracy to key populations; and 

6 (v) support the ongoing prioritization 

7 of democratic values in technological devel8 opment in the years to come; and 

9 (E) establish an international coalition of 

10 governmental and nongovernmental actors dedi11 cated to preserving election integrity by pro12 viding funds to deter or combat external influ13 ence in elections abroad, including cyber intru14 sion, disinformation, and other threats, and as15 sist elections to meet coalition-defined stand16 ards of electoral integrity. 

17 (3) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Of 

18 the funds authorized to be appropriated pursuant to 

19 section 8, not less than $20,000,000, to remain 

20 available until expended, should be made available 

21 for each Fund established under this subsection. 

22 (b) FUND TO COMBAT CORRUPTION AND

23 KLEPTOCRACY.— 

24 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The USAID Adminis25 trator, following consultation with the appropriate 


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1 congressional committees, may establish a Fund to 

2 Combat Corruption and Kleptocracy abroad. 

3 (2) CONTRIBUTIONS.—The Fund may accept 

4 contributions from other international donors and 

5 the private sector, and provide contributions to mul6 tilateral organizations. 

7 (3) PURPOSES.—The purposes of the Fund are 

8 to support efforts by foreign governments, civil soci9 ety, and the private sector to combat corruption and 

10 kleptocracy abroad, including through efforts that— 

11 (A) enhance government transparency, ac12 countability, and responsiveness across develop13 ment sectors; 

14 (B) improve detection and exposure of cor15 ruption crimes, including those that cross bor16 ders; 

17 (C) expand investigations and prosecutions 

18 of corrupt acts and hold corrupt actors account19 able; 

20 (D) strengthen norms and standards at the 

21 local, national, regional, and international lev22 els; and 

23 (E) augment cooperation with the private 

24 sector and key industries to root out corruption 

25 that harms competitiveness, economic growth, 


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1 and development and taints critical supply 

2 chains. 

3 (4) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Of 

4 the funds authorized to be appropriated pursuant to 

5 section 8, not less than $20,000,000, to remain 

6 available until expended, should be made available 

7 for the Fund. 

8 (c) DEMOCRACY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

9 FUND.— 

10 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Administrator of 

11 the United States Agency for International Develop12 ment, following consultation with the appropriate 

13 congressional committees, may establish a Democ14 racy Research and Development Fund. 

15 (2) CONTRIBUTIONS.—The Fund may accept 

16 contributions from other international donors and 

17 the private sector, and provide contributions to mul18 tilateral organizations. 

19 (3) PURPOSES.—The purposes of the Fund are 

20 to— 

21 (A) support research and development by 

22 the Department of State, USAID, and NED on 

23 policies, programs, and technologies relating to 

24 democracy promotion abroad; 


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1 (B) drive innovation within those entities 

2 regarding the response to democratic back3 sliding; and 

4 (C) incentivize collaboration among govern5 ment, nongovernmental organizations, and the 

6 private sector with the objective of identifying 

7 and mitigating the threats to global democracy. 

8 (4) REPORTS FROM THE COORDINATORS FOR

9 DEMOCRACY PROGRAMS AND THE NATIONAL ENDOW10 MENT FOR DEMOCRACY.—Not later than 180 days 

11 after enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter 

12 until September 30, 2026, the Coordinators for De13 mocracy Programs established pursuant to section 7 

14 and the President of the National Endowment for 

15 Democracy shall each submit to the appropriate con16 gressional committees a report detailing research 

17 and development programs supported by the Depart18 ment of State, USAID, and NED during the prior 

19 fiscal year. The report may be accompanied by a 

20 classified annex, if necessary. 

21 (5) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Of 

22 the funds authorized to be appropriated by section 

23 8, $15,000,000, to remain available until expended, 

24 should be made available for the Fund. 


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1 SEC. 6. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES. 

2 Funds authorized to be appropriated pursuant to sec3 tion 8 should be made available as follows, consistent with 

4 the overall strategic direction and capabilities of the De5 partment of State and USAID: 

6 (1) For the Department of State, such funds 

7 should be the responsibility of the Assistant Sec8 retary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and 

9 Labor, except for funds provided to NED. Such 

10 funds shall be made available as grants and should 

11 have as their primary purpose democracy programs 

12 that are flexible, innovative, and responsive to— 

13 (A) current human rights abuses and de14 mocracy deficiencies as documented in the an15 nual Country Report on Human Rights Prac16 tices required by sections 116(d) and 502B(b) 

17 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 

18 U.S.C. 2151n(d), 2304(b)); and 

19 (B) emerging opportunities and sudden cri20 ses. 

21 (2) For USAID, such funds should have as 

22 their primary purpose flexible, innovative, and re23 sponsive democracy programs that are development24 oriented, often coordinated through a Country De25 velopment Cooperation Strategy, and conducted in 

26 countries where a USAID Mission is present or 


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1 where a USAID Mission in a neighboring country 

2 can run such programs effectively. Such programs 

3 should, as appropriate, build local capacity with an 

4 eye to persistent multi-year efforts, incorporate de5 mocracy programming into a larger development 

6 strategy, and emphasize locally led programs when 

7 possible. Funds made available for civil society and 

8 political competition and consensus building pro9 grams abroad shall be provided in a manner that 

10 recognizes the benefits of grants and cooperative 

11 agreements in implementing such programs. 

12 (3) In cases where both the Department of 

13 State and USAID are able to respond to emerging 

14 opportunities and sudden crises, including in closed 

15 and repressive societies, the Coordinators of Democ16 racy Programs established pursuant to section 7 

17 shall coordinate their respective programs, including 

18 at the country level, to ensure complementarity and 

19 prevent waste or redundancy. 

20 SEC. 7. COORDINATORS FOR DEMOCRACY PROGRAMS. 

21 The Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, 

22 Human Rights, and Labor of the Department of State and 

23 the Assistant Administrator for Development, Democracy, 

24 and Innovation shall serve concurrently as the CoordinaVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:12 Dec 10, 2021 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00018 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3317.IS S3317

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1 tors for Democracy Programs, and as Coordinators 

2 shall— 

3 (1) coordinate democracy policy and programs 

4 across relevant Federal agencies, at diplomatic facili5 ties abroad, and with the NED regarding the safety, 

6 efficacy, and best practices of democracy programs 

7 abroad; 

8 (2) engage international partners, including for9 eign governments, civil society, and democracy activ10 ists, in addressing the advancement of democracy 

11 abroad; and 

12 (3) serve as the primary United States rep13 resentatives at international fora on matters relating 

14 to democracy programs. 

15 SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

16 (a) DEMOCRACY PROGRAMS.—There are authorized 

17 to be appropriated for democracy programs in each of fis18 cal years 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026, to remain 

19 available until expended, $3,000,000,000, including for 

20 new Presidential initiatives regarding democracy pro21 motion abroad. 

22 (b) ADMINISTRATION OF DEPARTMENT OF STATE

23 DEMOCRACY PROGRAMS.—Of the funds authorized to be 

24 appropriated by this section that are made available for 

25 the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor of 


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1 the Department of State, up to 15 percent may be made 

2 available for the administration of democracy programs by 

3 such Bureau in each of fiscal years 2022, 2023, 2024, 

4 2025, and 2026, including for the hiring of additional per5 sonnel following consultation with the appropriate con6 gressional committees. Such funds are in addition to funds 

7 otherwise made available for such purposes. 

8 (c) ADMINISTRATION OF USAID DEMOCRACY PRO9 GRAMS.—Of the funds authorized to be appropriated by 

10 this section that are made available for the Bureau for 

11 Development, Democracy, and Innovation, USAID, up to 

12 15 percent may be made available for the administration 

13 of democracy programs by such Bureau in each of fiscal 

14 years 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026, including for 

15 the hiring of additional personnel following consultation 

16 with the appropriate congressional committees. Such 

17 funds are in addition to funds otherwise made available 

18 for such purposes. 

Æ 


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