I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2546 
To provide for the development and implementation of economic defense 
response teams. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 10, 2023 
Mr. CASE (for himself and Mrs. KIM of California) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
A BILL 
To provide for the development and implementation of 
economic defense response teams. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. ECONOMIC DEFENSE RESPONSE TEAMS. 
(a) PILOT PROGRAM.—Not later than 180 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the President, act-
ing through the Secretary of State, shall develop and im-
plement a pilot program for the creation of deployable eco-
nomic defense response teams to help provide emergency 
technical assistance and support to a country subjected 
to the threat or use of coercive economic measures and 
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to play a liaison role between the legitimate government 
of that country and the United States Government. Such 
assistance and support may include the following activi-
ties: 
(1) Reducing the partner country’s vulnerability 
to coercive economic measures. 
(2) Minimizing the damage that such measures 
by an adversary could cause to that country. 
(3) Implementing any bilateral or multilateral 
contingency plans that may exist for responding to 
the threat or use of such measures. 
(4) In coordination with the partner country, 
developing or improving plans and strategies by the 
country for reducing vulnerabilities and improving 
responses to such measures in the future. 
(5) Assisting the partner country in dealing 
with foreign sovereign investment in infrastructure 
or related projects that may undermine the partner 
country’s sovereignty. 
(6) Assisting the partner country in responding 
to specific efforts from an adversary attempting to 
employ economic coercion that undermines the part-
ner country’s sovereignty, including efforts in the 
cyber domain, such as efforts that undermine cyber-
security or digital security of the partner country or 
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initiatives that introduce digital technologies in a 
manner that undermines freedom, security, and sov-
ereignty of the partner country. 
(7) Otherwise providing direct and relevant 
short-to-medium term economic or other assistance 
from the United States and marshalling other re-
sources in support of effective responses to such 
measures. 
(b) INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT.—The pilot program 
required by subsection (a) should include the following ele-
ments: 
(1) Identification and designation of relevant 
personnel within the United States Government with 
expertise relevant to the objectives specified in sub-
section (a), including personnel in— 
(A) the Department of State, for over-
seeing the economic defense response team’s ac-
tivities, engaging with the partner country gov-
ernment and other stakeholders, and other pur-
poses relevant to advancing the success of the 
mission of the economic defense response team; 
(B) the United States Agency for Inter-
national Development, for the purposes of pro-
viding technical, humanitarian, and other as-
sistance, generally; 
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(C) the Department of the Treasury, for 
the purposes of providing advisory support and 
assistance on all financial matters and fiscal 
implications of the crisis at hand; 
(D) the Department of Commerce, for the 
purposes of providing economic analysis and as-
sistance in market development relevant to the 
partner country’s response to the crisis at hand, 
technology security as appropriate, and other 
matters that may be relevant; 
(E) the Department of Energy, for the 
purposes of providing advisory services and 
technical assistance with respect to energy 
needs as affected by the crisis at hand; 
(F) the Department of Homeland Security, 
for the purposes of providing assistance with re-
spect to digital and cybersecurity matters, and 
assisting in the development of any contingency 
plans referred to in paragraphs (3) and (6) of 
subsection (a) as appropriate; 
(G) the Department of Agriculture, for 
providing advisory and other assistance with re-
spect to responding to coercive measures such 
as arbitrary market closures that affect the 
partner country’s agricultural sector; 
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(H) the Office of the United States Trade 
Representative with respect to providing sup-
port and guidance on trade and investment 
matters; and 
(I) other Federal departments and agen-
cies as determined by the President. 
(2) Negotiation of memoranda of under-
standing, where appropriate, with other United 
States Government components for the provision of 
any relevant participating or detailed non-Depart-
ment of State personnel identified under paragraph 
(1). 
(3) Negotiation of contracts, as appropriate, 
with private sector representatives or other individ-
uals with relevant expertise to advance the objectives 
specified in subsection (a). 
(4) Development within the United States Gov-
ernment of— 
(A) appropriate training curricula for rel-
evant experts identified under paragraph (1) 
and for United States diplomatic personnel in a 
country actually or potentially threatened by co-
ercive economic measures; 
(B) operational procedures and appropriate 
protocols for the rapid assembly of such experts 
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into one or more teams for deployment to a 
country actually or potentially threatened by co-
ercive economic measures; and 
(C) procedures for ensuring appropriate 
support for such teams when serving in a coun-
try actually or potentially threatened by coer-
cive economic measures, including, as applica-
ble, logistical assistance, office space, informa-
tion support, and communications. 
(5) Negotiation with relevant potential host 
countries of procedures and methods for ensuring 
the rapid and effective deployment of such teams, 
and the establishment of appropriate liaison relation-
ships with local public and private sector officials 
and entities. 
(c) REPORTS REQUIRED.— 
(1) REPORT ON ESTABLISHMENT.—Upon estab-
lishment of the pilot program required by subsection 
(a), the Secretary of State shall provide the Com-
mittee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the 
Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Rep-
resentatives with a detailed report and briefing de-
scribing the pilot program, the major elements of the 
program, the personnel and institutions involved, 
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and the degree to which the program incorporates 
the elements described in subsection (a). 
(2) FOLLOW-UP REPORT.—Not later than one 
year after the report required by paragraph (1), the 
Secretary of State shall provide the Committee on 
Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee 
on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives 
with a detailed report and briefing describing the op-
erations over the previous year of the pilot program 
established pursuant to subsection (a), as well as the 
Secretary’s assessment of its performance and suit-
ability for becoming a permanent program. 
(3) FORM.—Each report required under this 
subsection shall be submitted in unclassified form, 
but may include a classified annex. 
(d) DECLARATION
OF
AN ECONOMIC CRISIS RE-
QUIRED.— 
(1) NOTIFICATION.—The President may acti-
vate an economic defense response team for a period 
of 180 days under the authorities of this section to 
assist a partner country in responding to an unusual 
and extraordinary economic coercive threat by an 
adversary of the United States upon the declaration 
of a coercive economic emergency, together with no-
tification to the Committee on Foreign Relations of 
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