22 U.S.C. § 2680 (FOREIGN RELATIONS AND INTERCOURSE)
§ 2680. Appropriations for State Department; information to congressional committees
(a)
(1) Notwithstanding any provision of law enacted before October 26, 1974, no money appropriated to the Department of State under any law shall be available for obligation or expenditure with respect to any fiscal year commencing on or after July 1, 1972—
(A) unless the appropriation thereof has been authorized by law enacted on or after February 7, 1972; or
(B) in excess of an amount prescribed by law enacted on or after such date.
(2) To the extent that legislation enacted after the making of an appropriation to the Department of State authorizes the obligation or expenditure thereof the limitation contained in paragraph (1) shall have no effect.
(3) The provisions of this section—
(A) shall not be superseded except by a provision of law enacted after February 7, 1972, which specifically repeals, modifies, or supersedes the provisions of this section; and
(B) shall not apply to, or affect in any manner, permanent appropriations, trust funds, and other similar accounts administered by the Department as authorized by law.
(b) The Department of State shall keep the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives fully and currently informed with respect to all activities and responsibilities within the jurisdiction of these committees. Any Federal department, agency, or independent establishment shall furnish any information requested by either such committee relating to any such activity or responsi­bility.
(Aug. 1, 1956, ch. 841, title I, § 15, 70 Stat. 892; Pub. L. 92–226, pt. IV, § 407(b), Feb. 7, 1972, 86 Stat. 35; Pub. L. 92–352, title I, § 102, July 13, 1972, 86 Stat. 490; Pub. L. 93–475, § 11, Oct. 26, 1974, 88 Stat. 1442; H. Res. 163, Mar. 19, 1975; renumbered title I, Pub. L. 97–241, title II, § 202(a), Aug. 24, 1982, 96 Stat. 282.)
heading: Editorial Notes
heading: Codification
text: Section was formerly classified to section 170t of Title 5 prior to the general revision and enactment of Title 5, Government Organization and Employees, by Pub. L. 89–554, § 1, Sept. 6, 1966, 80 Stat. 378.
heading: Amendments
text: 1974—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 93–475 incorporated existing provisions into par. (1) preceding subpar. (A), and par. 3(B), added pars. (1)(A), (B), (2), and (3)(A), and substituted “enacted before October 26, 1974, no money appropriated to the Department of State under any law shall be available for obligation or expenditure with respect to any fiscal year commencing on or after July 1, 1972” of “, no appropriation shall be made to the Department of State under any law for any fiscal year commencing on or after July 1, 1972, unless previously authorized by legislation hereafter enacted by the Congress.”, in par. (1) preceding subpar. (A), and “section” for “subsection” in par. (3).
1972—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 92–352 inserted provisions that this subsection shall not apply to, or affect in any manner, permanent appropriations, trust funds, and other similar accounts administered by the Department as authorized by law.
Pub. L. 92–226 substituted provisions constituting subsecs. (a) and (b) and prohibiting any State Department appropriation on and after July 1, 1972, without a prior congressional legislative authorization, and requiring the State Department and Federal agencies to furnish information to congressional committees for former provisions constituting the entire section and authorizing and making appropriations available for the State Department.
heading: Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
heading: Support for Congressional Delegations
text: Pub. L. 119–60, div. E, title I, § 5172, Dec. 18, 2025, 139 Stat. 1586, provided that:
“(a) Sense of Congress.—
It is the sense of Congress that—
“(1) congressional travel is essential to fostering international relations, understanding global issues first-hand, and jointly advancing United States interests abroad; and
“(2) only in close coordination and thanks to the dedication of personnel at United States embassies, consulates, and other missions abroad can the success of these vital trips be possible.
“(b) In General.—
Consistent with applicable laws and the Secretary[ of State]’s security responsibilities, the Secretary shall reaffirm to all diplomatic posts the importance of congressional travel and shall direct all such posts to support congressional travel by members and staff of the appropriate congressional committees [Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives], when authorized by applicable congressional travel procedures to include the congressional authorization letter and congressional travel legislation and policies. The Secretary shall reaffirm the Department[ of State]’s policies to support such travel by members and staff of the appropriate congressional committees, by making such support available on any day of the week, including Federal and local holidays when required to complete congressional responsibilities and, to the extent practical, requiring the direct involvement of mid-level or senior officers.
“(c) Exception for Simultaneous High-level Visits.—
The requirement under subsection (b) does not apply in the case of a simultaneous visit from the President, the First Lady or First Gentleman, the Vice President, the Secretary, or the Secretary of Defense.
“(d) Training.—
The Secretary shall require all designated control officers to have been trained on supporting congressional travel at posts abroad prior to the assigned congressional visit.”
heading: Funding
text: Pub. L. 113–76, div. K, title VII, § 7082(d)(1), (2), Jan. 17, 2014, 128 Stat. 567, provided that:
“(1) Diplomatic and consular programs funds.—
Amounts made available to the Department of State pursuant to the sixth proviso under the heading ‘Diplomatic and Consular Programs’ in title I of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2008 (division J of Public Law 110–161) are authorized to be used by the Department of State to pay benefits or payments made available pursuant to this Act [div. K of Pub. L. 113–76].
“(2) Availability.—
To pay benefits or payments made available pursuant to this Act, the Secretary of State may merge with the amounts described in paragraph (1) unobligated balances of funds appropriated under the ‘Diplomatic and Consular Programs’ heading for fiscal year 2014 and subsequent fiscal years, up until the end of the fifth fiscal year after the fiscal year for which such funds were appropriated or otherwise made available.”
heading: Future Assistance Projections
text: Pub. L. 101–513, title V, § 581, Nov. 5, 1990, 104 Stat. 2046, directed that the Congressional Presentation Documents of departments and agencies included within this Act should contain funding projections for each of its major program components for each of the three years following the year for which new budget or other authority was being requested and provided that the requirements of this section were effective for Congressional Presentation Documents submitted for fiscal year 1992.
heading: Report on Expenditures Made From Appropriation for Emergencies in Diplomatic and Consular Service
text: Pub. L. 100–204, title I, § 124, Dec. 22, 1987, 101 Stat. 1341, as amended by Pub. L. 102–138, title I, § 114, Oct. 28, 1991, 105 Stat. 655, provided that: “The Secretary of State shall provide to the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives within 30 days after the end of each quarter of the fiscal year a complete report, including amount, payee, and purpose, of all expenditures made from the appropriation for ‘Emergencies in the Diplomatic and Consular Service’ for that quarter. Items included in each such report concerning representation, official travel, and gifts shall be submitted in unclassified form.”
heading: Information-Sharing Arrangement Between Department of State and Congressional Committees
text: Pub. L. 95–426, title I, § 122, Oct. 7, 1978, 92 Stat. 970, as amended by Pub. L. 97–241, title V, § 505(a)(2), (b)(1), Aug. 24, 1982, 96 Stat. 299, provided that:
“The Congress finds that—
“(1) international political, economic, and other studies prepared systematically by analysts of the Department of State as needed background information for executive branch policymakers could be similarly valuable to the Committee on International Relations [now Committee on Foreign Affairs] of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate in fulfilling their responsibilities; and
“(2) a formal information-sharing arrangement between the Department of State and such congressional committees could therefore serve the national interest, provided that controls on dissemination are established which insure that neither the process of analysis nor necessary confidentiality is jeopardized.”
heading: Congressional Purpose Respecting Laws Relating to Department of State and United States Information Agency; Foreign Relations; and Authorization of Appropriations
text: Pub. L. 92–226, title IV, § 407(a), Feb. 7, 1972, 86 Stat. 35, provided that:
“It is the purpose of this section [amending sections 1476, 2680, and 2684 of this title] to enable the Congress generally, and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives in particular, to carry out the purposes and intent of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 and 1970 [see Short Title notes set out under section 4301 of Title 2, The Congress], with respect to—
“(1) the analysis, appraisal, and evaluation of the application, administration, and execution of the laws relating to the Department of State and the United States Information Agency and of matters relating to the foreign relations of the United States; and
“(2) providing periodic authorizations of appropriations for that Department and Agency.”
[For abolition of United States Information Agency (other than Broadcasting Board of Governors and International Broadcasting Bureau), transfer of functions, and treatment of references thereto, see sections 6531, 6532, and 6551 of this title.]