# 116-hr-7553: DEFEND Act

116-hr-7553, DEFEND Act, is a 116th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Murphy, Stephanie N. [D-FL-7] (D-FL); status Referred to the House Committee on Intelligence (Permanent Select). (as of 2025-11-18).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-7553
- As of: 2025-11-18
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 116-hr-7553
- Congress: 116
- Title: DEFEND Act
- Status: Referred to the House Committee on Intelligence (Permanent Select).
- Introduced: 2020-07-09
- Sponsor: Rep. Murphy, Stephanie N. [D-FL-7] (D-FL)
- Cosponsors: 5
- Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2025-11-18

## Summary

Deadly Escalation by Foreign Entities Notification and Disclosure Act or the DEFEND Act This bill requires the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) to brief Congress if ODNI determines with moderate or high confidence that a foreign government is deliberately seeking to kill or cause serious bodily injury to any member of the Armed Forces, either directly or indirectly. The briefing shall include information such as a description of the nature and extent of the foreign government's efforts and an assessment of the foreign government's motivations. After giving an initial briefing, the ODNI shall give periodic updated briefings.

## Cosponsors (5)

- Rep. Cunningham, Joe [D-SC-1] (D-SC), 2020-07-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Soto, Darren [D-FL-9] (D-FL), 2020-07-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Gonzalez, Vicente [D-TX-34] (D-TX), 2020-07-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Thompson, Mike [D-CA-4] (D-CA), 2020-07-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Stevens, Haley M. [D-MI-11] (D-MI), 2020-08-11T00:00:00.000Z

## Related bills

- 116-hr-7806: SOS Act
- 116-hr-7120: George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020
- 116-hr-7092: Great American Outdoors Act
- 116-hr-4104: Negro Leagues Baseball Centennial Commemorative Coin Act
- 116-hr-3851: Brand USA Extension Act
- 116-hr-3742: Recovering America’s Wildlife Act of 2019

## Sources
- [116-hr-7553 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/7553)

## Related
- [116-hr-7806: SOS Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-7806)
- [116-hr-7120: George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-7120)
- [116-hr-7092: Great American Outdoors Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-7092)
- [116-hr-4104: Negro Leagues Baseball Centennial Commemorative Coin Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-4104)
- [116-hr-3851: Brand USA Extension Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-3851)
- [116-hr-3742: Recovering America’s Wildlife Act of 2019](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-3742)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-7553 (as of 2025-11-18).