Values in Arms Export Act of 2026
Sponsored By: Senator Murray, Patty [D-WA]
Introduced
Summary
Adherence to internationally recognized human rights and international humanitarian law would become the central deciding factor for U.S. defense exports. The bill would create a statutory Monitoring and Verification Program and an independent Human Rights and Law of War Oversight Board to evaluate, restrict, and investigate arms transfers that risk rights or humanitarian law violations.
Show full summary
- Countries of concern: Designated governments would face an immediate three-year ineligibility for sales and transfers and could face an extended ten-year bar in certain cases, with early termination possible after meaningful reforms.
- U.S. licensees and defense exporters: New risk assessments would be added to export licenses and Letters of Offer, licensees must perform due diligence, and transfer agreements must allow investigations and compliance reviews.
- Oversight, transparency, and Congress: Establishes a five-member independent Board with subpoena authority, annual public reports, mandatory congressional briefings, and a Government Accountability Office review of implementation within two years. The bill also requires a separate budget line funded from Arms Export Control Act section 21 charges.
*If enacted, the bill would require AECA section 21 charges to fully fund the Monitoring and Verification Program and directs the President to ensure no net cost to the federal government.*
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
New human-rights board for arms sales
This bill would create an independent Human Rights and Law of War Oversight Board to review how U.S. arms transfers consider human rights and the laws of war. The board would have a full-time chair and four members appointed by the President with Senate consent and six-year terms. It would get staff, access to records (including classified material consistent with law), and power to request subpoenas through the Attorney General. The bill would authorize funding: $5,000,000 for FY2027, $7,000,000 for FY2028, $9,000,000 for FY2029, $11,000,000 for FY2030, and such sums as may be necessary for FY2031 and later.
New monitoring program for arms use
This bill would create a Monitoring and Verification Program to watch how foreign partners use U.S. defense articles and services, especially for countries of concern. The program would use U.S. personnel, contractors, real-time observation, and a protected searchable database, and require semiannual reports to Congress starting within 180 days of enactment. It would require a Comptroller General review within two years. The program would be paid from fees collected under section 21 of the Arms Export Control Act, and the President would have to set charges to fully cover program costs.
New export rules for defense sellers
This bill would add human-rights and laws-of-war risk checks to export licensing and Letters of Offer. The Secretary of State, with Defense and Intelligence, would assess whether items are "more likely than not" to be used to violate human-rights or the laws of war, and exporters would still need to do their own due diligence. The bill would define "countries of concern," bar sales to designated countries for three years (and in some cases extend bans to ten years), and require return or discontinuation of covered items in those extended cases. Early removal of a designation would require a Secretary of State certification of meaningful reforms and a joint resolution of Congress; some narrow training waivers would be allowed for U.S.-run human-rights training.
Human-rights added to intelligence priorities
This bill would direct the Director of National Intelligence to include collection and analysis of information about foreign respect for internationally recognized human rights and the laws of war in the National Intelligence Priorities Framework. The change would make human-rights and laws-of-war information an official intelligence priority.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Murray, Patty [D-WA]
WA • D
Cosponsors
There are no cosponsors for this bill.
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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