Title 22 — Foreign Relations and IntercourseRelease 119-73not60

§8262 United States Democracy Assistance Programs

Title 22 › Chapter 89— ADVANCING DEMOCRATIC VALUES › Subchapter VI— FUNDING FOR PROMOTION OF DEMOCRACY › § 8262

Last updated Apr 5, 2026|Official source

Summary

Congress says U.S. support for democracy is stronger when it uses different tools like the National Endowment for Democracy, USAID, and the State Department. The Department’s Human Rights and Democracy Fund should pay for new programs, media, and materials that teach democratic values, help democratic institutions, protect human rights and the rule of law, and grow civil society around the world. Congress also finds democracy help takes many forms—rule-of-law work, building civil society and political bodies, making media and courts more independent, auditing, and security-sector reform—and needs clearer coordination and delivery. Congress believes the Secretary of State and the USAID Administrator should, with the relevant congressional committees, make guidelines based on current grant and contract rules to help U.S. missions abroad coordinate democracy assistance and choose the right mix of grants, cooperative agreements, contracts, or other tools.

Full Legal Text

Title 22, §8262

Foreign Relations and Intercourse — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)It is the sense of Congress that—

(1)United States support for democracy is strengthened by using a variety of different instrumentalities, such as the National Endowment for Democracy, the United States Agency for International Development, and the Department; and

(2)the purpose of the Department’s Human Rights and Democracy Fund should be to support innovative programming, media, and materials designed to uphold democratic principles, practices, and values, support and strengthen democratic institutions, promote human rights and the rule of law, and build civil societies in countries around the world.

(b)(1)Congress finds the following:

(A)Democracy assistance has many different forms, including assistance to promote the rule of law, build the capacity of civil society, political parties, and legislatures, improve the independence of the media and the judiciary, enhance independent auditing functions, and advance security sector reform.

(B)There is a need for greater clarity on the coordination and delivery mechanisms for United States democracy assistance.

(2)It is the sense of Congress that the Secretary and the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development should develop guidelines, in consultation with the appropriate congressional committees, building on the existing framework for grants, cooperative agreements, contracts, and other acquisition mechanisms to guide United States missions in foreign countries in coordinating United States democracy assistance and selecting the appropriate combination of such mechanisms for such assistance.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

22 U.S.C. § 8262

Title 22 — Foreign Relations and Intercourse

Last Updated

Apr 5, 2026

Release point: 119-73not60