Amendments
2019—Subsec. (a). [Pub. L. 116–94, § 2004(d)(2)(A)], substituted “fiscal years 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023” for “fiscal years 2018 and 2019”.
Subsec. (b)(7). [Pub. L. 116–94, § 2004(d)(2)(B)], added par. (7).
Countering Russian Influence Fund Unit
[Pub. L. 119–60, div. E, title I, § 5160], Dec. 18, 2025, [139 Stat. 1582], provided that:“(a)
Establishment.—
The Secretary [of State] shall establish and maintain a Countering Russian Influence Fund Unit (in this section referred to as the ‘CRIF Unit’) in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs of the Department [of State].
“(b)
Personnel.—
“(1)
Composition.—
The CRIF Unit may be comprised of a Director, Deputy Director, and additional staff as appropriate, including a budget analyst, a grant officer, a program assistant, and a monitoring, evaluation, and learning specialist.
“(2)
Staffing.—
The CRIF Unit shall be comprised of personnel with expertise or experience in performing the following functions:
“(C)
Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning specialist.
“(3)
Director.—
The Director of the CRIF Unit shall fulfill the following responsibilities:
“(A)
Identify on an annual basis specific strategic priorities for the CRIF Unit consistent with United States foreign policy and national security priorities and objectives described in section 254 of the Countering Russian Influence in Europe and Eurasia Act of 2017 (
22 U.S.C. 9543).
“(B)
In coordination with the head of the Office of Foreign Assistance and other relevant officials, provide policy guidance, coordinate, select, and approve all CRIF Unit programming, based on criteria that the program directly counters malign activities by the Russian Federation in accordance with the use of funds described in such section 254.
“(C)
Ensure that all CRIF Unit programming advances United States foreign policy and national security interests, including efforts to counter Russian aggression against sovereign countries and other nefarious kinetic and hybrid Russian activities in countries that are United States allies or partners that affect, threaten, or undermine United States interests.
“(D)
Conduct oversight, monitoring, and evaluation of the effectiveness of all CRIF Unit programming to ensure that it advances United States foreign policy and national security interests and degrades the ability of the Russian Federation or entities acting on the behalf of the Russian Federation to conduct malign influence operations.
“(E)
Ensure, to the maximum extent practicable, that all CRIF Unit programming is carried out in coordination with other Federal activities to counter Russian malign influence.
“(F)
On a quarterly basis, brief the appropriate congressional committees on the development of annual strategic priorities and CRIF Unit project selection and implementation.
“(G)
Provide a written list of CRIF Unit projects approved for each fiscal year to the appropriate congressional committees.
“(4)
Deputy director.—
The Deputy Director may have responsibility for policy and programming to assist the Director, particularly with respect to CRIF Unit activities handled by other Federal departments or agencies.
“(5)
Appropriate congressional committee defined.—
In this subsection, the term ‘appropriate congressional committees’ means—
“(A)
the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives; and
“(B)
the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate.
“(c)
Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Activities.—
The Director of the CRIF Unit may—
“(1)
direct monitoring, evaluation, and learning activities to assess programmatic outcomes, maximize government efficiency, and reduce the risks of fraud and waste;
“(2)
conduct regular research and evaluation of CRIF Unit programs and activities to improve ongoing and future activities, including by implementing a process to ensure monitoring, evaluation, and learning results are considered in funding decisions; and
“(3)
make available to Congress the findings of any research or evaluation conducted under paragraph (2).
“(d)
Definition.—
In this section, the term ‘Russian malign influence’ means activities by the Russian Federation or an entity acting on the behalf of the Russian Federation that—
“(1)
advance an alternative, repressive international order that bolsters the hegemonic ambitions of the Russian Federation;
“(2)
utilize covert or overt information operations, corruption, political interference, or economic coercion and dependency to influence the political, military, economic, or other policies of a foreign country and advance the strategic objectives of the Russian Federation;
“(3)
undermine the national security, territorial integrity, or sovereignty of the United States or other country; or
“(4)
undermine the political and economic security of the United States or other country, including by facilitating corruption or elite capture, distorting markets, and advancing coercive economic practices, including theft of intellectual property, and engaging in malign information operations.
“(e)
Termination.—
The CRIF Unit established under this section shall terminate on the date that is four years after the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 18, 2025].”