WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators John Curtis (R-UT) and Adam Schiff (D-CA) introduced bipartisan legislation to curb transnational repression (TNR) threats and violence by nations against individuals outside their borders, by creating the first federal definition for the crimes, and instituting enhanced criminal penalties.
“No foreign government should be able to threaten or silence people on American soil,” said Senator Curtis. “Whether it’s the Chinese Communist Party, the Iranian regime, or any other authoritarian government, transnational repression is an attack on both our sovereignty and our freedoms. This bipartisan bill gives law enforcement stronger tools to hold perpetrators accountable and makes clear that the United States will not tolerate these abuses.”
“With transnational repression on the rise, it is critical that we have the centralized tools, resources, and attention needed to respond to, prepare for, and deter this growing threat within our borders. We need to define this range of threats and violence in law, and make it clear that we will not tolerate attempts by our adversaries to inflict their will against people living in our country. This is a bipartisan effort to respond to a national threat that reports show is only expanding in scope, with newly brazen efforts by countries like China trying to legalize its intimidation of dissidents. In order to safeguard fundamental rights and freedoms for everyone on U.S. soil, we need the clarity and the teeth that this bill provides, and I hope my colleagues will act quickly to pass our legislation,” said Senator Schiff.
Background:
Transnational repression includes actions by officials and agents of foreign governments, or their proxies, to threaten, intimidate, coerce, surveil, stalk, silence, or plot to physically harm, kidnap, or kill American citizens or foreign nationals living in the United States. A recent comprehensive report by the international monitoring group Freedom House counted 126 new incidents of physical transnational repression in 2025. China has 319 documented incidents of transnational repression since 2014. Recent FBI cases that meet the TNR definition include apprehensions of agents from Iran and China, among other nations.
The bill’s introduction comes in the wake of China’s new Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion law, which Chinese leaders claim is the legal basis for targeting individuals outside of its borders who contravene its new law on ethnic unity—just one example of a nation targeting its citizens across international borders, raising concerns of American and other governments around the world. Other recent cases of transnational repression have included attempts by Iran through proxies to kidnap and kill journalists critical of the Iranian regime.
The Stop Transnational Repression Act of 2026 would:
- Codify a definition of transnational repression in the criminal code and include a sentencing enhancement of up to 10 years’ imprisonment and an additional fine of up to $100,000 if an individual is convicted of another offense under Federal law and has, as part of the conduct constituting the offense, committed an act that falls within the definition of TNR;
- Centralize oversight of TNR prosecutions to the National Security Division of DOJ and TNR investigations to the FBI;
- Establish an annual reporting and briefing requirement concerning acts of TNR, which would be facilitated by the Assistant Attorney General for National Security;
- Establish one-time reports that direct relevant agencies to review and assess available authorities to respond to TNR; and
- Task the development of a whole-of-government strategy related to the use of AI in furthering TNR.
The full text of the bill is available here.