Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Reassessing the United States-Tanzania Bilateral Relationship Act”.
Reassessing the United States-Tanzania Bilateral Relationship Act
A BILL
To reassess the United States-Tanzania bilateral relationship, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Findings
Congress makes the following findings:
Tanzania is one of Africa’s fastest growing economies with strong economic growth over the past decade due to the expansion of key sectors, including agriculture, mining, and tourism.
Tanzania’s reliability as a partner to the United States is increasingly in question due to ongoing political repression, violations of religious freedom and freedom of expression, and persistent barriers to United States investment.
The October 29, 2025, general elections were marked by significant political interference, including ballot manipulation and vote tabulation irregularities, which favored incumbent President Samia Suluhu Hassan and other candidates of Tanzania’s parliamentary majority party, Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM).
Leading up to the general elections in Tanzania’s October 29, 2025, election, multiple incidents of political abductions and disappearances occurred in Tanzania, most recently the abduction and subsequent disappearance of Tanzanian Ambassador Humphrey Polepole on October 6, 2025.
A range of actions by the CCM, a political party that has continuously held a parliamentary majority and controlled Tanzania’s central government since the CCM’s formation in 1977, has severely undermined democracy in the country.
The ongoing treason trial of Chadema opposition figure Tundu Lissu, terrorism charges against Chadema Deputy John Heche, and charges and detentions of other opposition party members are politically motivated and intended to prevent opposition figures from standing for elections.
The Government of Tanzania has engaged in violations of religious freedom, including the revocation of registration for religious institutions, harassment, detention, and attacks against religious leaders, and restrictions on religious worship and expression.
During mass citizen protests against Tanzania’s fraudulent and illegitimate October 29, 2025, general elections, the Tanzanian Police and Tanzania Defense Forces killed hundreds of Tanzanian citizens and endangered the lives of United States citizens and tourists visiting the country.
While protestors faced attacks by Tanzanian Security Forces, the Government of Tanzania imposed an internet shutdown impacting online connections, communications, business, and banking, disrupting regional trade and costing the country an estimated $238,000,000 in the process.
In response to this unprecedented violence and unrest in Tanzania, the United States Embassy in Tanzania issued a Security Alert on October 30, 2025, calling on United States citizens in Tanzania to shelter-in-place.
Following the electoral protests, the Tanzanian electoral commission released disputed results from the fraudulent election, declaring President Samia Suluhu Hassan the winner with 98 percent of the vote.
Sec. 3 Sense of Congress
It is the sense of Congress—
that it is in the national security interests of the United States to help counter democratic backsliding of key partner nations where the United States has supplied billions of dollars worth of investment, development, humanitarian assistance, and security partnerships;
that the actions by the Government of Tanzania have subverted democracy, blatantly violated citizens’ fundamental human rights, disrupted regional trade, and endangered the safety and security of Tanzanians, tourists, and the diplomatic community;
that these actions place United States national interests in Tanzania at risk and threaten to undermine regional stability and long-term bilateral cooperation;
to support the decision to terminate Tanzania’s Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) threshold program; and
to express solidarity with the people of Tanzania, recognizing the unprecedented levels of violence experienced in Tanzania and support calls for an international independent investigation into the pre- and post-election violence in Tanzania leading those who conducted violence against Tanzania civilians to be held accountable for human rights violations.
Sec. 4 United States reassessment with Tanzania
Bilateral relationship reassessment— The Secretary of State, in coordination with the Secretary of Defense, the United States Trade Representative, and the heads of other relevant Federal agencies, shall conduct a comprehensive reassessment of the bilateral relationship between the United States and Tanzania.
Elements— The reassessment required under subsection (a) shall include—
an analysis of the democratic priorities and trajectory of Tanzania;
a detailed strategy on the necessary democratic reforms needed in Tanzania;
an assessment of United States security assistance to Tanzania to ensure that the Tanzanian Defense Forces and Tanzanian Police are reliable partners that adhere to Tanzania’s constitutionally mandated human rights and rule of law norms and protect the safety of citizens and all visitors to the country of Tanzania;
an assessment of how recent political unrest and internet shutdown in Tanzania have impacted United States business, investments, and partnerships in Tanzania; and
an evaluation of the relationship between the Government of Tanzania and the Government of the People’s Republic of China, including—
military and security cooperation, including training, exercises, arms transfers, and cooperation between defense, intelligence, or law enforcement entities;
economic engagement, including investments, loans, and financing involving Chinese-state-owned or affiliated entities, and the impact of such activities on market access, debt sustainability, and the competitiveness of United States companies; and
political cooperation with the Government of the People’s Republic of China that seeks to undermine democratic principles, advance one-party consolidation, and solidify anti-American and anti-Western sentiment internally and internationally.
Report on findings— Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report that includes the findings of the review required under subsection (a).
Sec. 5 Report on certain individuals in leadership positions in Tanzania
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees, the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate, and the Committee on Financial Services of the House of Representatives a report that includes a list of each foreign person that the Secretary determines—
holds a senior position in the Government of Tanzania, the leadership of Chama Cha Mapinduzi, the Tanzania Police Force, the Tanzanian People’s Defense Force, or the Tanzanian Intelligence and Security Service; and
is responsible for or complicit in, or has directly or indirectly engaged in—
ordering, controlling, or otherwise directing abductions, enforced disappearances, or arbitrary detention of political opponents, journalists, or civil society actors;
the targeting harassment, intimidation, detention, or use of violence against journalists, media organizations, or activists to suppress dissent or silence public reporting on human rights violations;
censorship, shutdowns, or other restrictions on media, internet access, or freedom of expression intended to conceal human rights abuses or prevent the dissemination of credible information;
severe violations of religious freedom, including the persecution of individuals or groups on account of religion, prohibitions or restrictions on religious worship, assembly, or expression, or acts of violence, coercion, or discrimination against religious communities;
the use of transnational repression tactics that target foreign nationals, Tanzanian citizens, and diaspora members regionally and internationally;
extrajudicial killings, torture, or gross violations of internationally recognized human rights; or
other actions that violate or undermine internationally recognized human rights or the civil liberties guaranteed to Tanzanian citizens under the Constitution of Tanzania.
Sec. 6 Sanctions
In general— Not later than 30 days after the submission of the report, the President may impose sanctions described in subsection (b) with respect to any foreign person identified in the report required under section 5(a)(1) that the Secretary determines meets the criteria described in section 5(a)(2)(A).
Sanctions described— The sanctions described in this paragraph are the following:
Blocking of property— The President may exercise all authorities under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.), to the extent necessary to block and prohibit all transactions in property and interests in property of a foreign person if such property and interests in property are in the United States, come within the United States, or come within the possession or control of a United States person.
Ineligibility for visas, admission, or parole—
Visas, admission, or parole— An alien described in subsection (a) shall be—
inadmissible to the United States;
ineligible to receive a visa or other documentation to enter the United States; and
otherwise ineligible to be admitted or paroled into the United States or to receive any other benefit under the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.).
Current visas revoked—
In general— The visa or other entry documentation of any alien described in subsection (a) is subject to revocation regardless of the issue date of the visa or other entry documentation.
Immediate effect— A revocation under clause (i) shall, in accordance with section 221(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1201(i))—
take effect immediately; and
cancel any other valid visa or entry documentation that is in the possession of the alien.
Implementation; penalties—
Implementation— The President may exercise all authorities provided under sections 203 and 205 of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1702 and 1704) for purposes of carrying out this section.
Penalties— The penalties provided for in subsections (b) and (c) of section 206 of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1705) shall apply to a person that violates, attempts to violate, conspires to violate, or causes a violation of this section or any regulations promulgated to carry out this section to the same extent that such penalties apply to a person that commits an unlawful act described in section 206(a) of that Act.
Definitions— In this section:
Agricultural commodity— The term agricultural commodity has the meaning given such term in section 102 of the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 5602).
Foreign person— The term foreign person means a person that is not a United States person.
Medical device— The term medical device has the meaning given the term device in section 201 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 321).
Medicine— The term medicine has the meaning given the term drug in section 201 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 321).
Termination of sanctions— The President may terminate the application of a sanction imposed pursuant to this section with respect to a person if the President certifies to the appropriate committees of Congress that—
the person is not engaging in the activity that was the basis for such sanction or has taken significant verifiable steps toward stopping such activity; and
the President has received reliable assurances that the person will not knowingly engage in activity subject to such sanction in the future.
Exceptions—
Humanitarian assistance— Sanctions authorized under this section shall not apply to—
the conduct or facilitation of a transaction for the provision of agricultural commodities, food, medicine, medical devices, humanitarian assistance, or for humanitarian purposes; or
transactions that are necessary for, or ordinarily incident to, the activities described in subparagraph (A).
Compliance with international obligations and law enforcement activities— Sanctions authorized under this section shall not apply with respect to an alien if admitting or paroling such alien is necessary—
to comply with United States obligations under—
the Agreement between the United Nations and the United States of America regarding the Headquarters of the United Nations, signed at Lake Success June 26, 1947, and entered into force November 21, 1947;
the Convention on Consular Relations, done at Vienna April 24, 1963, and entered into force March 19, 1967; or
any other international agreement; or
to carry out or assist law enforcement activity in the United States.
Exception for intelligence activities— Sanctions authorized under this section shall not apply to—
any activity subject to the reporting requirements under title V of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3091 et seq.); or
any authorized intelligence activities of the United States.
Exception relating to importation of goods—
In general— The requirement to block and prohibit all transactions in all property and interests in property under this section shall not include the authority or a requirement to impose sanctions on the importation of goods.
Good defined— In this paragraph, the term good means any article, natural or man-made substance, material, supply or manufactured product, including inspection and test equipment, and excluding technical data.
Rulemaking— The President is authorized to promulgate such rules and regulations as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this section (which may include regulatory exceptions), including under section 205 of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1704).
Sec. 7 Prohibition on certain United States assistance and investments for Tanzania
Prohibition— Except as provided in subsection (c), none of the following may be obligated, expended, or otherwise made available for any entity in Tanzania:
Security assistance, as defined in section 502B(d)(2) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2304(d)(2)).
Assistance, grants, loans, loan guarantees, insurance, equity investments, or other support provided by—
the United States International Development Finance Corporation;
the Export-Import Bank of the United States; or
the United States Trade and Development Agency.
Certification— The prohibition under subsection (a) shall terminate beginning on the date that is 30 days after the date on which the Secretary of State submits to the appropriate committees of Congress a written certification that the Government of Tanzania has—
enacted electoral reforms to advance free, fair, and transparent elections;
suspended politically motivated or illegitimate criminal proceedings, corrected flawed or improper judicial judgments, and released opposition leaders and other individuals detained on politically motivated grounds;
taken demonstrable steps to hold government officials, members of the security forces, and law enforcement personnel accountable for political abductions, electoral violence, and actions that undermine democratic institutions; and
ceased the political intimidation and censorship of media figures, journalists, and civil society actors.
Exceptions— The prohibition under subsection (a) shall not apply to—
humanitarian assistance;
health assistance; and
assistance to support democracy, human rights, governance, and civil society in Tanzania.
Sec. 8 Prohibition on Millennium Challenge Corporation funds for Tanzania
Prohibition— Except as provided in subsection (b), no Millennium Challenge Corporation funds may be committed, obligated, expended, or otherwise made available for support for any threshold or compact activities in Tanzania.
Certification— The prohibition under subsection (a) shall terminate beginning on the date that is 30 days after the date on which the Board of Directors of the Millennium Challenge Corporation, acting through the Chief Executive Officer of the Millennium Challenge Corporation, submits to the appropriate committees of Congress a written certification that the Government of Tanzania has demonstrated an ongoing commitment to just and democratic governance in accordance with the criteria described in section 607 of the Millennium Challenge Act of 2003 (22 U.S.C. 7706).