Alignment with foreign policy priorities

(a) Prioritization by Secretary of State Pursuant to section 4(c)(3) of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2503(c)(3)), the Secretary of State shall set country priorities for the deployment of Peace Corps volunteers in a manner that ensures alignment with United States strategic interests, including countering authoritarian influence, promoting stability, and supporting allies. (b) Notification In addition to any other notification requirements applicable with respect to such a determination, the Director of the Peace Corps shall submit to Congress a notification before the entry into effect of any determination to undertake the first Peace Corps program in a new country or terminate all Peace Corps programs in any country. (c) Strategic plan The Director of the Peace Corps shall establish a Peace Corps Strategic Plan, which shall be aligned, in coordination with the Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy, with the Integrated Country Strategies of the Department of State. (d) Pacific Island country expansion (1) Requirement for presence Notwithstanding subsections (a) and (b), the Director of the Peace Corps shall ensure that programs of the Peace Corps operate in at least five Pacific Island countries, including Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands. (2) Report on expansion Not later than 90 days after the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State and Director of the Peace Corps shall brief the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate on the expansion of Peace Corps operations in Pacific Island countries as required by paragraph (1), detailing— (A) which such countries have expressed interest in Peace Corps presence; (B) any barriers to such expansion; (C) the resources needed to expand; and (D) opportunities to coordinate with the Department of Defense, Department of State, or other agencies to overcome challenges to such expansion.