Congress demands a roadmap for expanding Middle East security pact
H.R. 1385 — Strengthening Cooperation and Security in the Middle East Act · Filed by Carol Miller (R-WV) · 5 cosponsors · Introduced Feb 14, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill directs the Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense to develop a report and strategy within 180 days on how to expand membership in the Comprehensive Security Integration and Prosperity Agreement (CSIPA), a Middle East security and economic pact signed in September 2023. The report must analyze CSIPA's strategic benefits—including military readiness, economic cooperation, and countering Iran—and identify barriers to broader regional participation. A follow-up strategy must recommend concrete steps to recruit additional member countries.
Why we flagged it
The bill's sole operative mechanism is to require the executive branch to produce and submit a report and strategy to Congress on expanding a regional security agreement. It is a transparency and oversight instrument, not a substantive policy change or appropriation.
What the text implies
- The bill frames CSIPA expansion as a counter to Iran and Houthi threats, potentially committing the U.S. to deeper military integration in the Middle East without explicit authorization or appropriation.
- Emphasis on leveraging the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet in Bahrain suggests the strategy may involve expanded military presence or commitments in the Persian Gulf region.
- The report must analyze how to 'alter' the CSIPA framework, implying the executive may seek to reshape the agreement's terms—a significant diplomatic move that Congress will only learn about after the fact.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
The bill creates transparency and congressional oversight of executive branch Middle East strategy, which supports democratic accountability. However, it is purely procedural—it mandates a report and strategy but imposes no binding constraints on executive action, no new funding, and no direct public benefit. Citizens gain visibility into diplomatic planning but no enforceable rights or protections.
Named in the bill
Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, Comprehensive Security Integration and Prosperity Agreement (CSIPA), House Committee on Foreign Affairs, House Committee on Armed Services, Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Senate Committee on Armed Services, U.S. Navy Fifth Fleet, Bahrain, Islamic Republic of Iran, Houthi
Where it stands
5 cosponsors: 3 Democrats, 2 Republicans.
- Feb 14, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Feb 14, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Foreign Affairs · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
Money around this bill
2 lobbying clients named this bill on 2 disclosure filings across 1 quarter, Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $3,085,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 67 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.
More lobbying clients named this bill than 41% of bills with at least one filing.
Carol Miller, the sponsor, reported $1,295,500 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.
- America's Health Insurance Plans Inc (ahip) — $3,010,000 on 1 filing
- National Women's Law Center Action Fund — $75,000 on 1 filing
Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (3,285 characters) on Sep 7, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,398 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
Money — Senate Lobbying Disclosure Act filings whose specific-issue field names this bill for quarters ending Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. A filing's amount is reported whole beside the median number of bills a filing names; it is never divided across them. PAC receipts are FEC-reported contributions to the sponsor's candidate committee in the 2026 cycle.
As of — lobbying records through Jul 20, 2026 · page rendered 2026-10-23.
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