Houston Daily

Congressman Michael McCaul (R-Texas), chairman emeritus of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and co-chair of the Friends of Australia Caucus, along with Vice Ranking Member Gabe Amo (D-R.I.), has introduced the AUKUS Improvement Act. This bipartisan, bicameral bill aims to exempt entities already vetted by the State Department as AUKUS Authorized Users from the Third Party Transfer requirement for Foreign Military Sales. The legislation is intended to enhance cooperation between companies in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia to address growing security challenges in the Indo-Pacific region.

"The Chinese Communist Party is working at lightning speed — in collaboration with its friends in Iran, Russia, and North Korea — to outpace the free world’s defense production base and shape the future of warfare,” said Chairman Emeritus McCaul. “The AUKUS security pact, which I prioritized as chairman, is working to ensure the U.S. and our allies maintain the edge. I’m proud to support the AUKUS Improvement Act to build on that momentum, deter CCP aggression in the Indo-Pacific, and help prevent a global catastrophe."

“Australia and the United Kingdom are steadfast, longstanding partners of the United States and critical allies in our mission to counter Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific,” said Vice Ranking Member Amo. “This smart, bipartisan, bicameral legislation will make it easier for our nation’s defense industrial bases to work together to build the next generation defense technologies needed to counter a rising China. I’m grateful to Chairman McCaul for his willingness to work across the aisle to get this done and to Senators Pete Ricketts and Tim Kaine for their leadership on this bill in the Senate.”

Other cosponsors include Friends of Australia Caucus Co-Chair Joe Courtney (D-Conn.), Representatives Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.), and Sarah McBride (D-Del).

Previously, McCaul led efforts during last Congress on several pieces of legislation supporting AUKUS and wrote an op-ed highlighting its importance. The current approval process for AUKUS Authorized Users involves additional steps that can delay defense production. The new bill seeks to remove these redundant procedures to improve efficiency.

Michael McCaul has a history of electoral success; he won re-election against Theresa Boisseau in 2024 with 63.6% of votes.

The full text of the legislation is available online.