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CIVIC HERALD
HR 4140 · 119th Congress · HouseOther

Burma GAP Act

In plain language: This bill directs the U.S. government to provide humanitarian aid, job training, and legal protection to Rohingya refugees and other ethnic minorities fleeing military violence in Burma. It authorizes $9 million annually from 2026 through 2030 to collect evidence, protect witnesses, and support prosecutions of Burmese military officials for genocide and war crimes. Additionally, it allows the State Department to appoint a special diplomatic coordinator to align international sanctions and work toward restoring democracy and citizenship rights for the Rohingya.

Provisional: our plain-language summary, pending review.

Provisionalunreviewed: impact, issue tags, provisions, stakeholders, summary
People affectedNot determinable from the operative text; while findings mention over 600,000 Rohingya in Rakhine state and displaced populations, the operative provisions direct foreign aid, diplomatic strategy, and investigation programs without establishing a defined, countable beneficiary population.
Fiscal magnitude$45.0Mprovisional · pending reviewSec. 10(b) authorizes $5,000,000 annually for atrocity investigations and $4,000,000 annually for open-source documentation across fiscal years 2026 through 2030 ($9,000,000 per year for 5 years = $45,000,000), plus general 'such sums as may be necessary' under Sec. 10(a).
Reach28provisional · pending reviewrigor: heuristic llm
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Issues

What this bill touches.

Aid & alliances+35Refugee & asylum policy+30

The sign shows the bill's direction on each issue (+ toward, − away); the number is its magnitude. Color never encodes good or bad, and never party.

Who it affects

Who it helps · who it burdens.

Who it helps

  • Rohingya refugees and displaced personsReceive humanitarian aid (food, healthcare, shelter, education, vocational training), legal aid, search-and-rescue protections, expanded third-country resettlement opportunities, and support for the restoration of citizenship and rights under Sec. 6 and Sec. 7.provisional
  • Rohingya and Burmese civil society organizationsReceive technical and financial support to document atrocities, run community programs in refugee camps, preserve cultural heritage, and participate in transitional justice mechanisms under Sec. 7(b)(2), Sec. 8(b)(3), and Sec. 8(b)(7).provisional
  • Host communities receiving Rohingya refugeesReceive technical assistance and foreign aid to manage the arrival of refugees and foster safer, more supportive local environments under Sec. 6(b)(5) and Sec. 7(a).provisional

Who it burdens

  • Department of StateRequired to appoint a Special Representative (in the absence of an Ambassador), administer protection and aid programs, support international evidence gathering and prosecutions, and submit annual implementation reports to Congress for five years under Sec. 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9.provisional

Who opposes it

  • Burma military juntaTargeted for diplomatic and economic isolation, multilateral sanctions coordination, and international evidence gathering and criminal accountability for genocide and crimes against humanity under Sec. 3(7), Sec. 5(b), and Sec. 8.provisional

Dollar-level funding (FEC sector totals) is coming in a later phase.

What it does

The provisions, in plain language.

  1. Authorizes the Secretary of State to appoint a Special Representative and Policy Coordinator for Burma for up to five years (in the absence of a confirmed U.S. Ambassador) to coordinate diplomacy, multilateral sanctions, and humanitarian assistance.

    Sec. 5provisional
  2. Directs the Department of State to support protection and safety measures for Rohingya refugees and displaced persons, including legal aid, regional search-and-rescue operations, and improved security in refugee camps.

    Sec. 6(b)provisional
  3. Directs the Department of State to pursue long-term solutions for Rohingya, including voluntary return to Burma, restoration of full citizenship and equal rights, and expanded third-country refugee resettlement.

    Sec. 6(c)provisional
  4. Directs the Department of State to provide humanitarian and development aid to Rohingya refugees and host communities, covering food, health care, shelter, education, job training, and anti-violence programs.

    Sec. 7provisional
  5. Directs the Department of State to support justice and accountability efforts for genocide and crimes against humanity against Rohingya, including collecting and preserving evidence for international and domestic courts and promoting reparative justice.

    Sec. 8provisional
  6. Authorizes $5 million annually for fiscal years 2026 through 2030 for atrocity crime investigations, transitional justice mechanisms, witness protection, and technical casework concerning Rohingya and other Burmese ethnic minorities.

    Sec. 10(b)(1)provisional
  7. Authorizes $4 million annually for fiscal years 2026 through 2030 to document, verify, and publicly share open-source evidence of ongoing atrocities in Burma.

    Sec. 10(b)(2)provisional

How your members of Congress line up

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Timeline

How it moved.

  1. Jul 22, 2025Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 44 - 5.
  2. Jun 25, 2025Introduced in House
  3. Jun 25, 2025Introduced in House

The original text

Read it for yourself.

Sources & provenance

Congress.govrefreshed 17 days ago

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