S.4278 - PEACE Act
S. 4278 was introduced on April 13, 2026 by Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ). It is currently pending before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Bill Summary: S. 4278 would prohibit federal funds from being appropriated for or otherwise made available to the Board of Peace (BoP), an entity designated by Executive Order 14375 on January 16, 2026 as a public international organization entitled to privileges and immunities under the International Organizations Immunities Act (IOIA), unless Congress enacts an Act specifically authorizing such funding. The Bill further bars the granting, recognition, or extension of any privileges, exemptions, or immunities to the BoP or its officers, employees, and representatives, notwithstanding the IOIA or any other provision of law. It requires each federal department or agency that has obligated funds for the BoP to report those obligations to Congress within 15 days of enactment, directs the President to submit within 30 days a strategy describing how any obligated funds will be used to advance sustainable peace in conflict-affected areas, and directs the Secretary of State to submit within 60 days a report assessing the BoP’s stated goals and activities related to advancing sustainable peace in Gaza, any measurable progress toward that goal, the BoP's coordination with the Department of State and other U.S. government entities, and the BoP's effectiveness in advancing U.S. national security and foreign policy interests.
Context: The BoP is a multilateral body created to oversee the second phase of the Administration's Gaza plan, including governance, reconstruction, and the management of what could amount to tens of billions of dollars in reconstruction financing, potentially in partnership with the World Bank, whose President sits on the BoP’s Executive Board, or other international financial institutions (IFIs). The United States participates in and funds other IFIs pursuant with congressional authorization and appropriation, subject to the oversight requirements Congress attaches to such participation. Absent congressional authorization, taxpayer funds could be channeled through a body over which Congress has exercised no jurisdiction and whose governance structure vests final control over spending in a single individual. The PEACE Act reasserts Congress's constitutional power of the purse, requiring that U.S. participation in and funding of the BoP proceed only through explicit Congressional authorization and be subject to the same standards of transparency and accountability that govern American engagement with other IFIs.
Beyond the question of Congressional authorization, the BoP represents a troubling model for the governance and reconstruction of Gaza. Rather than advancing Palestinian self-determination, the structure of the Executive Board itself places Gaza's future under a body lacking Palestinian representation. The charter conditions permanent membership on a $1 billion contribution within the first year, an arrangement that invites states to purchase standing rather than hold a vested interest in the future of Palestinians in Gaza. It contains no meaningful conflict-of-interest rules, auditing requirements, or independent oversight mechanisms, while vesting final authority over budgets, financial accounts, and disbursements in the Chairman and the Executive Board he selects. Rather than add to legitimate international institutions, however flawed, that provide meaningful oversight and global participation, the BoP is set up as a competitor to those institutions while remaining under the purview of a single individual - all checks in his hands, and no balances against them.
American Values Analysis: The PEACE Act reflects core American values of transparency, responsible governance, and democratic accountability over the expenditure of taxpayer funds. The constitutional power of the purse rests with Congress precisely so that the commitment of taxpayer dollars, particularly to a foreign body wielding authority over the governance and reconstruction of a conflict zone, remains answerable to the people's elected representatives rather than to the discretion of a single official.
American Interest Analysis: UN Security Council Resolution 2803 positions the BoP as the principal guarantor of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and the lead body overseeing Gaza's reconstruction. By asserting congressional oversight over how the Board uses taxpayer funds, assessments of progress toward achieving sustainable peace in Gaza, including diplomatic, security, and humanitarian outcomes, and by requiring monitoring of its programs, S. 4278 advances American interests both in ensuring that public funds are appropriately utilized and in ensuring that Congress does not abandon its oversight role in American participation in Gaza's reconstruction.
A New Policy’s Recommendation: SUPPORT
A New Policy supports S. 4278 as it reasserts congressional oversight over how the BoP utilizes taxpayer funds and requires assessment of whether the BoP is making progress toward peace in Gaza, including its diplomatic, security, and humanitarian outcomes.
For more information please contact: Josh Paul, (202) 770-0055, info@anewpolicy.org
