New FBI Watchlist Bill Demands Annual Count of U.S. Citizens on Terror Lists, Starting 2026

The Terrorist Watchlist Modification Review Act (TWMRA) aims to pull back the curtain on how the government maintains its sensitive national security lists. Essentially, this bill is about forcing more transparency and accountability from the FBI regarding who ends up on a watchlist—especially when those people are U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

Policy Changes Get a 30-Day Clock

One of the biggest moves in Section 2 is creating a hard deadline for the FBI. If the policies or procedures for adding or removing people from the Terrorist Watchlist (officially the Terrorist Screening Dataset) or the Transnational Organized Crime Watchlist change in any "material" way, the FBI Director has to notify a stack of relevant congressional committees within 30 days. Think of it like this: if the FBI changes the rules of the game—say, making it easier or harder to get off the list—Congress needs to know right away. This applies to committees that handle intelligence, appropriations (the money), homeland security, and the judiciary. If a committee wants to see the actual, current guidance documents the FBI is using for these lists, the FBI must hand them over within 30 days of the request. This is a crucial step toward ensuring Congress can actually oversee these powerful tools, rather than just reacting after the fact.

Counting the Cost of Watchlists for U.S. Citizens

Section 3 mandates a new, detailed annual report focusing specifically on U.S. persons (citizens and permanent residents) on the Terrorist Watchlist. Starting by January 31, 2026, and continuing for three years, the FBI must report a detailed breakdown. This isn’t just a raw number; the report must include the total number of U.S. persons on the list, how many are also on the No-Fly List, and how many are on the Selectee List (meaning they get extra screening at airports).

For someone who travels frequently for work, this data matters. If the number of U.S. persons subject to extra screening (the Selectee List) is high, it points to a potential bottleneck at airports and a civil liberties issue. The bill also requires the FBI to name every federal agency that nominated a U.S. person to the list and the terrorist organizations these individuals are suspected of affiliating with. This level of detail provides Congress with the necessary data to assess whether the watchlists are being used correctly and consistently across different federal agencies.

The Real-World Impact: More Oversight, But for How Long?

For the average person, this bill doesn't change how you interact with a watchlist today, but it significantly increases the checks and balances on the agencies that control those lists. When the rules for adding or removing names are clearer and subject to congressional review, it reduces the chance of arbitrary or mistaken inclusion. This means better protection for civil liberties, particularly for U.S. citizens who might be wrongly flagged.

However, there are a couple of things to note. First, the term “material change” in Section 2 is left undefined, giving the FBI some wiggle room to decide what changes are significant enough to notify Congress about. Second, the crucial annual reporting requirement for U.S. persons (Section 3) is set to sunset after three years (2026, 2027, and 2028). While those three years will provide valuable data, oversight could weaken if Congress doesn't renew the requirement afterward. Overall, this bill creates a necessary administrative headache for the FBI, but it’s a good kind of headache—the kind that improves transparency and accountability in a sensitive area of national security.