# H.R. 7084 (119th): Defending American Property Abroad Act of 2026

Defending American Property Abroad Act of 2026 This bill authorizes the President to prohibit the entry of a vessel into the United States if the vessel has transited any U.S. port, harbor, or marine terminal that has been nationalized or expropriated (e.g., seized) by a Western Hemisphere country that has a free trade agreement with the United States. Under the bill, the President may prohibit the entry and operation of a vessel if it has called at any port, harbor, or marine terminal that was owned, held, or controlled by a U.S. entity or individual, but has been nationalized or expropriated by the government of a country that is located in the Western Hemisphere and has a free trade agreement in effect with the United States. The prohibition ends when the President determines that (1) the applicable country has restored ownership of the property that had been nationalized or expropriated, (2) the applicable country has provided mutually acceptable compensation for the nationalized or expropriated property, (3) the conditions for the prohibition are no longer satisfied, or (4) the dispute has been otherwise resolved to the satisfaction of the President. The bill permits certain foreign vessels that are otherwise prohibited from entering the United States under this bill or current law to enter if the vessel is experiencing an emergency (involving the vessel or an individual on the vessel) and in certain instances where access to a covered facility was granted by a U.S. property owner.

## How this bill is scored

Tier: no Tier 1 record. A bill with no record cannot newly become Tier 1.
Lane: expropriation. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Lane: foreign_policy. Category: war_peace. Lane tag: prudential.
Lane: justice. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Lane: property_protection. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Lane: property_rights. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Lane: stewardship. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Lane: trade_sanctions. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Lane: vessel_access. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Tier 1 sign-off: no record. A bill with no record cannot newly become Tier 1.
Stored polarity: mixed. Only tags the rules mark scoreable on a mixed bill are scored. A yea can draw a penalty or a credit according to the tag. A nay on a tag scored as good can draw a penalty.
Roll 105: On Passage. Vote type: final_passage.
Polarity rationale: Reviewed enrichment (llm_import) polarity: The measure opposes expropriation of U.S.-owned property abroad, a legitimate concern under general equity. However, it works through discretionary economic coercion aimed at foreign-flagged vessels and foreign states, with broad executive latitude and uncertain proportionality. That combines a defensible good with real prudential and structural concerns rather than directly advancing or directly restraining moral evil.
Theological note: The bill raises real concern for justice in protecting lawfully owned property from seizure, which Scripture treats as a matter of honest dealing and equity. It also grants broad executive discretion to impose coercive economic sanctions on third-party vessels and to end them at presidential discretion, which implicates foreign-policy prudence, proportionality, and the restraint of executive power. These considerations are issue relevance, not a final candidate judgment.

## Recorded votes

Roll 105: On Passage. Yea 247 · Nay 164 · Other 20.

HTML: https://justmeasure.org/bill/hr-7084-119/