S. 3160 (119th)Bill Overview

Provide for interagency tabletop exercises to assess the impacts of Department of Defense decisions during…

Armed Forces and National Security|Armed Forces and National Security
Cosponsors
Support
Democratic
Introduced
Nov 7, 2025
Discussions
Bill Text
Current stageCommittee

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.

Introduced
Committee
Floor
President
Law
Congressional Activities
01 · The brief
Plain-English summaryWhat this bill actually does

The bill directs the Secretary of Defense to invite federal economic agencies (Treasury, Commerce, Transportation, USTR, NEC) and appropriate private-sector representatives to participate in unclassified Department of Defense tabletop exercises that assess the economic impacts of DoD decisions during crises and conflicts and evaluate U.S. Government economic tools to augment DoD capabilities. It also requires the Secretary to brief congressional defense committees by December 31, 2025, on current and planned efforts to include those agencies and private-sector participants in such unclassified exercises.

Why people may split

Extent and composition of private-sector participation (liberal wants broader civil-society/labor inclusion; conservative wants strict vetting).

Watch point

Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill is a concise administrative directive requiring the Secretary of Defense to invite specified economic-focused Federal agencies and appropriate private-sector representatives to participate in unclassified DoD tabletop exercises and to brief congressional defense committees by December 31, 2025.

The bill directs the Secretary of Defense to invite federal economic agencies (Treasury, Commerce, Transportation, USTR, NEC) and appropriate private-sector representatives to participate in unclassified Department of Defense tabletop exercises that assess the economic impacts of DoD decisions during crises and conflicts and evaluate U.S. Government economic tools to augment DoD capabilities.

It also requires the Secretary to brief congressional defense committees by December 31, 2025, on current and planned efforts to include those agencies and private-sector participants in such unclassified exercises.

Passage70/100

On content alone, the bill is a short, technical, noncontroversial coordination measure with little fiscal impact and invite-style language, which aligns with many provisions that historically pass when included in larger defense or oversight bills. Its chances are much higher if attached to a must-pass defense authorization or appropriations measure; as a standalone bill, procedural factors could still limit enactment.

CredibilityAligned

Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill is a concise administrative directive requiring the Secretary of Defense to invite specified economic-focused Federal agencies and appropriate private-sector representatives to participate in unclassified DoD tabletop exercises and to brief congressional defense committees by December 31, 2025.

Contention30/100

Extent and composition of private-sector participation (liberal wants broader civil-society/labor inclusion; conservative wants strict vetting).

02 · What it does

Who stands to gain, and who may push back.

Likely benefits vs burdens50% / 50%
Federal agenciesFederal agencies

These are examples from the analysis, not a ranked list of the most-affected groups.

Likely helped
  • Federal agenciesImproved interagency coordination by bringing economic policy and DoD planners together in the same exercises, which ca…
  • Potential benefitBetter anticipation and mitigation of economic consequences from DoD decisions (trade, sanctions, transportation, finan…
  • Potential benefitGreater ability to identify and exercise non-military government tools (sanctions, export controls, economic mobilizati…
Likely burdened
  • Potential burdenEven if exercises are unclassified, involving additional agencies and private-sector actors could increase risks of ina…
  • Federal agenciesOrganizing regular interagency tabletop exercises adds administrative and staff time costs for participating agencies a…
  • Potential burdenPrivate-sector participation raises potential conflict-of-interest, procurement, or insider-knowledge concerns that may…
03 · Why people split

Why the argument around this bill splits.

Extent and composition of private-sector participation (liberal wants broader civil-society/labor inclusion; conservative wants strict vetting).
Progressive75%

A mainstream liberal would likely view the bill as a pragmatic step toward integrating economic and civilian perspectives into national security planning, which can help protect workers, supply chains, and vulnerable communities during crises.

They would welcome attention to economic impacts and cross-agency coordination but could be wary of excessive private-sector influence and would want broader civil-society or labor representation and explicit consideration of social and environmental justice outcomes.

They would also note the bill is narrowly procedural and unclassified, so its direct effects depend on how agencies implement participation and which stakeholders are invited.

Leans supportive
Centrist80%

A pragmatic centrist would likely see this bill as low-risk, commonsense improvement to crisis planning that fills a coordination gap between defense and economic authorities.

They would appreciate the limited, procedural nature of the requirement (invitations and an unclassified briefing) and the potential to identify practical weaknesses in using economic tools alongside military options.

Their concerns would center on clear metrics of success, costs, and whether exercises produce actionable follow-through rather than mere meetings.

Leans supportive
Conservative60%

A mainstream conservative would likely be cautiously open to the idea insofar as it aims to strengthen national security preparedness and leverage economic tools against strategic competitors, but would watch for mission creep and unnecessary expansion of federal coordination.

Because exercises are unclassified and the bill only requires invitations and a briefing, many conservatives would see limited downside; however, some would be concerned about intermixing civilian economic agencies and private firms with the military and about potential regulatory or bureaucratic overreach stemming from new interagency practices.

Split reaction
04 · Can it pass?

The path through Congress.

Introduced

Reached or meaningfully advanced

Committee

Reached or meaningfully advanced

Floor

Still ahead

President

Still ahead

Law

Still ahead

Passage likelihood70/100

On content alone, the bill is a short, technical, noncontroversial coordination measure with little fiscal impact and invite-style language, which aligns with many provisions that historically pass when included in larger defense or oversight bills. Its chances are much higher if attached to a must-pass defense authorization or appropriations measure; as a standalone bill, procedural factors could still limit enactment.

Scope and complexity
24%
Scopenarrow
24%
Complexitylow
Why this could stall
  • No cost estimate or authorization of appropriations is included; the degree to which agencies must redirect resources to comply is unclear.
  • The bill relies on invitation and participation by other agencies and private-sector actors; actual engagement levels and the usefulness of exercises depend on executive-branch cooperation and scheduling.
05 · Recent votes

Recent votes on the bill.

No vote history yet

The bill has not accumulated any surfaced votes yet.

06 · Go deeper

Go deeper than the headline read.

Included on this page

Extent and composition of private-sector participation (liberal wants broader civil-society/labor inclusion; conservative wants strict vett…

On content alone, the bill is a short, technical, noncontroversial coordination measure with little fiscal impact and invite-style language…

Unlocked analysis

Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill is a concise administrative directive requiring the Secretary of Defense to invite specified economic-focused Federal agencies and appropriate private-sector represen…

Go beyond the headline summary with full stakeholder mapping, legislative design analysis, passage barriers, and lens-by-lens tradeoff breakdowns.

Perspective breakdownsPassage barriersLegislative design reviewStakeholder impact map
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