Civilian members of the U.S. intelligence community will get a benefit long afforded to troops: a tax break to help defray the cost of moving from one duty station to another.
The measure is part of the policy-and-spending package passed in the House Thursday afternoon. It was inserted last month through efforts led by Senate Intelligence Committee leaders Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and Mark Warner, D-Va.
The intelligence community includes thousands of non-uniformed intelligence officers, analysts and support staff assigned to posts overseas, sometimes for years at a time, where they can represent top offices like the CIA or NSA. But under current tax laws, they don’t automatically receive the same tax advantages when they are ordered to move to a new duty station, which could take them across the country or abroad. The measure would guarantee that IC civilians get comparable tax breaks to uniformed servicemembers when they’re required to move for work, aiming to reduce the financial costs of job moves.
The provision establishes tax deductions and tax-free reimbursements for eligible moving expenses for IC employees and certain political appointees, a measure aimed at preventing them from being unfairly taxed on money they spend to cover mandatory moving costs.
“Just as in the military, permanent change of station orders can be a time of upheaval for the men, women, and families of the intelligence community. This bill will reinstate some of the eased burdens on moving costs and help keep our intelligence community workers focused on the mission at hand of keeping our country safe,” Cotton said in a statement.
“Like the men and women of our armed forces, our intelligence community professionals go to extraordinary lengths to serve and protect their country,” Warner said. “They often uproot their lives to go serve where they are needed — no matter where that may be. This commonsense legislation will ensure that these brave Americans are not forced to pay out of pocket for the costs of their relocations.”
The measure passed as part of the massive “big, beautiful bill” spending package that President Donald Trump and GOP allies pushed over the finish line before the July 4 holiday.
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