The incidents have led to a rare example of bipartisan agreement in fiercely partisan Washington. The original bill was written by Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine. Representative Adam Schiff, Democrat of California, guided the bill through the House, where it passed unanimously.
Ms. Collins said she was increasingly convinced that some adversary was behind the incidents. “As we continue our efforts to support victims, we must also redouble our whole-of-government approach to identify and stop the heartless adversary who is harming U.S. personnel,” she said in a statement on Friday.
Mark S. Zaid, a lawyer who represents multiple victims, said the legislation was “a good and necessary first step but it’s woefully deficient in many ways.”
The bill leaves it up to the leaders of the C.I.A. and State Department to make their own determinations as to who is covered and how much compensation they receive, meaning “it has the opportunity to create incredible inconsistencies between agencies as to how they’re dealing with it,” Mr. Zaid said. “This is the type of case that demands uniform standards throughout the federal government. Someone at State should not be treated differently than someone at C.I.A.”
An administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity to disclose internal communications, said that officials had been trying since Mr. Biden took office to standardize what they conceded was an ad hoc and uneven reporting process among agencies, and that the State Department released guidance over the summer that assured employees they would receive the same standard of care as people from other agencies, including the C.I.A.
Victims’ groups that have been pushing for their injuries to be recognized and compensated applauded the signing. Robyn Garfield, a Commerce Department official who was injured in China, said the critical next step was to make sure victims who could no longer work were receiving proper care.
Mr. Garfield also said uniform diagnostic and treatment plans had to be adopted.
“For too long, too many of us have been treated as adversaries and not partners by our own agencies,” Mr. Garfield said.