[Pages S3060-S3062]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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 SENATE RESOLUTION 239--REAFFIRMING THE DEEP AND STEADFAST PARTNERSHIP 
   BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA AND THE TIES THAT BIND THE 2 
         COUNTRIES IN SUPPORT OF ECONOMIC AND NATIONAL SECURITY

  Mr. CRAMER (for himself, Mr. King, Mr. Crapo, Mrs. Blackburn, Ms. 
Klobuchar, Ms. Murkowski, Ms. Hassan, Ms. Collins, Mr. Rounds, and Mr. 
Welch) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 239

       Whereas strengthening and deepening United States alliances 
     is critically important, and the Senate is called upon not 
     only to protect, but to advance, United States partnerships;
       Whereas the United States enjoys the great fortune of 
     having one of its closest allies next door at a time when 
     countries around the world are facing existential threats 
     from their neighbors;
       Whereas, in June 2023, the bipartisan and bicameral 
     American-Canadian Economy and Security Caucus was established 
     in the Senate and the House of Representatives, which 
     presents an opportunity to fortify and advance the 
     indispensable economic and security partnership between the 
     United States and Canada;
       Whereas the United States and Canada can together reinforce 
     their shared interest in 4 critical areas, which are--
       (1) economic security;
       (2) energy and critical minerals security;
       (3) national security; and
       (4) global security;
       Whereas the prosperity of the citizens of the United States 
     and Canada are supported by their mutually beneficial 
     economic relationship and resilient and integrated supply 
     chains;
       Whereas the Agreement between the United States of America, 
     the United Mexican States, and Canada, done at Mexico City on 
     December 10, 2019 (commonly known as the ``USMCA''), forms 
     the foundation of the economic competitiveness of the 3 
     countries;
       Whereas the United States and Canada--
       (1) share one of the largest trading relationships in the 
     world, with nearly $1,000,000,000,000 in bilateral trade in 
     goods and services in 2023, supporting nearly 8,000,000 jobs 
     in the United States and more than 2,400,000 jobs in Canada; 
     and
       (2) understand the importance of secure and resilient 
     supply chains, and have established formal mechanisms to 
     further strengthen economic integration and minimize the 
     dependency of the United States on foreign adversaries;
       Whereas Canada is the largest single export market for the 
     United States, and Canada was the number one customer for 36 
     of the 50 States in 2023;
       Whereas, in 2023, more than 330 congressional districts 
     each exported more than $250,000,000 in goods to Canada, and 
     more than congressional 100 districts each exported more than 
     $1,000,000,000 in goods to Canada;
       Whereas bilateral trade in agriculture between Canada and 
     the United States reached

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     $72,500,000,000 in 2023 and Canada is the number one 
     agricultural export market for 27 States;
       Whereas trade between Canada and the United States is built 
     on long-standing binational supply chains, whereby roughly 70 
     percent of Canadian goods exported to the United States are 
     used by manufacturers in the United States to produce higher 
     value goods;
       Whereas Canada purchases more than $22,000,000,000 worth of 
     automotive parts and approximately $33,600,000,000 worth of 
     vehicles from the United States each year;
       Whereas, in 2024, the United States imported 
     $53,000,000,000 worth of motor vehicles and parts from 
     Canada, while United States exports of motor vehicles and 
     parts to Canada totaled $55,000,000,000, including 
     $18,000,000,000 worth of automotive parts;
       Whereas the United States lumber industry produces 
     approximately 70 percent of the lumber needed every year in 
     the United States and Canadian lumber makes up most of the 
     shortfall, helping to meet the needs of United States 
     consumers;
       Whereas the United States and Canada--
       (1) are global leaders in science, technology, and 
     innovation, and can secure the future of North America as the 
     most competitive region in the world; and
       (2) are working together to deepen cooperation in 
     developing and protecting emerging technologies, including 
     artificial intelligence and quantum technologies;
       Whereas Canada--
       (1) is the world's fourth-largest petroleum producer and is 
     the largest foreign supplier of energy, including oil, 
     uranium, natural gas, and electricity, to the United States;
       (2) supports United States energy dominance by providing 
     safe and reliable natural gas, electricity, crude oil, and 
     uranium for nuclear power;
       (3) bolsters the position of the United States as the 
     world's number one exporter of liquified natural gas by 
     supplying border States with Canadian natural gas;
       (4) enables the growth of United States artificial 
     intelligence technology by supplying the critical fuels 
     required by the United States power industry; and
       (5) is a reliable source of energy and resources for the 
     United States, producing more than 60 minerals and metals, 
     and is a leading global producer of critical minerals on the 
     critical minerals list the United States Geological Survey;
       Whereas Canada is--
       (1) committed to ensuring North American competitiveness 
     and the success of workers and communities in Canada and the 
     United States; and
       (2) taking steps to address nonmarket practices of the 
     People's Republic of China, notably by screening inbound 
     investment into Canada and applying a surtax on products 
     imported from the People's Republic of China, such as 
     electric vehicles, steel, and aluminum;
       Whereas the United States and Canada--
       (1) have a deeply interconnected electricity sector, with 
     more than 35 active electricity transmission connections 
     between the 2 countries, many of which enable bidirectional 
     flows of electricity, helping to ensure the security and 
     reliability of the North American grid;
       (2) have committed to work together to protect biodiverse 
     areas that span their shared border, including in 
     collaboration with Indigenous and Tribal partners, 
     benefitting shared species like migratory birds; and
       (3) have jointly collaborated for more than 100 years under 
     the Treaty relating to the Boundary Waters and Questions 
     arising along the Boundary between the United States and 
     Canada, signed at Washington January 11, 1909 (36 Stat. 2448; 
     12 Bevans 319) (commonly known as the ``Boundary Waters 
     Treaty'') to manage and conserve their shared waters for the 
     benefit of both countries, including almost 50 years under 
     the Agreement on Great Lakes Water Quality, 1978, with 
     Annexes and Terms of Reference, signed at Ottawa November 22, 
     1978 (commonly known as the ``Great Lakes Water Quality 
     Agreement'');
       Whereas the United States and Canada--
       (1) share 3 oceans and the world's longest border, and 
     safely oversee the movement of about 400,000 people and more 
     than $2,500,000,000 worth of goods and services across that 
     border each day;
       (2) cooperate to keep the border open to legitimate trade 
     and travel but closed to illegal migration, terrorists, 
     criminals, and threats to the health and safety of citizens;
       (3) are committed to jointly protecting the security of 
     their citizens, including though Canada's recent actions and 
     significant investments to strengthen border security by--
          (A) fighting sources of illegal migration at the border, 
     and keeping deadly drugs like fentanyl and its precursors 
     from entering;
          (B) securing border crossings by maintaining 24/7 eyes 
     on the border using new surveillance technology and increased 
     personnel;
          (C) combating fentanyl trafficking through the 
     appointment of a fentanyl czar, listing cartels as terrorist 
     entities, and launching a Canada-United States Joint Strike 
     Force detecting and disrupting the fentanyl trade with more 
     technology, tools, and intelligence;
          (D) reinforcing a ``one border, one team'' approach 
     through more cross-border information and intelligence 
     sharing; and
          (E) keeping people safe through joint emergency 
     readiness and creating a joint emergency management 
     partnership similar to the North American Aerospace Defense 
     Command (commonly referred to as ``NORAD'');
       (4) are united in fighting a fentanyl crisis that is 
     indiscriminately affecting citizens on both sides of the 
     border and is fueled by the actions of malign actors abroad;
       (5) work together to secure the border between the United 
     States and Canada through the Cross Border Crime Forum, the 
     Integrated Border Enforcement Teams, the Beyond the Border 
     Initiative, the United States-Canada NEXUS Trusted Traveler 
     Program, the Border Enforcement Security Task Forces, the 
     Integrated Cross-Border Maritime Law Enforcement Operations 
     (commonly known as the ``Shiprider''), and the United States 
     preclearance operations conducted at airports in Canada, all 
     of which enhance joint security efforts;
       (6) have an Integrated Border Enforcement Charter that 
     allows border enforcement agencies to jointly identify 
     national security threats, disrupt organized criminal 
     activities, seize drugs and weapons, and intercept criminal 
     networks trying to smuggle people across the border; and
       (7) both understand that a threat to the security of one 
     country is a threat to the security of both countries;
       Whereas the United States and Canada--
       (1) are Pacific, Atlantic, and Arctic countries;
       (2) are unequivocally committed to playing a leadership 
     role in protecting global security and promoting democracy 
     around the world;
       (3) recognize that collective security is a shared 
     responsibility, and are committed to expanding cooperation on 
     continental defense and in the Arctic, including by 
     increasing investments in continental defense and modernizing 
     NORAD, the world's only binational military command;
       (4) share the desire for a peaceful, stable, and 
     predictable Arctic region, including for the benefit of 
     Arctic and Northern peoples and communities;
       (5) work together to advance democratic principles, human 
     rights, and free trade policies through the Group of 7, the 
     Group of 20, the United Nations, the Organization for 
     Security and Co-operation in Europe, the Organisation for 
     Economic Co-operation and Development, the World Trade 
     Organization, and at the Organization of American States;
       (6) cooperate extensively through a ``Tri-Command 
     Framework'' comprised of the United States Northern Command, 
     the Canadian Joint Operations Command, and NORAD;
       (7) work together as the only North American members of the 
     North Atlantic Treaty Organization (commonly referred to as 
     ``NATO'') to ensure peace and security in the transatlantic 
     region;
       (8) support NATO's deterrence and defense efforts, and 
     allies in Europe, through their roles as the Framework 
     Nations for the NATO brigades in Latvia and Poland; and
       (9) share a long and storied history of civil space 
     partnership between the National Aeronautics and Space 
     Administration (commonly referred to as ``NASA'') and the 
     Canadian Space Agency, and a Canadian will fly on the 
     historic Artemis II mission around the Moon with NASA;
       Whereas Canada has been a committed ally in upholding the 
     rules-based international order by promoting peace, 
     resilience, and security in the Indo-Pacific region through 
     an augmented and diversified military presence;
       Whereas Canada has been a reliable and engaged partner of 
     the United States in the Indo-Pacific region by collaborating 
     extensively with the United States Indo-Pacific Command, 
     including through bilateral and multilateral exercises, 
     regional security cooperation and defense engagements, 
     involvement in regional defense forums, and ultimately, 
     through unwavering support of free, open, and inclusive Indo-
     Pacific region;
       Whereas Canada is in consultation with the United States, 
     Australia, and the United Kingdom to identify collaborative 
     projects on advanced capabilities under Pillar II of the 
     enhanced trilateral security partnership between Australia, 
     the United Kingdom, and the United States; and
       Whereas history, geography, commerce, security, and shared 
     democratic values underpin a close relationship between the 
     United States and Canada: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes that the relationship between the United 
     States and Canada is--
       (A) an essential strategic asset to the United States and 
     the people of the United States; and
       (B) critical to promoting peace, expanding global economic 
     opportunity, and being prepared to respond to unforeseen 
     events;
       (2) reaffirms its full commitment to maintain and grow the 
     critical partnership between the United States and Canada;
       (3) recognizes that the security of either the United 
     States or Canada is dependent on the security of the other, 
     and welcomes greater collaboration in the areas of defense, 
     cyber and technology security, and Arctic security;
       (4) reaffirms its commitment to the bilateral and 
     international alliance between the 2 countries, which allows 
     both countries to face common threats together and uphold 
     common values, including democracy, human rights, and the 
     rule of law;
       (5) recognizes the strategic importance of one of the most 
     secure borders in the world, the co-management of which 
     facilitates trade and serves as a trusted corridor for the 
     supply chains of both countries;

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       (6) recognizes that bolstering the supply chains of both 
     countries will make both countries more competitive and more 
     resilient in the face of economic aggression from hostile 
     countries;
       (7) supports an increased focus on energy security through 
     greater cross-border energy infrastructure, including 
     infrastructure for oil, natural gas, nuclear, renewable 
     energy, and resilient electricity transmission, and through 
     diversifying supply chains for critical minerals; and
       (8) is fully committed to the creation of more well-paying 
     United States jobs through continued trade and investment 
     with Canada.

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