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Floor Speech
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Mr. KAINE. Mr. President, I do rise for multiple purposes. The first is to acknowledge that earlier this week, on Monday, December 12, we marked the historic bicentennial of diplomatic relations between the United States and Mexico.
Our two countries share a 2,000-mile border, an extensive trade, security, economic, cultural, and familial ties.
Our cultural ties are particularly deep. Forty million Americans have Mexican heritage, many of whom are proud residents of Virginia. People of Mexican origin represent nearly 60 percent of our Nation's Hispanic population, and 2 million Americans live in Mexico. These people-to- people ties are invaluable.
The two countries share an important tradition of democracy, and those traditions require consistent work and maintenance to ensure strong and independent institutions, rule of law, and democratic freedoms.
We know that upholding democracy in both our nations isn't always easy, but it is a vital endeavor, and it is the bedrock of our partnership. As we celebrate the bicentennial, it is crucial that the Senate and the U.S. Government as a whole continue all efforts to advance this relationship.
I want to commend the Biden administration for working side by side with Mexican leaders and taking on the many challenges we face together. This is exactly what we should be doing with such a close neighboring partner, and I am committing to continue to support these efforts through my role on the Foreign Relations Subcommittee over the Americas, which I chair.
Through the high-level economic dialogue, the high-level security dialogue, the North American Leaders' Summit, and innumerable local and national engagements, the United States and Mexico have worked more closely in addressing our shared priorities.
We have got to ensure that the future of the U.S.-Mexico relationship continues to be grounded in shared prosperity and the protection of fundamental freedoms that are so important to both of our people.
I will have a more formal and detailed statement on the bicentennial that I will have submitted for the Record.
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