American Cooperation with Our Neighbors Act

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, I represent the border State of Arizona. I have heard from families in my community who have lost loved ones to fentanyl overdoses.

This Congress has increased funding to Customs and Border Protection year-over-year and has dedicated historic resources to modernize the inspection equipment and other critical infrastructure at our ports of entry, where most drugs are trafficked through.

However, we need to use every tool we have to combat this epidemic, to stop drugs from coming into our country and to increase prevention and treatment efforts. The Federal Government must leverage the expertise of our partners in local law enforcement, business and civic leaders, NGOs, and faith-based organizations on both sides of the border.

My bipartisan bill, the American Cooperation with Our Neighbors Act, tasks the Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development with improving cooperation and collaboration between the United States and Mexico because this isn't just an American problem.

Fentanyl is trafficked into the U.S. largely from a single source, Mexican cartels. These criminal enterprises manufacture this very lucrative, very potent, and very hard-to-track drug and fuel rampant corruption and violence in Mexico.

Our bill would foster sustained and strategic collaboration to fight the fentanyl crisis, ensuring that we are using our resources and local expertise wisely.

H.R. 2789 aims to improve coordination between the Federal Government and local leaders, businesses, hospitals, and faith-based organizations that are working to combat the fallout from the opioid epidemic, like organizations treating substance abuse or creating alternatives to gang affiliation, and businesses that make fentanyl testing strips and innovate ways to keep our pharmaceuticals safe.

It also focuses heavily on improving coordination between local law enforcement agencies, State and Federal security forces, and our counterparts in Mexico by sharing data, creating professional development exchange programs, and supporting technical assistance to crack down on fentanyl traffickers.

H.R. 2789 also addresses a critical issue for our neighbors in the Caribbean community: financial access and inclusion. For too long, countries across the Caribbean have struggled with limited access to financial services, curtailing economic growth and prosperity, and their capacity to advance regional security. These challenges have been exacerbated by devastating climate events, high costs of living, and restrictive banking models.

This bill mandates a thorough review by the State Department, in consultation with the United States Treasury, of barriers and solutions to accelerate access to capital and financial services for the people of the Caribbean. This study will help us better understand how we can cooperate with our third border.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Kean for his partnership on these critical issues, and I urge my colleagues to join me in voting ``yes'' on H.R. 2789.

Mr. Speaker, this legislation supports two major priorities: tackling the scourge of fentanyl and illicit crime along our southern border and bolstering the economic prosperity of our partners across the Caribbean community. By investing in our border communities in the United States and Mexico, fostering dialogue, training, and exchange with civil society, H.R. 2789 provides law enforcement and community leaders with additional tools to fight back against crime and violence.

It also represents a strategic investment in the United States' third border with the Caribbean, identifying levers to accelerate financial inclusion and barriers that are holding the region back economically.

H.R. 2789 stands for a better future and proposes concrete ways to advance peace, security, and prosperity in the Western Hemisphere. I hope my colleagues will join me in supporting this important bill.

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