American Cooperation with Our Neighbors Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2789) to direct the Secretary of State to develop a strategy on efforts to strengthen subnational cooperation between the United States and Mexico, and for other purposes, as amended.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 2789

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``American Cooperation with Our Neighbors Act''. SEC. 2. SUBNATIONAL COOPERATION STRATEGY.

(a) In General.--Not later than 270 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in coordination with the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, shall submit to the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate a strategy on efforts to strengthen subnational cooperation between the United States and Mexico for the purposes of--

(1) enhancing law enforcement cooperation and local, State, and Federal security forces cooperation at a subnational level for the purpose of curbing fentanyl trafficking and other synthetic opioids, including activities such as--

(A) bolstering technical assistance and coordination for law enforcement agencies and local, State, and Federal security forces;

(B) carrying out exchange programs for the purposes of professional development; and

(C) enhancing data sharing, as appropriate;

(2) bolstering subnational dialogue and capacity building between Federal and local governments, civil society, faith- based organizations, and business community leaders and integrating issues faced by local communities, including with respect to trafficking of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids; and

(3) strengthening capacity building and provide resources for border towns and organizations within those towns that attempt to meet the needs of communities.

(b) Update.--Not later than 2 years after the date of the submission of the strategy under subsection (a), the President shall submit to the congressional committees specified in subsection (a) an update containing an assessment of the implementation and effectiveness of the strategy, lessons learned from the past year with respect to the strategy, and planned changes to the strategy.

(c) Form.--The strategy under subsection (a), and the update under subsection (b), shall be submitted in unclassified form.

(d) Limitation on Data Sharing.--

(1) Limitation.--The Secretary of State may not carry out any project, program, or activity that implements the strategy under subsection (a) for the purpose specified in paragraph (1)(C) of such subsection until the Secretary submits to the appropriate congressional committees a notification regarding the data intended to be shared with foreign countries pursuant to such strategy.

(2) Appropriate congressional committees.--In this subsection, the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--

(A) the Committee on the Judiciary, the Committee on Homeland Security, the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of Representatives; and

(B) the Committee on the Judiciary, the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, the Committee on Foreign Relations, and the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate. SEC. 3. DEPARTMENT OF STATE REVIEW OF ACCESS TO FINANCE IN CARICOM MEMBER STATES.

(a) Review.--The Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of Treasury, shall conduct a review to determine any steps, balancing costs and benefits, that the Secretaries could take to expand financial access to the member states of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), including through a review of--

(1) sanctions enforcement laws and compliance standards;

(2) reporting requirements pertaining to narcotics trafficking and illicit finance thereof;

(3) possible expansion of embassies and consulates in the region; and

(4) programming or lack thereof pertaining to access to capital in the region.

(b) Report.--The Secretary shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the findings of the Secretary pertaining to the review under subsection (a).

(c) Appropriate Congressional Committees Defined.--In this section, the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--

(1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Financial Services of the House of Representatives; and

(2) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate.

Mr. Speaker, fentanyl trafficked over our southern border from Mexico is killing huge numbers of Americans and ravaging our communities.

Synthetic opioids kill about 75,000 Americans annually. That is the equivalent of 25 9/11 attacks every year. Just one kilogram of fentanyl has the potential to kill one-half million people.

In the last 4 years, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has seized more than 66,000 pounds of fentanyl. That is enough to kill the entire population of the United States 45 times over. However, there is obviously much more that is not seized and is infiltrating our communities.

We need all levels of government in Mexico to assist in fighting this urgent crisis.

This bill, H.R. 2789, will require a strategy to strengthen subnational cooperation between the U.S. and Mexico by enhancing law enforcement cooperation, as well as cooperation with local, State, and Federal security forces. Enhancing these partnerships is critical to curbing fentanyl trafficking entering the United States.

This bill also requires a review of access to financing for member states of the Caribbean Community, which is CARICOM, as well as sanctions enforcement laws and compliance standards, narcotics trafficking and finance, and the U.S. diplomatic footprint in the region.

The Caribbean is a key gateway to the United States, and the Chinese Community Party is working to increase its influence in the neighborhood. We must ensure that we are doing what we can to counter their malign influence in our hemisphere.

This bipartisan bill was approved at a markup of the Foreign Affairs Committee, along with a Republican amendment to ensure robust congressional oversight of its implementation.

Mr. Speaker, I support the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers and reserve the right to close.

Mr. Speaker, the Biden administration is failing to stop the deadly scourge of fentanyl across the open U.S.-Mexico border.

In my experience as an ER physician, just a short period ago, I experienced about one to four overdoses per night, four patients from the ages of 17 to 36 who I could not revive and who died. Last year in the U.S., there were 75,000 fentanyl deaths.

To address this emergency, we need a better strategy for regional law enforcement and better coordination with our neighbors. I thank the bipartisan authors of this bill, Mr. Stanton and Mr. Kean, as well as Chairman McCaul and Ranking Member Meeks for moving this bill forward.

Mr. Speaker, I support this bill, and I encourage my colleagues to do the same. I yield back the balance of my time.

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Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

The yeas and nays were ordered.

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