Defending American Property Abroad Act of 2026

Floor Speech

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Ms. SEWELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Defending American Property Abroad Act. This narrowly tailored bill will target vessels that attempt to enter the U.S. after moving through a seized American-owned port.

Vulcan Materials Company is proudly headquartered in my Alabama district, so I have been following this dispute closely since 2018.

The facts of the case are clear. The Government of Mexico used its military force to illegally occupy Vulcan's property, and, in 2022, President Obrador illegally shut down Vulcan's operations.

Mexico's justifications for the seizure are fabricated, and it is clear that the government wants to take Vulcan's port because it is the only deepwater port in the region.

Mr. Speaker, Vulcan has attempted to use all existing legal and diplomatic options to resolve this situation. Since 2018, they have used the USMCA arbitration policies and processes, and multiple U.S. Ambassadors to Mexico under the Biden and Trump administrations have attempted to find an amicable resolution.

I have met directly with President Obrador about this issue. While previous Ambassadors have been sympathetic to our concerns, President Obrador and now President Sheinbaum have overruled their own diplomats and staff.

It is time for Congress to act. I was told by the President that we had to have an act of Congress in order for the port to be returned. So, today, I say proudly: We are doing something. Congress is doing something.

This is just not about an Alabama company. It is about American property abroad.

Mr. Speaker, I urge Congress to vote in favor of this bill, and I support this legislation wholeheartedly.

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