Green, Sires Introduce Bipartisan Resolution to Secure Western Hemisphere Supply Chains Through Nearshoring
WASHINGTON–Today, Rep. Mark Green and Rep. Albio Sires, Ranking Member and Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, Civilian Security, Migration, and International Economic Policy, introduced a House Resolution aimed at promoting strong economic relations between the United States and countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. Reps. Green and Sires were joined by original cosponsors Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-21), Maria Elvira Salazar (FL-27), Gerry Connolly (VA-11), Juan Vargas (CA-51), Abigail Spanberger (VA-07), and Adriano Espaillat (NY-13).
The Senate version of this resolution was introduced in June 2022 by Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez (D-NJ) alongside Senators Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), and Chris Coons (D-Del.).
“Freedom is under attack in Latin America and the Caribbean. From oppressive regimes, threats to democratic development, human rights abuses, faltering economies, transnational crime, drug trafficking, and Chinese Communist Party influence operations—our neighbors and allies are facing pressing challenges. Many don’t realize that what happens in Latin America and the Caribbean greatly affects the United States and the entire Western Hemisphere,” said Rep. Mark Green. “It is crucially important that we remain an engaged and reliable partner in both Latin America and the Caribbean for the sake of our own security, particularly given the increase in malign activities from the Chinese Communist Party in our backyard. I’m grateful to join my bipartisan colleagues in this effort and hopeful that the United States will continue to partner with countries in Latin America and the Caribbean so that we can work together to strengthen the Western Hemisphere.”
“Across Latin America and the Caribbean, China is leveraging its economic dominance to advance the geopolitical ambitions of the Communist Party, threatening our shared ambitions for democracy and development in the region. It is vital that the United States take concrete action to reverse this trend,” said Rep. Albio Sires. “I’m grateful to be joined in this effort by bipartisan colleagues who share my concern about supply chain resilience, as well as my hope for a more collaborative, prosperous Western Hemisphere.”
This resolution:
- Recognizes the destabilizing impact of our reliance on Chinese suppliers and calls attention to the importance of supply diversification;
- Encourages the U.S., as well as governments in Latin America and the Caribbean to increase opportunities for nearshoring in the region;
- Directs the State Department to take a leading role in advocating for nearshoring in Latin America and the Caribbean and promoting public-private cooperation; and
- Requests that the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Development Finance Corporation strengthen programmatic support for initiatives that facilitate the relocation of global supply chains to the Western Hemisphere.
The full text of the resolution can be found here.
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