[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 239 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 239
Reaffirming the deep and steadfast partnership between the United
States and Canada and the ties that bind the 2 countries in support of
economic and national security.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 21, 2025
Mr. Cramer (for himself, Mr. King, Mr. Crapo, Mrs. Blackburn, Ms.
Klobuchar, Ms. Murkowski, Ms. Hassan, Ms. Collins, Mr. Rounds, and Mr.
Welch) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the
Committee on Foreign Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Reaffirming the deep and steadfast partnership between the United
States and Canada and the ties that bind the 2 countries in support of
economic and national security.
Whereas strengthening and deepening United States alliances is critically
important, and the Senate is called upon not only to protect, but to
advance, United States partnerships;
Whereas the United States enjoys the great fortune of having one of its closest
allies next door at a time when countries around the world are facing
existential threats from their neighbors;
Whereas, in June 2023, the bipartisan and bicameral American-Canadian Economy
and Security Caucus was established in the Senate and the House of
Representatives, which presents an opportunity to fortify and advance
the indispensable economic and security partnership between the United
States and Canada;
Whereas the United States and Canada can together reinforce their shared
interest in 4 critical areas, which are--
(1) economic security;
(2) energy and critical minerals security;
(3) national security; and
(4) global security;
Whereas the prosperity of the citizens of the United States and Canada are
supported by their mutually beneficial economic relationship and
resilient and integrated supply chains;
Whereas the Agreement between the United States of America, the United Mexican
States, and Canada, done at Mexico City on December 10, 2019 (commonly
known as the ``USMCA''), forms the foundation of the economic
competitiveness of the 3 countries;
Whereas the United States and Canada--
(1) share one of the largest trading relationships in the world, with
nearly $1,000,000,000,000 in bilateral trade in goods and services in 2023,
supporting nearly 8,000,000 jobs in the United States and more than
2,400,000 jobs in Canada; and
(2) understand the importance of secure and resilient supply chains,
and have established formal mechanisms to further strengthen economic
integration and minimize the dependency of the United States on foreign
adversaries;
Whereas Canada is the largest single export market for the United States, and
Canada was the number one customer for 36 of the 50 States in 2023;
Whereas, in 2023, more than 330 congressional districts each exported more than
$250,000,000 in goods to Canada, and more than congressional 100
districts each exported more than $1,000,000,000 in goods to Canada;
Whereas bilateral trade in agriculture between Canada and the United States
reached $72,500,000,000 in 2023 and Canada is the number one
agricultural export market for 27 States;
Whereas trade between Canada and the United States is built on long-standing
binational supply chains, whereby roughly 70 percent of Canadian goods
exported to the United States are used by manufacturers in the United
States to produce higher value goods;
Whereas Canada purchases more than $22,000,000,000 worth of automotive parts and
approximately $33,600,000,000 worth of vehicles from the United States
each year;
Whereas, in 2024, the United States imported $53,000,000,000 worth of motor
vehicles and parts from Canada, while United States exports of motor
vehicles and parts to Canada totaled $55,000,000,000, including
$18,000,000,000 worth of automotive parts;
Whereas the United States lumber industry produces approximately 70 percent of
the lumber needed every year in the United States and Canadian lumber
makes up most of the shortfall, helping to meet the needs of United
States consumers;
Whereas the United States and Canada--
(1) are global leaders in science, technology, and innovation, and can
secure the future of North America as the most competitive region in the
world; and
(2) are working together to deepen cooperation in developing and
protecting emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence and
quantum technologies;
Whereas Canada--
(1) is the world's fourth-largest petroleum producer and is the largest
foreign supplier of energy, including oil, uranium, natural gas, and
electricity, to the United States;
(2) supports United States energy dominance by providing safe and
reliable natural gas, electricity, crude oil, and uranium for nuclear
power;
(3) bolsters the position of the United States as the world's number
one exporter of liquified natural gas by supplying border States with
Canadian natural gas;
(4) enables the growth of United States artificial intelligence
technology by supplying the critical fuels required by the United States
power industry; and
(5) is a reliable source of energy and resources for the United States,
producing more than 60 minerals and metals, and is a leading global
producer of critical minerals on the critical minerals list the United
States Geological Survey;
Whereas Canada is--
(1) committed to ensuring North American competitiveness and the
success of workers and communities in Canada and the United States; and
(2) taking steps to address nonmarket practices of the People's
Republic of China, notably by screening inbound investment into Canada and
applying a surtax on products imported from the People's Republic of China,
such as electric vehicles, steel, and aluminum;
Whereas the United States and Canada--
(1) have a deeply interconnected electricity sector, with more than 35
active electricity transmission connections between the 2 countries, many
of which enable bidirectional flows of electricity, helping to ensure the
security and reliability of the North American grid;
(2) have committed to work together to protect biodiverse areas that
span their shared border, including in collaboration with Indigenous and
Tribal partners, benefitting shared species like migratory birds; and
(3) have jointly collaborated for more than 100 years under the Treaty
relating to the Boundary Waters and Questions arising along the Boundary
between the United States and Canada, signed at Washington January 11, 1909
(36 Stat. 2448; 12 Bevans 319) (commonly known as the ``Boundary Waters
Treaty'') to manage and conserve their shared waters for the benefit of
both countries, including almost 50 years under the Agreement on Great
Lakes Water Quality, 1978, with Annexes and Terms of Reference, signed at
Ottawa November 22, 1978 (commonly known as the ``Great Lakes Water Quality
Agreement'');
Whereas the United States and Canada--
(1) share 3 oceans and the world's longest border, and safely oversee
the movement of about 400,000 people and more than $2,500,000,000 worth of
goods and services across that border each day;
(2) cooperate to keep the border open to legitimate trade and travel
but closed to illegal migration, terrorists, criminals, and threats to the
health and safety of citizens;
(3) are committed to jointly protecting the security of their citizens,
including though Canada's recent actions and significant investments to
strengthen border security by--
G (A) fighting sources of illegal migration at the border, and
keeping deadly drugs like fentanyl and its precursors from entering;
G (B) securing border crossings by maintaining 24/7 eyes on the
border using new surveillance technology and increased personnel;
G (C) combating fentanyl trafficking through the appointment of a
fentanyl czar, listing cartels as terrorist entities, and launching a
Canada-United States Joint Strike Force detecting and disrupting the
fentanyl trade with more technology, tools, and intelligence;
G (D) reinforcing a ``one border, one team'' approach through more
cross-border information and intelligence sharing; and
G (E) keeping people safe through joint emergency readiness and
creating a joint emergency management partnership similar to the North
American Aerospace Defense Command (commonly referred to as ``NORAD'');
(4) are united in fighting a fentanyl crisis that is indiscriminately
affecting citizens on both sides of the border and is fueled by the actions
of malign actors abroad;
(5) work together to secure the border between the United States and
Canada through the Cross Border Crime Forum, the Integrated Border
Enforcement Teams, the Beyond the Border Initiative, the United States-
Canada NEXUS Trusted Traveler Program, the Border Enforcement Security Task
Forces, the Integrated Cross-Border Maritime Law Enforcement Operations
(commonly known as the ``Shiprider''), and the United States preclearance
operations conducted at airports in Canada, all of which enhance joint
security efforts;
(6) have an Integrated Border Enforcement Charter that allows border
enforcement agencies to jointly identify national security threats, disrupt
organized criminal activities, seize drugs and weapons, and intercept
criminal networks trying to smuggle people across the border; and
(7) both understand that a threat to the security of one country is a
threat to the security of both countries;
Whereas the United States and Canada--
(1) are Pacific, Atlantic, and Arctic countries;
(2) are unequivocally committed to playing a leadership role in
protecting global security and promoting democracy around the world;
(3) recognize that collective security is a shared responsibility, and
are committed to expanding cooperation on continental defense and in the
Arctic, including by increasing investments in continental defense and
modernizing NORAD, the world's only binational military command;
(4) share the desire for a peaceful, stable, and predictable Arctic
region, including for the benefit of Arctic and Northern peoples and
communities;
(5) work together to advance democratic principles, human rights, and
free trade policies through the Group of 7, the Group of 20, the United
Nations, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the World Trade
Organization, and at the Organization of American States;
(6) cooperate extensively through a ``Tri-Command Framework'' comprised
of the United States Northern Command, the Canadian Joint Operations
Command, and NORAD;
(7) work together as the only North American members of the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization (commonly referred to as ``NATO'') to ensure
peace and security in the transatlantic region;
(8) support NATO's deterrence and defense efforts, and allies in
Europe, through their roles as the Framework Nations for the NATO brigades
in Latvia and Poland; and
(9) share a long and storied history of civil space partnership between
the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (commonly referred to as
``NASA'') and the Canadian Space Agency, and a Canadian will fly on the
historic Artemis II mission around the Moon with NASA;
Whereas Canada has been a committed ally in upholding the rules-based
international order by promoting peace, resilience, and security in the
Indo-Pacific region through an augmented and diversified military
presence;
Whereas Canada has been a reliable and engaged partner of the United States in
the Indo-Pacific region by collaborating extensively with the United
States Indo-Pacific Command, including through bilateral and
multilateral exercises, regional security cooperation and defense
engagements, involvement in regional defense forums, and ultimately,
through unwavering support of free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific
region;
Whereas Canada is in consultation with the United States, Australia, and the
United Kingdom to identify collaborative projects on advanced
capabilities under Pillar II of the enhanced trilateral security
partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United
States; and
Whereas history, geography, commerce, security, and shared democratic values
underpin a close relationship between the United States and Canada: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) recognizes that the relationship between the United
States and Canada is--
(A) an essential strategic asset to the United
States and the people of the United States; and
(B) critical to promoting peace, expanding global
economic opportunity, and being prepared to respond to
unforeseen events;
(2) reaffirms its full commitment to maintain and grow the
critical partnership between the United States and Canada;
(3) recognizes that the security of either the United
States or Canada is dependent on the security of the other, and
welcomes greater collaboration in the areas of defense, cyber
and technology security, and Arctic security;
(4) reaffirms its commitment to the bilateral and
international alliance between the 2 countries, which allows
both countries to face common threats together and uphold
common values, including democracy, human rights, and the rule
of law;
(5) recognizes the strategic importance of one of the most
secure borders in the world, the co-management of which
facilitates trade and serves as a trusted corridor for the
supply chains of both countries;
(6) recognizes that bolstering the supply chains of both
countries will make both countries more competitive and more
resilient in the face of economic aggression from hostile
countries;
(7) supports an increased focus on energy security through
greater cross-border energy infrastructure, including
infrastructure for oil, natural gas, nuclear, renewable energy,
and resilient electricity transmission, and through
diversifying supply chains for critical minerals; and
(8) is fully committed to the creation of more well-paying
United States jobs through continued trade and investment with
Canada.
<all>