[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 371 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 371

   Expressing the sense of the Senate on the value of the bilateral 
           relationship between the United States and Mexico.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 10, 2018

Mr. Flake submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   Expressing the sense of the Senate on the value of the bilateral 
           relationship between the United States and Mexico.

Whereas the United States and Mexico share a nearly 2,000-mile long border that 
        spans 4 States of the United States and 6 Mexican states;
Whereas for more than a century the United States and Mexico have maintained and 
        fostered diplomatic ties that in 2017 allow for close cooperation and 
        collaboration on efforts to strengthen security measures along the 
        border, combat drug trafficking and illegal immigration, and facilitate 
        cross-border trade;
Whereas the United States and Mexico have enjoyed economic ties for more than a 
        century that culminated with the implementation of the North American 
        Free Trade Agreement in 1994, which opened the Mexican market to the 
        United States and Canada, creating the largest single free trade area in 
        the world;
Whereas before the North American Free Trade Agreement was in effect, in 1993, 
        United States trade in goods with Mexico was worth approximately 
        $82,000,000,000, and in 2016, United States trade in goods with Mexico 
        was worth approximately $525,000,000,000;
Whereas the United States has invested approximately $1,800,000,000 in the 
        Merida Initiative, which focuses on the disruption of organized criminal 
        groups, institutionalizing the rule of law, creating a 21st-century 
        border, and building resilient communities;
Whereas cooperation between the United States and Mexico to fight drug 
        trafficking and organized crime has grown significantly since the 
        implementation of the Merida Initiative and security cooperation has 
        intensified since 2008 as trade between the United States and Mexico has 
        boomed;
Whereas the United States intelligence community has worked effectively with its 
        counterparts in Mexico to assist in the arrest of top criminals and drug 
        traffickers, notably Joaquin ``El Chapo'' Guzman who was extradited to 
        the United States by Mexico in 2017;
Whereas Mexico has assisted the United States in extraditing criminals and 
        fugitives of United States law captured in Mexico and such cooperation 
        has increased substantially, with 12 extraditions in 2000 and 79 in 
        2016;
Whereas Mexico has been an important partner in stanching the flow of illegal 
        migrants from Central America bound for the United States, by deporting 
        hundreds of thousands from Mexico before they reach the United States 
        border;
Whereas Mexico is second to only Canada in energy trade with the United States, 
        provides crude oil to the United States, and imports rapidly growing 
        volumes of both petroleum products and natural gas from the United 
        States;
Whereas recent changes to Mexico's Constitution allow for further cooperation 
        between the United States and Mexico to develop North American energy 
        resources to the benefit of both countries;
Whereas, in 2015, the largest share of business and tourist travelers to the 
        United States were from Mexico;
Whereas the number of United States citizens living in Mexico has steadily 
        increased and exceeded 1,000,000 in 2017, making United States citizens 
        in Mexico the world's largest United States expatriate community;
Whereas Mexico is an active participant in international affairs through its 
        membership in the United Nations and the Organization of American 
        States, and hosted the G-20 Leaders' Summit in 2012;
Whereas the United States and Mexico maintain a robust education exchange 
        program called the United States-Mexico Bilateral Forum on Higher 
        Education, Innovation, and Research that strengthens student mobility 
        between the United States and Mexico, aiming to send 100,000 Mexican 
        students to the United States and 50,000 United States students to 
        Mexico by 2018;
Whereas the Mexico-United States Entrepreneurship and Innovation Council is a 
        bilateral initiative comprised of public and private sector 
        representatives designing new initiatives alongside public policies to 
        enhance regional competitiveness that strengthens the high-impact 
        entrepreneurship system in North America;
Whereas the North American Free Trade Agreement was negotiated 25 years before 
        the date of agreement to this resolution, prior to the advancement of 
        new technologies and economies, such as the E-commerce sector, that are 
        not addressed in the Agreement's chapters; and
Whereas approximately 80 percent of Mexico's exports go to the United States and 
        47 percent of Mexico's imports come from the United States, making the 
        United States Mexico's most significant trading partner: Now, therefore, 
        be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) values the bilateral relationship between the United 
        States and Mexico and the many benefits derived from 
        cooperation on security, combating transnational crime, energy, 
        economic engagement, and cultural engagement;
            (2) recognizes that implementation of the North American 
        Free Trade Agreement in 1994, and the resulting increase in 
        trade, has provided a platform on which cooperation with Mexico 
        on so many levels has been possible;
            (3) recognizes that Mexico is an essential partner for the 
        United States in regional security and encourages the President 
        to continue to strengthen ties between the United States and 
        Mexico to help advance United States regional interests;
            (4) understands that the relationship between the United 
        States and Mexico is strengthened by interaction between people 
        from the United States and Mexico and economic interaction;
            (5) encourages United States drug enforcement agencies to 
        continue developing strong cooperative measures with Mexico 
        since efforts to stem the drug trade into the United States 
        depend on Mexico's cooperation because, among other matters, 
        more than 90 percent of heroin in the United States comes from 
        Mexico;
            (6) stresses the importance of the North American Free 
        Trade Agreement to the United States economy and to the 
        bilateral relationship between the United States and Mexico; 
        and
            (7) encourages the President to work toward modernization 
        of the North American Free Trade Agreement in a way that 
        strengthens the Agreement so that it can continue to provide 
        benefits to the peoples of the United States and Mexico and the 
        important bilateral relationship between the United States and 
        Mexico.
                                 <all>