117 HRES 1112 IH: Urging the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to honor their partnership with the United States.
U.S. House of Representatives
2022-05-12
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IV
117th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 1112
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 12, 2022
Mr. Malinowski (for himself, Ms. Spanberger, Mr. Allred, Mr. Kim of New Jersey, Mr. Lieu, and Ms. Wild) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
RESOLUTION
Urging the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to honor their partnership with the United States.
Whereas the United States, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates have traditionally had a close partnership based on mutual interests, security cooperation, the stability of oil markets, information sharing, economic development, and other forms of cooperation;
Whereas, on October 31, 1950, President Harry Truman stated that Saudi Arabia’s “steadfast loyalty and good will, alike in times of stress as in days of happiness and well-being, have ever been sources of pride and pleasure to me and to the American people”;
Whereas, on May 24, 1977, President Jimmy Carter said, “I don’t believe there is any other nation with whom we've had better friendship and a deeper sense of cooperation than we've found in Saudi Arabia…Saudi Arabia is a nation which has grown in many ways in the last few years in world importance. Their supplies of energy are crucial to the well-being of people in many nations. They produce their own oil for world consumption beyond the level which perhaps would be best for them.”;
Whereas, on February 11, 1985, President Ronald Reagan said, “The friendship and cooperation between our governments and people are precious jewels whose value we should never underestimate. The positive nature of our relations demonstrates that cultural differences, as distinct as our own, need not separate or alienate peoples from one another.”;
Whereas, on March 10, 2006, President George W. Bush stated, “In order to win the war on terror, we have got to strengthen our relationships and friendships with moderate Arab countries in the Middle East. UAE is a committed ally in the war on terror. They are a key partner for our military in a critical region.”;
Whereas, on March 9, 2016, then Vice President Joe Biden underscored the strong bilateral relationship between the United States and the United Arab Emirates, calling the bond between the United Arab Emirates and the United States “one of the most significant in the region”;
Whereas, on April 21, 2016, President Barack Obama said, “The fact of the matter is, is that the friendship and cooperation that exist between the United States and the Gulf countries has been consistent for decades. During the course of our administration, the GCC countries have extensively cooperated with us on counterterrorism, on curbing the financing of terrorist activities.”;
Whereas the United States came to the aid of Persian Gulf allies following Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait on August 2, 1990, including more than 500,000 American troops deployed to Saudi Arabia as part of Operation Desert Shield, protecting the territorial integrity of the Kingdom and further solidifying the relationship between the United States and Persian Gulf allies;
Whereas, like Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait that threatened the security of United States Persian Gulf allies, Russian President Vladimir Putin is executing a war of choice by invading Ukraine that threatens to upend 70 years of international laws and norms;
Whereas, since 1979, the United States has sold over $138,000,000,000 to Saudi Arabia and over $26,000,000,000 to the United Arab Emirates in weapons, defense services, and military training to assist both countries combat security risks in the region, including from terrorism, nonstate actors, and neighboring countries;
Whereas, since 2015, the United States has assisted the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates defend their territorial integrity against Ansar Allah, also known as the Houthis, and other threats emanating from Yemen, including al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula;
Whereas, following the September 14, 2019, attack on the Abqaiq oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, the United States deployed approximately 3,000 troops to Saudi Arabia, including fighter squadrons, an air expeditionary wing, and other air defense personnel and equipment;
Whereas, in June 2021, President Joe Biden reported to Congress that there were approximately 2,700 United States military forces in the Kingdom, deployed and “operating in coordination with the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, provide air and missile defense capabilities and support the operation of United States fighter aircraft”;
Whereas, on September 11, 2021, Department of Defense Spokesman John Kirby said, “The Defense Department continues to maintain tens of thousands of forces and a robust force posture in the Middle East representing some of our most advanced air power and maritime capabilities, in support of U.S. national interests and our regional partnerships.”;
Whereas the State Department licenses contractors that maintain and sustain the Saudi Royal Air Force amid hostilities in Yemen and its continued bombing campaign against Ansar Allah;
Whereas the United States currently has 2,000 American troops at Al-Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates, including drones and advanced F–35 fighters, in order to assist the United Arab Emirates defend its territory;
Whereas, on January 24, 2022, and January 31, 2022, United States personnel assisted the United Arab Emirates intercept ballistic missiles fired by Ansar Allah in Yemen with United States-administered Patriot missile defense batteries;
Whereas there are many factors contributing to the high price of oil, including structural market issues that predate Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and uncertainty about global demand;
Whereas the agreement between the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), led primarily by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and Russia to maintain a steady, limited increase in monthly petroleum production is also a major factor in the rising price of gasoline worldwide;
Whereas, despite their close and long-lasting strategic relationship with the United States, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have chosen not to increase petroleum outputs beyond OPEC-agreed levels amid a major increase in global fuel prices;
Whereas attempts by the White House to engage with United States Gulf partners on potentially increasing petroleum production have gone unanswered, with reports suggesting that the leaders of Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates refused calls with President Joe Biden on the issue;
Whereas Article 2.B of OPEC’s founding charter states “the Organization shall devise ways and means of ensuring the stabilization of prices in international oil markets with a view to eliminating harmful and unnecessary fluctuations”;
Whereas, following a decline in demand after the outbreak of the COVID–19 pandemic and a request from President Donald Trump, Saudi Arabia made drastic changes to crude oil production and output in the face of previous crises, including finalizing an OPEC deal in April 2020 that slashed 9,700,000 barrels a day, or close to 10 percent of the world’s output;
Whereas, while the United States and the world move toward expanding the use of clean energy, petroleum production should increase in the short term to mitigate rising oil prices;
Whereas Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are understood by experts to be the only countries with the ability to increase production that could be felt by consumers worldwide;
Whereas Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have approximately a combined additional 1,800,000 to 3,000,000 barrels a day of spare production capacity; and
Whereas activating their spare production would increase supply more rapidly than currently projected and help stabilize global crude prices: Now, therefore, be it
That the House of Representatives urges the Persian Gulf partners of the United States, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, to—
(1)
honor their lasting friendship with the United States;
(2)
recognize the United States contributions to their security; and
(3)
work together with the United States in good faith to increase oil production to stabilize energy markets.