117 SRES 674 IS: Celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Marshall Plan and recognizing the role of the Marshall Plan as the foundation of a transatlantic community committed to the preservation of peace, prosperity, and democracy.
U.S. Senate
2022-06-14
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Whereas, after World War II, the infrastructure, factories, and cities of Europe were in ruins and the people of Europe were in danger of famine and destitution; Whereas, in a commencement address on June 5, 1947, at Harvard University, then-Secretary of State George C. Marshall proposed the framework of the Economic Recovery Program (commonly known as the Marshall Plan
); Whereas, in his address, Secretary Marshall declared that the Marshall Plan would be successful only with foresight, and a willingness on the part of our people to face up to the vast responsibility which history has clearly placed upon our country
;Whereas a bipartisan coalition of Congress overwhelmingly approved the Marshall Plan through the passage of the Economic Cooperation Act of 1948, which was signed by President Harry Truman on April 3, 1948;Whereas, in that Act, Congress acknowledged that the intimate economic and other relationships between the United States and the nations of Europe
and recognized that peace and general welfare on the European continent are in the national interest of the United States;Whereas the Marshall Plan helped rebuild a battered Europe, restore peace and political stability, and reinforce democracy across the continent;Whereas, under the Marshall Plan, the United States extended an offer of aid to all countries in Europe, without prejudice, including to the then-Union of Soviet Socialist Republics;Whereas the Marshall Pan served as the foundation for transatlantic engagement and cooperation, which led to the establishment of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO);Whereas continued Euro-Atlantic integration and cooperation are key to the protection of peace and transatlantic values;Whereas the brutal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine by Vladimir Putin, launched on February 24, 2022, threatens the peace and principles at the core of the transatlantic community;Whereas continued transatlantic cooperation is vital to holding Vladimir Putin to account for his war of choice against the Ukrainian people, and supporting Ukraine as it defends its sovereignty and territorial integrity amidst unconscionable war crimes committed by the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation;Whereas the United States, in cooperation with its allies and partners, is committed to helping rebuild and protect the democratic Government of Ukraine; Whereas direct investment in the United States by European countries exceeds trillions of dollars annually, which is a direct result of the prosperous economy in Europe that was aided by investments of the United States; andWhereas the German Marshall Fund of the United States, which celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2022, was established with a gift from Germany to express appreciation for the support the United States provided to Europe in the aftermath of World War II: Now, therefore, be it That the Senate—(1)celebrates the 75th anniversary of the Economic Recovery Program (commonly known as the Marshall Plan
);(2)recognizes the role of the Marshall Plan in founding a transatlantic community committed to the preservation of peace, prosperity, and democracy;(3)reaffirms that cooperation with allies and partners in the transatlantic community to protect shared values and principles is in the national interest of the United States; and(4)congratulates the German Marshall Fund of the United States on its 50th anniversary and expresses appreciation for its work to champion cooperation between the United States and allies and partners in Europe.