[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 905 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 905

      Commemorating the 200th anniversary of the Monroe Doctrine.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            December 1, 2023

Ms. Salazar (for herself, Mr. Roy, Mr. Gimenez, Mr. Davidson, Mr. Self, 
 Mr. Timmons, Mr. Smith of New Jersey, Mr. Mills, Mr. Gooden of Texas, 
 Mr. Donalds, Mr. Duncan, Mrs. Gonzalez-Colon, Mr. Weber of Texas, Mr. 
   Moolenaar, Mr. Feenstra, and Mr. Lawler) submitted the following 
   resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
      Commemorating the 200th anniversary of the Monroe Doctrine.

Whereas, on December 2, 1823, President James Monroe articulated what became to 
        be known as the ``Monroe Doctrine'' in his seventh annual message to 
        Congress;
Whereas in the Monroe Doctrine, President Monroe asserted ``a principle in which 
        the rights and interests of the United States are involved, that the 
        American continents, by the free and independent condition which they 
        have assumed and maintain, are henceforth not to be considered as 
        subjects for future colonization'' by foreign powers;
Whereas the Monroe Doctrine asserted a spirit of solidarity with the newly 
        independent republics of Latin America and established the principle 
        that autocratic influences and depredations by powers outside the region 
        present dangers to the peace, safety, and independence of the free 
        nations of the Western Hemisphere;
Whereas President Monroe established the defensive character of the Monroe 
        Doctrine by asserting that, ``It is only when our rights are invaded or 
        seriously menaced that we resent injuries or make preparation for our 
        defense.'';
Whereas President Monroe proclaimed the doctrine after the Russian Empire 
        attempted to claim and colonize territories in present-day Alaska and 
        the Pacific Northwest in 1821, and the seizure of the USS Pearl by the 
        Russian sloop Apollon in 1822;
Whereas, according to the National Archives, the United States Government 
        invoked the Monroe Doctrine in 1865 to exert diplomatic and military 
        pressure in support of the Mexican President Benito Juarez, which 
        enabled Juarez to lead a successful revolt against the Emperor 
        Maximilian, who had been placed on the throne by the French Empire;
Whereas, according to the National Archives, President John F. Kennedy invoked 
        the Monroe Doctrine when the Soviet Union built missile launch sites in 
        Cuba in 1962, and as part of the successful actions of his 
        administration to see the Soviet missiles withdrawn from the dismantled 
        missile launch sites in Cuba;
Whereas, on September 17, 1987, the Senate adopted an amendment, by a bipartisan 
        vote of 90 to 2, to S. 1174 (100th Congress), known as the ``National 
        Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 1988 and 1989'', affirming 
        ``the sense of the Senate that the policy of the United States toward 
        Central America should be based on the principles of the Monroe 
        Doctrine'';
Whereas the National Security Strategy dated October 2022 states that ``no 
        region impacts the United States more directly than the Western 
        Hemisphere,'' and acknowledges the threat of external interference or 
        coercion in the Western Hemisphere from the People's Republic of China, 
        the Russian Federation, and the Islamic Republic of Iran;
Whereas the 2023 Posture Statement of the United States Southern Command 
        acknowledges that external malign actors like the People's Republic of 
        China and the Russian Federation are aggressively exerting influence 
        over neighboring countries in Latin America and the Caribbean and raises 
        concerns about Iranian intelligence and security activities;
Whereas the 2023 Posture Statement of the United States Southern Command notes 
        that the People's Republic of China is encroaching upon sensitive 
        critical infrastructure in the Western Hemisphere through investments, 
        including in deep-water ports, cyber facilities, and space facilities 
        which can have a potential dual use for malign commercial and military 
        activities;
Whereas the 2023 Posture Statement of the United States Southern Command notes 
        that the Russian Federation undertakes extensive disinformation 
        campaigns in Latin America, bolsters authoritarian regimes like the 
        Republic of Cuba, the Republic of Nicaragua, and the Bolivarian Republic 
        of Venezuela, and pursues military engagement and gray zone operations 
        in this region;
Whereas the posture statement for 2023 of the United States Northern Command 
        asserts ``Our competitors and potential adversaries, particularly the 
        People's Republic of China and Russia, continue to challenge the rules-
        based international order'' and ``seek to advance their interests and 
        gain global advantages through political intimidation, economic 
        coercion, cyber and information operations, asymmetric attacks on 
        infrastructure, and the direct threat or actual employment of military 
        force''; and
Whereas the letter and spirit of the Monroe Doctrine continue to inspire the 
        efforts of the people of the United States to--

    (1) maintain robust domestic, economic, and defense capabilities; and

    (2) partner with democratic nations of the Western Hemisphere on a 
basis of mutual respect and support for shared beneficial diplomatic, 
commercial, and security endeavors: Now, therefore, be it

    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) commemorates the 200th anniversary of the promulgation 
        of the Monroe Doctrine;
            (2) reasserts the rights and interests of the United 
        States, in accordance with the Monroe Doctrine, to oppose a 
        foreign power extending malign influence that could endanger or 
        undermine the democracies of the Western Hemisphere; and
            (3) recognizes the principles of hemisphere freedom and 
        independence, as enshrined in the Monroe Doctrine, as an 
        enduring foundational cornerstone of the foreign policy of the 
        United States.
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