[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 202 (Tuesday, December 12, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H9824-H9826]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




REAFFIRMING A STRONG COMMITMENT TO THE UNITED STATES-MEXICO PARTNERSHIP

  Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
agree to the resolution (H. Res. 336) reaffirming a strong commitment 
to the United States-Mexico partnership.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 336

       Whereas shared cultural ties, values, and beliefs connect 
     the citizens of the United States and Mexico and have long 
     been the foundation from which the friendly, bilateral 
     relationship has flourished;
       Whereas the United States and Mexico have benefited from a 
     bilateral, mutually beneficial partnership focused on 
     advancing the economic and security interests of both 
     countries;
       Whereas it is in the national interests of the United 
     States and Mexico to continue deepening economic cooperation 
     and security cooperation;
       Whereas consecutive United States and Mexican 
     administrations have increased bilateral defense and law 
     enforcement cooperation on counterterrorism and 
     counternarcotics issues, including the illicit trafficking of 
     weapons, money, people, and drugs across the United States 
     southern border;
       Whereas cooperation with Mexico during the administration 
     of President Pena Nieto has led to the extradition of more 
     than 270 individuals facing criminal charges in the United 
     States;
       Whereas, the January 19, 2017, extradition of drug kingpin 
     Joaquin ``El Chapo'' Guzman to New York was a major victory 
     for both countries that would not have been possible without 
     a robust United States-Mexico security partnership;
       Whereas the Merida Initiative was established in 2007 and 
     enabled a new level of security cooperation between the 
     United States and Mexico on a range of issues including 
     efforts to combat transnational organized crime and promote 
     justice reform;
       Whereas the United States and Mexico have begun cooperation 
     to address the trafficking and production of heroin and 
     fentanyl threatening the lives of citizens in both countries;
       Whereas the United States has provided almost $2.8 billion 
     in security assistance to Mexico through the Merida 
     Initiative between fiscal year 2008 and fiscal year 2017;
       Whereas the United States and Mexico enjoy close diplomatic 
     cooperation and Mexico has consistently voted with the United 
     States at the United Nations on challenges related to Syria, 
     North Korea, and Ukraine;
       Whereas the United States and Mexico have closely 
     collaborated at the Organization of American States (OAS) on 
     issues related to Venezuela, where Mexico has played a 
     leading role;
       Whereas Mexico is an important security and defense partner 
     to the United States, and regularly participates in training 
     activities in coordination with United States Northern 
     Command (NORTHCOM) and the North American Aerospace Defense 
     Command (NORAD); and
       Whereas the United States and Mexico launched the High 
     Level Economic Dialogue on September 20, 2013, to help 
     advance United States-Mexico economic and commercial 
     priorities to promote mutual economic growth, job creation, 
     educational exchanges and innovation, and global 
     competitiveness: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) reaffirms its strong commitment to a United States-
     Mexico partnership based on mutual respect and the promotion 
     of shared democratic values and principles;
       (2) supports continued bilateral cooperation through the 
     High Level Economic Dialogue on issues related to the 
     economic well-being and security of both countries;
       (3) encourages continued security cooperation between the 
     United States and Mexican law enforcement agencies and 
     militaries, including on violence reduction in Mexico, 
     counterterrorism and the increased trafficking of heroin and 
     fentanyl;
       (4) supports continued engagement with Mexico to tackle 
     regional issues and work together in international fora, 
     including the United Nations and the Organization of American 
     States; and
       (5) supports efforts by the Government of Mexico to 
     strengthen the rule of law, reduce corruption, and advance 
     civil and human rights.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Royce) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.


                             General Leave

  Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 
all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their 
remarks and to include any extraneous material in the Record.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member of the Foreign Affairs 
Committee, Mr. Engel. This is his bill. Let me also say that the 
chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, Mike McCaul, who was his 
primary cosponsor for this, has worked hard on this resolution. It 
represents a broad, bipartisan acknowledgment of the importance of the 
relationship between the United States of America and the country of 
Mexico.
  The United States and Mexico share strong ties. Passage of this 
resolution will signal this body's commitment to strengthening our 
bilateral relationship with Mexico, a relationship that impacts 
Americans on a daily basis.

[[Page H9825]]

  Today, the United States is grappling with challenges, just as Mexico 
is grappling with some challenges. We have a deadly drug crisis where 
more than 1,000 people a week die from opioid-related overdoses. This 
is a crisis that started with overprescribed pain medication here in 
the United States but is now fueled by heroin and fentanyl supplied by 
drug cartels.
  We have got to strengthen our partnership with Mexico and continue 
working with Mexican security forces to stem the tide of these illegal 
drugs entering into our communities and to harden our shared border 
against terrorism and criminality.
  This resolution also affirms the strong commercial relationship 
between our two countries. Mexico was the second largest export market 
for U.S. goods last year. It affirms our long history of cooperation on 
environmental and natural resource issues.
  For example, this past September, our two countries signed an 
agreement to improve reservoir levels in Lake Mead and in the Colorado 
River Basin that will help prevent water shortages currently affecting 
Americans in the Southwest United States.

                              {time}  1545

  There are, of course, areas that I think we can improve the U.S.-
Mexico relationship. Mexico needs to do more to combat the corruption 
that has taken its toll on its citizens' trust.
  But this resolution comes at an important time in the U.S. with our 
relationship with Mexico and should signal to the people of Mexico that 
the people of the United States want to continue to work with Mexico on 
matters of mutual concern, from security to combating the illegal drug 
trade, to strengthening our respective economies.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this resolution, 
and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this measure.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank our chairman, Ed Royce, for working with me to 
bring this measure to the floor, and I thank Congressman McCaul, the 
lead Republican sponsor of this resolution, as well. I am pleased to be 
the lead sponsor on this resolution.
  After more than a decade of good progress in the U.S.-Mexico 
partnership, this year we have seen some things change course in a 
troubling way. It is a problem, and it needs to be stopped. That is why 
I offer this measure reaffirming our strong commitment to our 
relationship with Mexico. We don't want anyone there to have any kinds 
of questions. We believe in a strong U.S.-Mexico relationship.
  Mr. Speaker, I also thank our ranking member on the Western 
Hemisphere Subcommittee, Mr. Sires, and Mr. Castro for their efforts on 
this resolution and their support day in and day out for a robust U.S.-
Mexico partnership.
  Mr. Speaker, it is hard to overstate how important the U.S.-Mexico 
relationship is and the tremendous impact it has on Americans every 
single day. Mexico is a friend and ally. Mexico is our third largest 
trading partner. It is a country with which we share deep person-to-
person, family, and cultural ties, and it is a country where we have 
painstakingly cultivated a vibrant, critical relationship between our 
two countries.
  Over the past century, there have been many highs and lows in the 
U.S.-Mexico relationship. Unfortunately, sometimes, recently, we have 
had a lot of lows with talk about building walls and other derogatory 
talk about Mexicans. We don't want that to continue. We want to 
establish and reaffirm the strong U.S.-Mexico relationship.
  In 2007, I became chairman of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee of 
the House Foreign Affairs Committee. That was the same day that the 
Merida Initiative was announced by Presidents Bush and Calderon, which 
led to a new level of security cooperation between the United States 
and Mexico.
  That effort wasn't perfect then and it isn't today. The civilian toll 
of Mexico's drug war is still far too high, and human rights violations 
at the federal, state, and local level in Mexico remain a serious 
problem. But what we gained from the Merida Initiative was an entirely 
new way of collaborating with the Mexican Government on a wide range of 
security issues.
  Presidents Obama and Pena Nieto built on Merida's foundation, and one 
of the results was a remarkable achievement in the last hours of the 
Obama administration, which was the extradition of drug kingpin ``El 
Chapo'' Guzman to my hometown of New York City to stand trial. Without 
a strong U.S.-Mexico partnership, that would not have been possible. A 
decade ago, it probably would not have happened at all.
  And while we absolutely don't need to waste billions of taxpayer 
dollars on a 2,000-mile-long wall against our southern border, what we 
do need is to maintain our partnership on security matters with the 
Mexican Government.
  We want the Mexican Government to continue to reach out to us with 
information regarding suspected terrorists. We want to say that the 
Mexican Government will cooperate with us and extradite the next drug 
kingpin to the United States, and it goes on and on. So we cannot 
overemphasize just how important the U.S.-Mexico partnership is and how 
it keeps Americans safe on a day-to-day basis.
  H. Res. 336 underscores the importance of a U.S.-Mexico relationship 
built on mutual respect. Mutual respect means building bridges, not 
walls, between our two countries; it means recognizing the vast 
contributions of Mexican Americans to our country and not classifying 
an entire population as drug dealers and rapists; it means not singling 
out an esteemed judge based solely on his race.
  Congress has an important opportunity today to be the adult in the 
room and let the Mexican Government and the Mexican people know that 
our relationship with them is very, very important and will continue to 
be important. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this 
measure. I am pleased that we have support for this on both sides of 
the aisle.
  I thank Chairman Royce, as always, for his cooperation and his 
partnership, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
California (Mrs. Torres), my good friend and colleague on the Foreign 
Affairs Committee, and a very valued member of the Foreign Affairs 
Committee.
  Mrs. TORRES. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 336, 
which reaffirms our strong commitment to the United States-Mexico 
partnership.
  Mexico is our neighbor and one of our most important strategic 
allies. Under NAFTA and the Merida Initiative, our countries have 
expanded our economic and security cooperation in ways that involve 
almost every aspect of our lives. Our work with Mexico goes beyond the 
Federal Government. It is in our State and local governments. It is in 
our businesses and in our churches.
  H. Res. 336 holds up the idea that working with Mexico has been good 
for our security and our economy. No one is saying that our 
relationship is perfect. We still have real security problems to 
address, especially the smuggling of guns, drugs, and money across our 
borders, and we need to do more--a lot more--to lift up those 
communities that have not benefited from NAFTA; but, on the whole, we 
are better off when we work together.

  Working together is what makes it possible to have those tough 
conversations about those issues where we disagree, so we shouldn't 
even need to pass a resolution like this. It should be assumed. It 
should be common sense. But the rhetoric across this administration has 
made it necessary for Congress to speak out in defense of our neighbor 
and our ally, and we are here today speaking out.
  I thank Representative Engel and Representative McCaul for their 
leadership, and I thank Chairman Royce for his ongoing work in bringing 
this resolution forward and ongoing work in the committee to ensure 
that we work on a bipartisan level.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this resolution.
  Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, let me close on a positive note. I believe that it is 
not too

[[Page H9826]]

late to reverse course on this latest direction of U.S.-Mexico ties. At 
a difficult moment in our bilateral relationship, I am heartened to 
stand here on the House floor and listen to my colleagues on both sides 
of the aisle offer such robust support for the U.S.-Mexico 
relationship.
  I again thank Chairman Royce and Mr. McCaul for their help and 
support of this resolution. What we need is to maintain and even 
strengthen our cooperation on security and economic matters with the 
Mexican Government. Passage of H. Res. 336 today is an excellent step. 
Congress really needs to lead the way.
  So I thank, again, my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for 
supporting this resolution, and I pledge to do everything I can to 
continue to enhance the very important U.S.-Mexico relationship.
  I think it is important to state that this relationship is not only 
important to Mexico, but it is important to the United States for so 
many different reasons. That is why I think it is important for 
Congress to reaffirm its support, strong support, for the U.S.-Mexico 
relationship.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for 
supporting this resolution, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, again, I thank the author, the 
ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Mr. Engel, and I thank 
Congresswoman Norma Torres, as well, and the chairman of the Homeland 
Security Committee, Mike McCaul, for their work on this important 
resolution recognizing the U.S.-Mexico partnership and recognizing our 
important economic relationship. As our countries continue to work 
together, this resolution signals our commitment to strengthen our ties 
with our Mexican neighbors.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this 
resolution, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Royce) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 336.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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