[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 6 (Wednesday, January 10, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S141]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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SENATE RESOLUTION 371--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE ON THE VALUE 
   OF THE BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND MEXICO

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

                              S. Res. 371

       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, combatting 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.

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