[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 211 (Tuesday, December 7, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8964-S8965]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE RESOLUTION 472--REAFFIRMING THE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE UNITED 
STATES AND THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC AND ADVANCING OPPORTUNITIES TO DEEPEN 
 DIPLOMATIC, ECONOMIC, AND SECURITY COOPERATION BETWEEN THE TWO NATIONS

  Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself, Mr. Rubio, Mr. Cardin, and Mr. Cassidy) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 472

       Whereas the United States and the Dominican Republic share 
     extensive economic, security, and cultural ties and a mutual 
     commitment to the promotion of internationally recognized 
     human rights, democratic values, and the rule of law;
       Whereas the bilateral relationship between the United 
     States and the Dominican Republic has contributed to the 
     economic prosperity and national security of both countries, 
     including through the Dominican Republic-Central America-
     United States Free Trade Agreement and the Caribbean Basin 
     Security Initiative;
       Whereas, under the leadership of President Luis Abinader, 
     who took office on August 16, 2020, the Government of the 
     Dominican Republic has taken steps to effectively address the 
     COVID-19 pandemic, fully vaccinating over 60 percent of its 
     adult population, one of the highest vaccination rates in 
     Latin America and the Caribbean, and acquiring sufficient 
     surplus vaccines to provide donations to other countries in 
     the region;
       Whereas, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 
     Government of the Dominican Republic has committed to working 
     with the United States, other Group of 7 countries, the 
     International Monetary Fund, and the Inter-American 
     Development Bank to advance global and regional post-pandemic 
     economic recovery efforts;
       Whereas, in 2020, United States foreign direct investment 
     in the Dominican Republic totaled $274,500,000, and 
     remittances from the United States accounted for 
     approximately 78 percent of the over $8,000,000,000 in 
     remittances sent to the Dominican Republic, according to data 
     from the Congressional Research Service and World Bank, 
     respectively;
       Whereas, on September 30, 2021, President Abinader signed 
     presidential decree 612-21, creating a ministerial task force 
     to advance nearshoring initiatives and strengthen the 
     Dominican Republic's participation in international supply 
     chains and role as an industrial, manufacturing, and 
     logistical hub, including by expanding the country's network 
     of free trade zones;
       Whereas the United States and the Dominican Republic would 
     benefit from a coordinated plan of action to bolster economic 
     relations, realign supply chains, and expand ties between the 
     private sectors in both countries;
       Whereas the Government of the United States has engaged 
     with the Dominican Republic and other regional partners to 
     address the United States' serious concerns over the 
     security, human rights, and data privacy risks associated 
     with investments by the People's Republic of China in 
     telecommunication networks and other critical infrastructure;
       Whereas the Government of the Dominican Republic has 
     committed to strengthening security cooperation with the 
     United States to address the threats posed by transnational 
     criminal organizations and human trafficking, drug 
     trafficking, and money laundering networks;
       Whereas a humanitarian crisis, rampant crime, gang 
     violence, and instability in neighboring Haiti, a situation 
     exacerbated by the July 7, 2021, assassination of President 
     Jovenel Moise, has deepened the suffering of the Haitian 
     people, increased risks to the Dominican Republic posed by 
     organized criminal groups along its borders, and strained the 
     economic capacity of the Government of the Dominican Republic 
     to address the humanitarian needs of Haitian migrants;
       Whereas President Abinader has taken significant steps to 
     make the Government of the Dominican Republic more 
     accountable and effective, including by addressing corruption 
     and impunity, appointing an independent Public Prosecutor, 
     requiring additional transparency in public procurement, and 
     proposing legislation to modernize asset forfeiture laws;
       Whereas, on October 20, 2021, the Governments of the 
     Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, and Panama signed a joint 
     declaration expressing concern about irregular migration 
     flows, climate change, post-COVID-19 economic recovery, the 
     deteriorating human rights situation in Nicaragua, and the 
     humanitarian crisis in Haiti, and called for stronger 
     cooperation on these issues from the United States, regional 
     partners, and the international community;
       Whereas the Government of the Dominican Republic, as host 
     of the Latin America and Caribbean Climate Week 2021, has 
     called for greater regional coordination to address the 
     effects of climate change, including more extreme weather 
     events, biodiversity loss, environmental displacement, and 
     adverse health effects, which Small Island Developing States 
     in the Caribbean are disproportionately vulnerable to;
       Whereas the Government of the Dominican Republic has called 
     for the peaceful restoration of democracy and rule of law in 
     Venezuela and is hosting approximately 114,000 Venezuelan 
     refugees; and
       Whereas approximately 2,000,000 people of Dominican origin 
     currently reside in the United States, and over 2,000,000 
     United States tourists visit the Dominican Republic annually, 
     accounting for the largest number of foreign tourists to the 
     country and bolstering its economically critical tourism 
     sector: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) reaffirms its commitment to strengthening the historic 
     partnership between the United States and the Dominican 
     Republic based on shared democratic values and efforts to 
     advance economic prosperity and national security;
       (2) encourages continued actions by the Government of the 
     Dominican Republic to assume a regional leadership role in 
     promoting human rights, democratic values, and humanitarian 
     assistance;
       (3) calls for further steps to strengthen cooperation 
     between the Governments of the United States and the 
     Dominican Republic on issues of shared strategic interest, 
     including--
       (A) by assisting the Dominican Republic in its post-COVID-
     19 economic recovery, including through support for United 
     States and global initiatives that help developing countries 
     recover financial sustainability and attain equitable access 
     to international financial markets;
       (B) by developing and implementing nearshoring initiatives 
     in the Caribbean Basin to realign international supply chains 
     and strengthen the Dominican Republic's standing as a 
     significant industrial, manufacturing, and logistical hub, 
     including

[[Page S8965]]

     through cooperation on infrastructure development such as 
     ports, power grids, and at free trade zones;
       (C) facilitating the expansion of economic and commercial 
     ties, including by prioritizing bilateral development project 
     financing and the formation of a United States-Dominican 
     Republic Business Council;
       (D) by supporting and developing collaborative efforts to 
     mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change, 
     including promoting development and strengthening the U.S.-
     Caribbean Resilience Partnership and similar initiatives;
       (E) by improving security cooperation between the two 
     countries, including in addressing narcotics and human 
     trafficking, dismantling money laundering networks, and 
     strengthening professional law enforcement and criminal 
     justice institutions; and
       (F) by increasing cooperation with the Dominican Republic 
     and other international partners to promote stability in 
     Haiti, address Haiti's humanitarian crisis, and facilitate 
     political solutions supported by the Haitian people;
       (4) urges the Government of the Dominican Republic to 
     continue taking steps to address the inherent human rights, 
     security, and data privacy risks posed by reliance on 
     technology from the People's Republic of China, including 
     Huawei components, in telecommunication networks;
       (5) commends efforts by President Abinader to strengthen 
     the political independence of the Attorney General's Office 
     and institutionalize anti-corruption reforms; and
       (6) calls on the Department of State and the United States 
     Agency for International Development to continue to support 
     the efforts of the Government of the Dominican Republic to 
     respond to the humanitarian needs of Haitian migrants in the 
     Dominican Republic.

                          ____________________