[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 106 (Tuesday, June 25, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H4136-H4137]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              AMERICAN COOPERATION WITH OUR NEIGHBORS ACT

  Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 2789) to direct the Secretary of State to develop a strategy 
on efforts to strengthen subnational cooperation between the United 
States and Mexico, and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 2789

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``American Cooperation with 
     Our Neighbors Act''.

     SEC. 2. SUBNATIONAL COOPERATION STRATEGY.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 270 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in 
     coordination with the Administrator of the United States 
     Agency for International Development, shall submit to the 
     Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives 
     and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate a 
     strategy on efforts to strengthen subnational cooperation 
     between the United States and Mexico for the purposes of--
       (1) enhancing law enforcement cooperation and local, State, 
     and Federal security forces cooperation at a subnational 
     level for the purpose of curbing fentanyl trafficking and 
     other synthetic opioids, including activities such as--
       (A) bolstering technical assistance and coordination for 
     law enforcement agencies and local, State, and Federal 
     security forces;
       (B) carrying out exchange programs for the purposes of 
     professional development; and
       (C) enhancing data sharing, as appropriate;
       (2) bolstering subnational dialogue and capacity building 
     between Federal and local governments, civil society, faith-
     based organizations, and business community leaders and 
     integrating issues faced by local communities, including with 
     respect to trafficking of fentanyl and other synthetic 
     opioids; and
       (3) strengthening capacity building and provide resources 
     for border towns and organizations within those towns that 
     attempt to meet the needs of communities.
       (b) Update.--Not later than 2 years after the date of the 
     submission of the strategy under subsection (a), the 
     President shall submit to the congressional committees 
     specified in subsection (a) an update containing an 
     assessment of the implementation and effectiveness of the 
     strategy, lessons learned from the past year with respect to 
     the strategy, and planned changes to the strategy.
       (c) Form.--The strategy under subsection (a), and the 
     update under subsection (b), shall be submitted in 
     unclassified form.
       (d) Limitation on Data Sharing.--
       (1) Limitation.--The Secretary of State may not carry out 
     any project, program, or activity that implements the 
     strategy under subsection (a) for the purpose specified in 
     paragraph (1)(C) of such subsection until the Secretary 
     submits to the appropriate congressional committees a 
     notification regarding the data intended to be shared with 
     foreign countries pursuant to such strategy.
       (2) Appropriate congressional committees.--In this 
     subsection, the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' 
     means--
       (A) the Committee on the Judiciary, the Committee on 
     Homeland Security, the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and the 
     Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of 
     Representatives; and
       (B) the Committee on the Judiciary, the Committee on 
     Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, the Committee on 
     Foreign Relations, and the Select Committee on Intelligence 
     of the Senate.

     SEC. 3. DEPARTMENT OF STATE REVIEW OF ACCESS TO FINANCE IN 
                   CARICOM MEMBER STATES.

       (a) Review.--The Secretary of State, in consultation with 
     the Secretary of Treasury, shall conduct a review to 
     determine any steps, balancing costs and benefits, that the 
     Secretaries could take to expand financial access to the 
     member states of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), including 
     through a review of--
       (1) sanctions enforcement laws and compliance standards;
       (2) reporting requirements pertaining to narcotics 
     trafficking and illicit finance thereof;
       (3) possible expansion of embassies and consulates in the 
     region; and
       (4) programming or lack thereof pertaining to access to 
     capital in the region.
       (b) Report.--The Secretary shall submit to the appropriate 
     congressional committees a report on the findings of the 
     Secretary pertaining to the review under subsection (a).
       (c) Appropriate Congressional Committees Defined.--In this 
     section, the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' 
     means--
       (1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on 
     Financial Services of the House of Representatives; and
       (2) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on 
     Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Georgia (Mr. McCormick) and the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Stanton) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Georgia.


                             General Leave

  Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members

[[Page H4137]]

may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to 
include extraneous material on this measure.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Georgia?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, fentanyl trafficked over our southern border from Mexico 
is killing huge numbers of Americans and ravaging our communities.
  Synthetic opioids kill about 75,000 Americans annually. That is the 
equivalent of 25 9/11 attacks every year. Just one kilogram of fentanyl 
has the potential to kill one-half million people.
  In the last 4 years, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has seized 
more than 66,000 pounds of fentanyl. That is enough to kill the entire 
population of the United States 45 times over. However, there is 
obviously much more that is not seized and is infiltrating our 
communities.
  We need all levels of government in Mexico to assist in fighting this 
urgent crisis.
  This bill, H.R. 2789, will require a strategy to strengthen 
subnational cooperation between the U.S. and Mexico by enhancing law 
enforcement cooperation, as well as cooperation with local, State, and 
Federal security forces. Enhancing these partnerships is critical to 
curbing fentanyl trafficking entering the United States.
  This bill also requires a review of access to financing for member 
states of the Caribbean Community, which is CARICOM, as well as 
sanctions enforcement laws and compliance standards, narcotics 
trafficking and finance, and the U.S. diplomatic footprint in the 
region.
  The Caribbean is a key gateway to the United States, and the Chinese 
Community Party is working to increase its influence in the 
neighborhood. We must ensure that we are doing what we can to counter 
their malign influence in our hemisphere.
  This bipartisan bill was approved at a markup of the Foreign Affairs 
Committee, along with a Republican amendment to ensure robust 
congressional oversight of its implementation.
  Mr. Speaker, I support the bill, and I reserve the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. STANTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I represent the border State of Arizona. I have heard 
from families in my community who have lost loved ones to fentanyl 
overdoses.
  This Congress has increased funding to Customs and Border Protection 
year-over-year and has dedicated historic resources to modernize the 
inspection equipment and other critical infrastructure at our ports of 
entry, where most drugs are trafficked through.
  However, we need to use every tool we have to combat this epidemic, 
to stop drugs from coming into our country and to increase prevention 
and treatment efforts. The Federal Government must leverage the 
expertise of our partners in local law enforcement, business and civic 
leaders, NGOs, and faith-based organizations on both sides of the 
border.

                              {time}  1645

  My bipartisan bill, the American Cooperation with Our Neighbors Act, 
tasks the Department of State and U.S. Agency for International 
Development with improving cooperation and collaboration between the 
United States and Mexico because this isn't just an American problem.
  Fentanyl is trafficked into the U.S. largely from a single source, 
Mexican cartels. These criminal enterprises manufacture this very 
lucrative, very potent, and very hard-to-track drug and fuel rampant 
corruption and violence in Mexico.
  Our bill would foster sustained and strategic collaboration to fight 
the fentanyl crisis, ensuring that we are using our resources and local 
expertise wisely.
  H.R. 2789 aims to improve coordination between the Federal Government 
and local leaders, businesses, hospitals, and faith-based organizations 
that are working to combat the fallout from the opioid epidemic, like 
organizations treating substance abuse or creating alternatives to gang 
affiliation, and businesses that make fentanyl testing strips and 
innovate ways to keep our pharmaceuticals safe.
  It also focuses heavily on improving coordination between local law 
enforcement agencies, State and Federal security forces, and our 
counterparts in Mexico by sharing data, creating professional 
development exchange programs, and supporting technical assistance to 
crack down on fentanyl traffickers.
  H.R. 2789 also addresses a critical issue for our neighbors in the 
Caribbean community: financial access and inclusion. For too long, 
countries across the Caribbean have struggled with limited access to 
financial services, curtailing economic growth and prosperity, and 
their capacity to advance regional security. These challenges have been 
exacerbated by devastating climate events, high costs of living, and 
restrictive banking models.
  This bill mandates a thorough review by the State Department, in 
consultation with the United States Treasury, of barriers and solutions 
to accelerate access to capital and financial services for the people 
of the Caribbean. This study will help us better understand how we can 
cooperate with our third border.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Kean for his partnership on these 
critical issues, and I urge my colleagues to join me in voting ``yes'' 
on H.R. 2789.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers and reserve 
the right to close.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. STANTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume 
for the purpose of closing.
  Mr. Speaker, this legislation supports two major priorities: tackling 
the scourge of fentanyl and illicit crime along our southern border and 
bolstering the economic prosperity of our partners across the Caribbean 
community. By investing in our border communities in the United States 
and Mexico, fostering dialogue, training, and exchange with civil 
society, H.R. 2789 provides law enforcement and community leaders with 
additional tools to fight back against crime and violence.
  It also represents a strategic investment in the United States' third 
border with the Caribbean, identifying levers to accelerate financial 
inclusion and barriers that are holding the region back economically.
  H.R. 2789 stands for a better future and proposes concrete ways to 
advance peace, security, and prosperity in the Western Hemisphere. I 
hope my colleagues will join me in supporting this important bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, the Biden administration is failing to stop the deadly 
scourge of fentanyl across the open U.S.-Mexico border.
  In my experience as an ER physician, just a short period ago, I 
experienced about one to four overdoses per night, four patients from 
the ages of 17 to 36 who I could not revive and who died. Last year in 
the U.S., there were 75,000 fentanyl deaths.
  To address this emergency, we need a better strategy for regional law 
enforcement and better coordination with our neighbors. I thank the 
bipartisan authors of this bill, Mr. Stanton and Mr. Kean, as well as 
Chairman McCaul and Ranking Member Meeks for moving this bill forward.
  Mr. Speaker, I support this bill, and I encourage my colleagues to do 
the same. I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. McCormick) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 2789, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

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