[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 132 (Thursday, July 31, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5106-S5107]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 3345. Mr. CURTIS submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by 
him to the bill S. 2296, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 
2026 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military 
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, 
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for 
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the end of subtitle E of title XII, add the following:

     SEC. 1265. STRENGTHENING DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE SUPPORT FOR 
                   ECONOMIC AND SECURITY PARTNERSHIPS IN LATIN 
                   AMERICA TO COUNTER BRICS INFLUENCE.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, in 
     coordination with the Secretary of State, the Secretary of 
     Commerce, and the Chief Executive Officer of the United 
     States International Development Finance Corporation, shall 
     submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a strategy 
     to diminish the Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South 
     Africa economic alignment (BRICS) influence in Latin America 
     and secure United States strategic interests.
       (b) Elements.--The strategy required by subsection (a) 
     shall include--
       (1) identification of opportunities for Department of 
     Defense-led economic and security cooperation to support 
     United States investment in countries seeking alignment with 
     the United States, including Argentina and Chile;
       (2) promoting security partnerships that enhance economic 
     stability and United States-aligned trade frameworks, 
     supported by Office of Strategic Capital-backed investments 
     in dollar-based financial systems;
       (3) identification of opportunities for the acquisition or 
     development of strategic infrastructure by private or public 
     entities, including--
       (A) key ports, transportation hubs, and energy facilities 
     in Argentina, Ecuador, and Chile that enhance United States 
     supply

[[Page S5107]]

     chain security and reduce BRICS control over regional trade 
     routes;
       (B) lithium mining and processing facilities in the Chile-
     Argentina-Bolivia triangle, with the Office of Strategic 
     Capital assessing investment needs and the United States 
     International Development Finance Corporation providing 
     financing mechanisms to enable United States or allied 
     entities to acquire or develop these assets; and
       (C) investment in other critical technologies and 
     infrastructure, prioritizing projects that enhance United 
     States strategic positioning in Latin America;
       (4) the expansion of Department of Defense security 
     cooperation programs, including joint exercises and training, 
     to protect acquired infrastructure and build partner 
     capacity; and
       (5) recommendations for Department of Defense support, 
     including security assessments, counterintelligence, and 
     infrastructure protection to safeguard acquired assets or 
     critical assets and infrastructure from foreign interference.
       (c) Form.--The strategy required under subsection (a) shall 
     be submitted in unclassified form but may include a 
     classified annex.
       (d) Appropriate Committees of Congress Defined.--In this 
     section, the term ``appropriate committees of Congress'' 
     means--
       (1) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on 
     Foreign Relations, and the Select Committee on Intelligence 
     of the Senate; and
       (2) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on 
     Foreign Affairs, and the Permanent Select Committee on 
     Intelligence of the House of Representatives.
                                 ______