119-sres239

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 239 Introduced in Senate

    (IS) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
S. RES. 239

 Reaffirming the deep and steadfast partnership between the United 
States and Canada and the ties that bind the 2 countries in support of 
 economic and national security.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

 May 21, 2025

 Mr. Cramer (for himself, Mr. King, Mr. Crapo, Mrs. Blackburn, Ms. 
Klobuchar, Ms. Murkowski, Ms. Hassan, Ms. Collins, Mr. Rounds, and Mr. 
 Welch) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
 Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

 RESOLUTION

 Reaffirming the deep and steadfast partnership between the United 
States and Canada and the ties that bind the 2 countries in support of 
 economic and national security.

Whereas strengthening and deepening United States alliances is critically 
 important, and the Senate is called upon not only to protect, but to 
 advance, United States partnerships;
Whereas the United States enjoys the great fortune of having one of its closest 
 allies next door at a time when countries around the world are facing 
 existential threats from their neighbors;
Whereas, in June 2023, the bipartisan and bicameral American-Canadian Economy 
 and Security Caucus was established in the Senate and the House of 
 Representatives, which presents an opportunity to fortify and advance 
 the indispensable economic and security partnership between the United 
 States and Canada;
Whereas the United States and Canada can together reinforce their shared 
 interest in 4 critical areas, which are--

    (1) economic security;

    (2) energy and critical minerals security;

    (3) national security; and

    (4) global security;

Whereas the prosperity of the citizens of the United States and Canada are 
 supported by their mutually beneficial economic relationship and 
 resilient and integrated supply chains;
Whereas the Agreement between the United States of America, the United Mexican 
 States, and Canada, done at Mexico City on December 10, 2019 (commonly 
 known as the ``USMCA''), forms the foundation of the economic 
 competitiveness of the 3 countries;
Whereas the United States and Canada--

    (1) share one of the largest trading relationships in the world, with 
nearly $1,000,000,000,000 in bilateral trade in goods and services in 2023, 
supporting nearly 8,000,000 jobs in the United States and more than 
2,400,000 jobs in Canada; and

    (2) understand the importance of secure and resilient supply chains, 
and have established formal mechanisms to further strengthen economic 
integration and minimize the dependency of the United States on foreign 
adversaries;

Whereas Canada is the largest single export market for the United States, and 
 Canada was the number one customer for 36 of the 50 States in 2023;
Whereas, in 2023, more than 330 congressional districts each exported more than 
 $250,000,000 in goods to Canada, and more than congressional 100 
 districts each exported more than $1,000,000,000 in goods to Canada;
Whereas bilateral trade in agriculture between Canada and the United States 
 reached $72,500,000,000 in 2023 and Canada is the number one 
 agricultural export market for 27 States;
Whereas trade between Canada and the United States is built on long-standing 
 binational supply chains, whereby roughly 70 percent of Canadian goods 
 exported to the United States are used by manufacturers in the United 
 States to produce higher value goods;
Whereas Canada purchases more than $22,000,000,000 worth of automotive parts and 
 approximately $33,600,000,000 worth of vehicles from the United States 
 each year;
Whereas, in 2024, the United States imported $53,000,000,000 worth of motor 
 vehicles and parts from Canada, while United States exports of motor 
 vehicles and parts to Canada totaled $55,000,000,000, including 
 $18,000,000,000 worth of automotive parts;
Whereas the United States lumber industry produces approximately 70 percent of 
 the lumber needed every year in the United States and Canadian lumber 
 makes up most of the shortfall, helping to meet the needs of United 
 States consumers;
Whereas the United States and Canada--

    (1) are global leaders in science, technology, and innovation, and can 
secure the future of North America as the most competitive region in the 
world; and

    (2) are working together to deepen cooperation in developing and 
protecting emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence and 
quantum technologies;

Whereas Canada--

    (1) is the world's fourth-largest petroleum producer and is the largest 
foreign supplier of energy, including oil, uranium, natural gas, and 
electricity, to the United States;

    (2) supports United States energy dominance by providing safe and 
reliable natural gas, electricity, crude oil, and uranium for nuclear 
power;

    (3) bolsters the position of the United States as the world's number 
one exporter of liquified natural gas by supplying border States with 
Canadian natural gas;

    (4) enables the growth of United States artificial intelligence 
technology by supplying the critical fuels required by the United States 
power industry; and

    (5) is a reliable source of energy and resources for the United States, 
producing more than 60 minerals and metals, and is a leading global 
producer of critical minerals on the critical minerals list the United 
States Geological Survey;

Whereas Canada is--

    (1) committed to ensuring North American competitiveness and the 
success of workers and communities in Canada and the United States; and

    (2) taking steps to address nonmarket practices of the People's 
Republic of China, notably by screening inbound investment into Canada and 
applying a surtax on products imported from the People's Republic of China, 
such as electric vehicles, steel, and aluminum;

Whereas the United States and Canada--

    (1) have a deeply interconnected electricity sector, with more than 35 
active electricity transmission connections between the 2 countries, many 
of which enable bidirectional flows of electricity, helping to ensure the 
security and reliability of the North American grid;

    (2) have committed to work together to protect biodiverse areas that 
span their shared border, including in collaboration with Indigenous and 
Tribal partners, benefitting shared species like migratory birds; and

    (3) have jointly collaborated for more than 100 years under the Treaty 
relating to the Boundary Waters and Questions arising along the Boundary 
between the United States and Canada, signed at Washington January 11, 1909 
(36 Stat. 2448; 12 Bevans 319) (commonly known as the ``Boundary Waters 
Treaty'') to manage and conserve their shared waters for the benefit of 
both countries, including almost 50 years under the Agreement on Great 
Lakes Water Quality, 1978, with Annexes and Terms of Reference, signed at 
Ottawa November 22, 1978 (commonly known as the ``Great Lakes Water Quality 
Agreement'');

Whereas the United States and Canada--

    (1) share 3 oceans and the world's longest border, and safely oversee 
the movement of about 400,000 people and more than $2,500,000,000 worth of 
goods and services across that border each day;

    (2) cooperate to keep the border open to legitimate trade and travel 
but closed to illegal migration, terrorists, criminals, and threats to the 
health and safety of citizens;

    (3) are committed to jointly protecting the security of their citizens, 
including though Canada's recent actions and significant investments to 
strengthen border security by--

 G
        (A) fighting sources of illegal migration at the border, and 
keeping deadly drugs like fentanyl and its precursors from entering;

 G
        (B) securing border crossings by maintaining 24/7 eyes on the 
border using new surveillance technology and increased personnel;

 G
            (C) combating fentanyl trafficking through the appointment of a 
fentanyl czar, listing cartels as terrorist entities, and launching a 
Canada-United States Joint Strike Force detecting and disrupting the 
fentanyl trade with more technology, tools, and intelligence;

 G
            (D) reinforcing a ``one border, one team'' approach through more 
cross-border information and intelligence sharing; and

 G
        (E) keeping people safe through joint emergency readiness and 
creating a joint emergency management partnership similar to the North 
American Aerospace Defense Command (commonly referred to as ``NORAD'');

    (4) are united in fighting a fentanyl crisis that is indiscriminately 
affecting citizens on both sides of the border and is fueled by the actions 
of malign actors abroad;

    (5) work together to secure the border between the United States and 
Canada through the Cross Border Crime Forum, the Integrated Border 
Enforcement Teams, the Beyond the Border Initiative, the United States-
Canada NEXUS Trusted Traveler Program, the Border Enforcement Security Task 
Forces, the Integrated Cross-Border Maritime Law Enforcement Operations 
(commonly known as the ``Shiprider''), and the United States preclearance 
operations conducted at airports in Canada, all of which enhance joint 
security efforts;

    (6) have an Integrated Border Enforcement Charter that allows border 
enforcement agencies to jointly identify national security threats, disrupt 
organized criminal activities, seize drugs and weapons, and intercept 
criminal networks trying to smuggle people across the border; and

    (7) both understand that a threat to the security of one country is a 
threat to the security of both countries;

Whereas the United States and Canada--

    (1) are Pacific, Atlantic, and Arctic countries;

    (2) are unequivocally committed to playing a leadership role in 
protecting global security and promoting democracy around the world;

    (3) recognize that collective security is a shared responsibility, and 
are committed to expanding cooperation on continental defense and in the 
Arctic, including by increasing investments in continental defense and 
modernizing NORAD, the world's only binational military command;

    (4) share the desire for a peaceful, stable, and predictable Arctic 
region, including for the benefit of Arctic and Northern peoples and 
communities;

    (5) work together to advance democratic principles, human rights, and 
free trade policies through the Group of 7, the Group of 20, the United 
Nations, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the 
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the World Trade 
Organization, and at the Organization of American States;

    (6) cooperate extensively through a ``Tri-Command Framework'' comprised 
of the United States Northern Command, the Canadian Joint Operations 
Command, and NORAD;

    (7) work together as the only North American members of the North 
Atlantic Treaty Organization (commonly referred to as ``NATO'') to ensure 
peace and security in the transatlantic region;

    (8) support NATO's deterrence and defense efforts, and allies in 
Europe, through their roles as the Framework Nations for the NATO brigades 
in Latvia and Poland; and

    (9) share a long and storied history of civil space partnership between 
the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (commonly referred to as 
``NASA'') and the Canadian Space Agency, and a Canadian will fly on the 
historic Artemis II mission around the Moon with NASA;

Whereas Canada has been a committed ally in upholding the rules-based 
 international order by promoting peace, resilience, and security in the 
 Indo-Pacific region through an augmented and diversified military 
 presence;
Whereas Canada has been a reliable and engaged partner of the United States in 
 the Indo-Pacific region by collaborating extensively with the United 
 States Indo-Pacific Command, including through bilateral and 
 multilateral exercises, regional security cooperation and defense 
 engagements, involvement in regional defense forums, and ultimately, 
 through unwavering support of free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific 
 region;
Whereas Canada is in consultation with the United States, Australia, and the 
 United Kingdom to identify collaborative projects on advanced 
 capabilities under Pillar II of the enhanced trilateral security 
 partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United 
 States; and
Whereas history, geography, commerce, security, and shared democratic values 
 underpin a close relationship between the United States and Canada: Now, 
 therefore, be it
 Resolved, That the Senate--

    (1) recognizes that the relationship between the United 
 States and Canada is--
        (A) an essential strategic asset to the United 
 States and the people of the United States; and
        (B) critical to promoting peace, expanding global 
 economic opportunity, and being prepared to respond to 
 unforeseen events;

    (2) reaffirms its full commitment to maintain and grow the 
 critical partnership between the United States and Canada;

    (3) recognizes that the security of either the United 
 States or Canada is dependent on the security of the other, and 
 welcomes greater collaboration in the areas of defense, cyber 
 and technology security, and Arctic security;

    (4) reaffirms its commitment to the bilateral and 
 international alliance between the 2 countries, which allows 
 both countries to face common threats together and uphold 
 common values, including democracy, human rights, and the rule 
 of law;

    (5) recognizes the strategic importance of one of the most 
 secure borders in the world, the co-management of which 
 facilitates trade and serves as a trusted corridor for the 
 supply chains of both countries;

    (6) recognizes that bolstering the supply chains of both 
 countries will make both countries more competitive and more 
 resilient in the face of economic aggression from hostile 
 countries;

    (7) supports an increased focus on energy security through 
 greater cross-border energy infrastructure, including 
 infrastructure for oil, natural gas, nuclear, renewable energy, 
 and resilient electricity transmission, and through 
 diversifying supply chains for critical minerals; and

    (8) is fully committed to the creation of more well-paying 
 United States jobs through continued trade and investment with 
 Canada.
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