IIB 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5375 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 26, 2024 

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

AN ACT 

To require a strategy for bolstering engagement and cooperation between the United States, Australia, India, and 

Japan and to seek to establish a Quad Intra-Parliamentary Working Group to facilitate closer cooperation on 

shared interests and values. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Strengthening the 

3 Quad Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

5 It is the sense of Congress that— 

6 (1) as a Pacific power, the United States should 

7 continue to strengthen joint cooperation between the 

8 United States, Australia, India, and Japan (com9 monly referred to as the ‘‘Quadrilateral Dialogue’’ or 

10 ‘‘Quad’’ and referred to as such in this Act) to en11 hance and implement a shared vision to meet re12 gional challenges and to promote a free, open, inclu13 sive, resilient, and healthy Indo-Pacific, that is char14 acterized by respect for democratic norms, rule of 

15 law, and market-driven economic growth, and is free 

16 from undue influence and coercion; 

17 (2) the United States should expand dialogue 

18 and cooperation through the Quad with a range of 

19 partners to support peace and prosperity, the rule of 

20 law, freedom of navigation and overflight, the peace21 ful resolution of disputes, and democratic resilience 

22 in the Indo-Pacific; 

23 (3) the pledge from the first-ever Quad leaders 

24 meeting on March 12, 2021, to address shared chal25 lenges, including in public health, cyberspace, critical 

26 technologies, counterterrorism, quality infrastructure 


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1 investment, and humanitarian assistance and dis2 aster relief, as well as maritime domains, laid the 

3 foundation for critical cooperation among Quad 

4 countries; 

5 (4) the Quad countries, working through insti6 tutions, including the United States International 

7 Development Finance Corporation, the Japan Inter8 national Cooperation Agency, and the Japan Bank 

9 for International Cooperation, and through partner10 ships with multilateral development banks such as 

11 the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, 

12 should finance development and infrastructure 

13 projects in the Indo-Pacific region that are competi14 tive, transparent, and sustainable; 

15 (5) President Biden’s decision to elevate the 

16 Quad to the leaders level was critical to bolstering 

17 cooperation, and all four countries should work to 

18 ensure that the Quad Leaders’ Summit continues to 

19 take place regularly; 

20 (6) the ambitious framework for ongoing co21 operation laid out by the four leaders at the fifth 

22 convening of the Quad Leaders’ Summit in Hiro23 shima on May 20, 2023, should continue; and 

24 (7) the formation of a Quad Intra-Parliamen25 tary Working Group will— 


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1 (A) sustain and deepen engagement be2 tween senior officials of the Quad countries on 

3 a full spectrum of issues; and 

4 (B) be modeled on the successful and long5 standing bilateral intra-parliamentary groups 

6 between the United States and Mexico, Canada, 

7 and the United Kingdom, as well as other for8 mal and informal parliamentary exchanges. 

9 SEC. 3. STRATEGY. 

10 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 

11 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State 

12 shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees 

13 a strategy for bolstering engagement and cooperation with 

14 the Quad. 

15 (b) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The strategy re16 quired by subsection (a) shall include the following: 

17 (1) A description of how the United States in18 tends to demonstrate democratic leadership in the 

19 Indo-Pacific through quadrilateral engagement with 

20 India, Japan, and Australia on shared interests and 

21 common challenges. 

22 (2) A summary of— 

23 (A) current and past Quad initiatives 

24 across the whole of the United States Govern25 ment, including to promote broad based and inVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:51 Feb 26, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5375.RFS H5375

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1 clusive economic growth and investment, and to 

2 advance technology cooperation, energy innova3 tion, climate mitigation and adaptation, phys4 ical and digital infrastructure development, edu5 cation, disaster management, resilient supply 

6 chains including in critical minerals, and global 

7 health security; 

8 (B) proposals agreed to by all Quad coun9 tries since January 2021 to deepen existing se10 curity cooperation, intelligence sharing, eco11 nomic partnerships, and multilateral coordina12 tion; and 

13 (C) initiatives and agreements undertaken 

14 jointly with Quad countries, in addition to other 

15 like-minded partners in the Indo-Pacific, on 

16 areas of shared interest since January 2021. 

17 (3) A description of the diplomatic and bureau18 cratic barriers and obstacles to implementing and 

19 expanding existing streams of Quad cooperation. 

20 (4) A list of recommendations on how Congress 

21 could assist in addressing the barriers described in 

22 paragraph (3), as well as— 

23 (A) any new authorities needed to 

24 strengthen United States leadership in and conVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:51 Feb 26, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5375.RFS H5375

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1 tribution to existing and proposed Quad initia2 tives and programs; and 

3 (B) additional resources needed to scale up 

4 and expand successful Quad initiatives and pro5 grams. 

6 (c) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES DE7 FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate congres8 sional committees’’ means— 

9 (1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the 

10 Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the 

11 House of Representatives; and 

12 (2) the Committee on Foreign Relations and 

13 the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate. 

14 SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF QUAD INTRA-PARLIAMENTARY 

15 WORKING GROUP. 

16 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 60 days after 

17 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 

18 State shall seek to enter into negotiations with the Gov19 ernments of Japan, Australia, and India (collectively, with 

20 the United States, known as the ‘‘Quad’’) with the goal 

21 of reaching a written agreement to establish a Quad Intra22 Parliamentary Working Group to facilitate closer coopera23 tion on shared interests and values. 

24 (b) UNITED STATES GROUP.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—At such time as the govern2 ments of the Quad countries enter into a written 

3 agreement described in subsection (a) to establish a 

4 Quad Intra-Parliamentary Working Group, there 

5 shall be established a United States Group, which 

6 shall represent the United States at the Quad Intra7 Parliamentary Working Group. 

8 (2) MEMBERSHIP.— 

9 (A) IN GENERAL.—The United States 

10 Group shall be comprised of not more than 24 

11 Members of Congress. 

12 (B) APPOINTMENT.—Of the Members of 

13 Congress appointed to the United States Group 

14 under subparagraph (A)— 

15 (i) half shall be appointed by the 

16 Speaker of the House of Representatives, 

17 based on recommendations from the minor18 ity leader, from among Members of the 

19 House, not fewer than four of whom shall 

20 be members of the Committee on Foreign 

21 Affairs; and 

22 (ii) half shall be appointed by the 

23 President Pro Tempore of the Senate, 

24 based on recommendations of the majority 

25 leader and minority leader of the Senate, 


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1 from among Members of the Senate, not 

2 fewer than four of whom shall be members 

3 of the Committee on Foreign Relations 

4 (unless the majority leader and minority 

5 leader determine otherwise). 

6 (3) MEETINGS.— 

7 (A) IN GENERAL.—The United States 

8 Group shall seek to meet not less frequently 

9 than annually with representatives and appro10 priate staff of the legislatures of Japan, Aus11 tralia, and India, and any other country invited 

12 by mutual agreement of the Quad countries. 

13 (B) LIMITATION.—A meeting described in 

14 subparagraph (A) may be held— 

15 (i) in the United States; 

16 (ii) in another Quad country during 

17 periods when Congress is not in session; or 

18 (iii) virtually. 

19 (4) CHAIRPERSON AND VICE CHAIRPERSON.— 

20 (A) HOUSE DELEGATION.—The Speaker of 

21 the House of Representatives shall designate 

22 the chairperson or vice chairperson of the dele23 gation of the United States Group from the 

24 House from among members of the Committee 

25 on Foreign Affairs. 


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1 (B) SENATE DELEGATION.—The President 

2 Pro Tempore of the Senate shall designate the 

3 chairperson or vice chairperson of the delega4 tion of the United States Group from the Sen5 ate from among members of the Committee on 

6 Foreign Relations. 

7 (5) PRIVATE SOURCES.—The United States 

8 Group may accept gifts or donations of services or 

9 property, subject to the review and approval, as ap10 propriate, of the Committee on Ethics of the House 

11 of Representatives and the Committee on Ethics of 

12 the Senate. 

13 (6) CERTIFICATION OF EXPENDITURES.—The 

14 certificate of the chairperson of the delegation from 

15 the House of Representatives or the delegation of 

16 the Senate of the United States Group shall be final 

17 and conclusive upon the accounting officers in the 

18 auditing of the accounts of the United States Group. 

19 (7) ANNUAL REPORT.—The United States 

20 Group shall submit to the Committee on Foreign Af21 fairs of the House of Representatives and the Com22 mittee on Foreign Relations of the Senate a report 

23 for each fiscal year for which an appropriation is 

24 made for the United States Group, including a deVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:51 Feb 26, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5375.RFS H5375

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1 scription of its expenditures under such appropria2 tion. 

3 (8) ENGAGEMENT WITH US OFFICIALS ON THE

4 QUAD.—Senior United States officials shall provide 

5 regular updates and briefings to the United States 

6 Group, including leading up to and after major 

7 Quadrilateral dialogues, to ensure close coordination 

8 with Congress. 

9 SEC. 5. NO ADDITIONAL FUNDS AUTHORIZED. 

10 No additional funds are authorized to carry out the 

11 requirements of this Act. Such requirements shall be car12 ried out using amounts otherwise authorized. 

Passed the House of Representatives February 15, 

2024. 

Attest: KEVIN F. MCCUMBER, 

Clerk. 


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