I 
117TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7935 
To reinforce commercial relationships with Latin American and Caribbean 
allies and expand critical supply chains in the Americas. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 3, 2022 
Mr. ESPAILLAT (for himself and Mrs. CHERFILUS-MCCORMICK) introduced 
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Af-
fairs, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period 
to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consider-
ation of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
concerned 
A BILL 
To reinforce commercial relationships with Latin American 
and Caribbean allies and expand critical supply chains 
in the Americas. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Opportunities in the 
Americas Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
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(1) Our neighbors in the Western Hemisphere 
play a vital role in ensuring regional peace, security, 
and democracy. 
(2) According to the United States Trade Rep-
resentative, in 2020 the United States exported 
$11.1 billion worth of goods to Caribbean Basin Ini-
tiative countries and imported $5.1 billion. 
(3) According to the United States Census Bu-
reau, in 2021 the United States exported $174.62 
billion worth of goods to Central and South America 
and imported $120.99 billion. 
(4) The economic viability of the Western 
Hemisphere brings essential strength and stability to 
the region. 
(5) There is significant opportunity to improve 
regional investment in manufacturing, co-production 
and nearshoring arrangements, and the free flow of 
goods and services in the Western Hemisphere. 
(6) Closer economic integration among the 
Americas through free trade agreements encourages 
further economic and commercial ties in the region. 
(7) The United States should exercise its influ-
ence to encourage private sector investment, free 
markets, and economic cooperation in the region. 
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(8) Countries in the Western Hemisphere 
should combat corruption, strengthen their judicial 
systems, reduce bureaucratic red tape, streamline 
permitting, and embrace free markets in order to en-
courage more private sector investment. 
(9) The Western Hemisphere has a supply 
chain that is overly dependent on the People’s Re-
public of China. 
(10) The United States free trade agreements 
and preference programs in the Western Hemi-
sphere, including the Dominican Republic-Central 
America Free Trade Agreement and the Caribbean 
Basin Trade Partnership Act, are key economic driv-
ers in the region and represent a crucial alternative 
co-production and trading bloc to the People’s Re-
public of China. 
(11) Ensuring that critical supply chains for 
key products, including textiles and apparel, lithium 
batteries, and pharmaceuticals, are located both in 
the United States and other countries in the West-
ern Hemisphere is a national security priority for 
the United States. 
(12) The United States should enact policies 
that incentivize manufacturers to relocate to the 
Western Hemisphere, and United States companies 
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to expand operations in the region through 
nearshoring and co-production arrangements. 
(13) Increased investment incentives, co-produc-
tion, and trade between the United States and Latin 
America and the Caribbean will foster joint economic 
and commercial growth, increase investment oppor-
tunities, and contribute to job creation. 
SEC. 3. ASSISTANCE PROVIDED BY THE UNITED STATES 
INTERNATIONAL 
DEVELOPMENT 
FINANCE 
CORPORATION. 
(a) USE OF FUNDS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other 
provision of law, the DFC shall use not less than 10 
percent of the amounts made available under any 
provision of law to the DFC for each fiscal year be-
ginning after the date of the enactment of this Act 
to finance the qualified moving costs and necessary 
workforce development costs and the qualified costs 
of expanding business of, and reduce the interest 
rate on any loan to be provided by the DFC to the 
interest rate described in paragraph (4) to, any 
qualified corporation that is eligible for, or a recipi-
ent of, assistance from the DFC, to the extent of 
qualifying applications for assistance under this sec-
tion. 
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(2) COORDINATION.—The DFC shall carry out 
this section in coordination with— 
(A) relevant Federal agencies, including 
the United States Trade and Development 
Agency, the Export-Import Bank of the United 
States, the United States Army Corps of Engi-
neers, and the United States Agency for Inter-
national Development; 
(B) relevant international financial institu-
tions, including the World Bank and the Inter- 
American Development Bank; 
(C) relevant nongovernmental organiza-
tions; and 
(D) relevant governments of Latin Amer-
ican and Caribbean countries. 
(3) AVAILABILITY
OF
UNUSED
AMOUNTS.—If 
the DFC does not use the entire amount described 
in paragraph (1) for a fiscal year as described in 
such paragraph, such amount shall, to the maximum 
extent practicable, be made available to the DFC for 
the next fiscal year, in addition to other available 
funds, to carry out this section or other DFC pro-
grams for qualified Latin American or Caribbean 
countries. 
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