IV 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 98 
Reaffirming the partnership between the United States and the Dominican 
Republic and advancing opportunities to deepen diplomatic, economic, 
and security cooperation between the two nations. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 7, 2023 
Mr. ESPAILLAT (for himself, Ms. SALAZAR, Mrs. GONZA´LEZ-COLO´N, and Ms. 
KAMLAGER-DOVE) submitted the following resolution; which was referred 
to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
RESOLUTION 
Reaffirming the partnership between the United States and 
the Dominican Republic and advancing opportunities to 
deepen diplomatic, economic, and security cooperation 
between the two nations. 
Whereas the United States and the Dominican Republic 
share extensive economic, security, and cultural ties and 
a mutual commitment to the promotion of internationally 
recognized human rights, democratic values, and the rule 
of law; 
Whereas the bilateral relationship between the United States 
and the Dominican Republic has contributed to the eco-
nomic prosperity and national security of both countries, 
including through the Dominican Republic-Central Amer-
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ica-United States Free Trade Agreement and the Carib-
bean Basin Security Initiative; 
Whereas under the leadership of President Luis Abinader, 
who took office on August 16, 2020, the Government of 
the Dominican Republic has taken steps to effectively ad-
dress the COVID–19 pandemic, fully vaccinating over 60 
percent of its adult population, one of the highest vac-
cination rates in Latin America and the Caribbean, and 
acquiring sufficient surplus vaccines to provide donations 
to other countries in the region; 
Whereas in response to the COVID–19 pandemic, the Gov-
ernment of the Dominican Republic has committed to 
working with the United States, other Group of 7 coun-
tries, the International Monetary Fund, and the Inter- 
American Development Bank to advance global and re-
gional post-pandemic economic recovery efforts; 
Whereas in 2020, United States foreign direct investment in 
the Dominican Republic totaled $274,500,000, and re-
mittances from the United States accounted for approxi-
mately 78 percent of the over $8,000,000,000 in remit-
tances sent to the Dominican Republic, according to data 
from the Congressional Research Service and World 
Bank, respectively; 
Whereas, on September 30, 2021, President Abinader signed 
presidential decree 612–21, creating a ministerial task 
force to advance nearshoring initiatives and strengthen 
the Dominican Republic’s participation in international 
supply chains and role as an industrial, manufacturing, 
and logistical hub, including by expanding the country’s 
network of free trade zones; 
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•HRES 98 IH 
Whereas the United States and the Dominican Republic 
would benefit from a coordinated plan of action to bolster 
economic relations, realign supply chains, and expand ties 
between the private sectors in both countries; 
Whereas the Government of the United States has engaged 
with the Dominican Republic and other regional partners 
to address the United States serious concerns over the 
security, human rights, and data privacy risks associated 
with investments by the People’s Republic of China in 
telecommunication networks and other critical infrastruc-
ture; 
Whereas the Government of the Dominican Republic has 
committed to strengthening security cooperation with the 
United States to address the threats posed by 
transnational criminal organizations and human traf-
ficking, drug trafficking, and money laundering networks; 
Whereas a humanitarian crisis, rampant crime, gang violence, 
and instability in neighboring Haiti, a situation exacer-
bated by the July 7, 2021, assassination of President 
Jovenel Moise, has deepened the suffering of the Haitian 
people, increased risks to the Dominican Republic posed 
by organized criminal groups along its borders, and 
strained the economic capacity of the Government of the 
Dominican Republic to address the humanitarian needs 
of Haitian migrants; 
Whereas President Abinader has taken significant steps to 
make the Government of the Dominican Republic more 
accountable and effective, including by addressing corrup-
tion and impunity, appointing an independent Public 
Prosecutor, requiring additional transparency in public 
procurement, and proposing legislation to modernize 
asset forfeiture laws; 
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Whereas, on October 20, 2021, the Governments of the Do-
minican Republic, Costa Rica, and Panama signed a joint 
declaration expressing concern about irregular migration 
flows, climate change, post-COVID–19 economic recov-
ery, the deteriorating human rights situation in Nica-
ragua, and the humanitarian crisis in Haiti, and called 
for stronger cooperation on these issues from the United 
States, regional partners, and the international commu-
nity; 
Whereas the Government of the Dominican Republic, as host 
of the Latin America and Caribbean Climate Week 2021, 
has called for greater regional coordination to address the 
effects of climate change, including more extreme weath-
er events, biodiversity loss, environmental displacement, 
and adverse health effects, which Small Island Devel-
oping States in the Caribbean are disproportionately vul-
nerable to; 
Whereas the Government of the Dominican Republic has 
called for the peaceful restoration of democracy and rule 
of law in Venezuela and is hosting approximately 114,000 
Venezuelan refugees; and 
Whereas approximately 2,000,000 people of Dominican origin 
currently reside in the United States, and over 2,000,000 
United States tourists visit the Dominican Republic an-
nually, accounting for the largest number of foreign tour-
ists to the country and bolstering its economically critical 
tourism sector: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) reaffirms its commitment to strengthening 
the historic partnership between the United States 
and the Dominican Republic based on shared demo-
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cratic values and efforts to advance economic pros-
perity and national security; 
(2) encourages continued actions by the Gov-
ernment of the Dominican Republic to assume a re-
gional leadership role in promoting human rights, 
democratic values, and humanitarian assistance; 
(3) calls for further steps to strengthen co-
operation between the Governments of the United 
States and the Dominican Republic on issues of 
shared strategic interest, including— 
(A) by assisting the Dominican Republic in 
its post-COVID–19 economic recovery, includ-
ing through support for United States and glob-
al initiatives that help developing countries re-
cover financial sustainability and attain equi-
table access to international financial markets; 
(B) 
by 
developing 
and 
implementing 
nearshoring initiatives in the Caribbean Basin 
to realign international supply chains and 
strengthen the Dominican Republic’s standing 
as a significant industrial, manufacturing, and 
logistical hub, including through cooperation on 
infrastructure development such as ports, power 
grids, and at free trade zones; 
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(C) facilitating the expansion of economic 
and commercial ties, including by prioritizing 
bilateral development project financing and the 
formation of a United States-Dominican Repub-
lic Business Council; 
(D) by supporting and developing collabo-
rative efforts to mitigate and adapt to the ef-
fects of climate change, including promoting de-
velopment and strengthening the U.S.-Carib-
bean Partnership to Address the Climate Crisis 
2030 and similar initiatives; 
(E) by improving security cooperation be-
tween the two countries, including in addressing 
narcotics and human trafficking, dismantling 
money laundering networks, and strengthening 
professional law enforcement and criminal jus-
tice institutions; and 
(F) by increasing cooperation with the Do-
minican Republic and other international part-
ners to promote stability in Haiti, address Hai-
ti’s humanitarian crisis, and facilitate political 
solutions supported by the Haitian people; 
(4) urges the Government of the Dominican Re-
public to continue taking steps to address the inher-
ent human rights, security, and data privacy risks 
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posed by reliance on technology from the People’s 
Republic of China, including Huawei components, in 
telecommunication networks; 
(5) commends efforts by President Abinader to 
strengthen the political independence of the Attorney 
General’s Office and institutionalize anti-corruption 
reforms; and 
(6) calls on the Department of State and the 
United States Agency for International Development 
to continue to support the efforts of the Government 
of the Dominican Republic to respond to the human-
itarian needs of Haitian migrants in the Dominican 
Republic. 
Æ 
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