Title: We Go Together Act
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
We Go Together Act
This bill requires the President to take certain actions before changing U.S. policy with respect to the U.S.-South Korea Mutual Defense Treaty.
Specifically, no later than 120 days before making such a change, the President shall provide to Congress (1) a detailed justification for the change, (2) a certification that the change is in the U.S. national interest, and (3) a certification that an alternative agreement or measure is in place to replace any lost capacity or benefits stemming from the change.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7234 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7234

 To strengthen the Mutual Defense Treaty between the United States and 
             the Republic of Korea, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 18, 2020

   Mr. Bera introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To strengthen the Mutual Defense Treaty between the United States and 
             the Republic of Korea, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``We Go Together Act''.

SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) with respect to the alliance between the United States 
        and the Republic of Korea--
                    (A) ``we go together'' or ``katchi kapshida'' is an 
                enduring motto inspired by the shared sacrifice of the 
                United States and the Republic of Korea during the 
                Korean War, reinforced by our shared values and 
                reaffirmed each time the Republic of Korea has stood 
                alongside the United States in the four major wars the 
                United States has fought outside Korea since 1945;
                    (B) a transactional view of the alliance between 
                the United States and the Republic of Korea is contrary 
                to the spirit of ``we go together'';
                    (C) 70 years since the start of the Korean War, as 
                the People's Republic of China escalates its aggressive 
                behavior in maritime and air domains and the Democratic 
                People's Republic of Korea continues to enhance and 
                test weapons that threaten regional peace and security, 
                a new strategic environment in the Indo-Pacific region 
                has reinforced the importance of the alliance between 
                the United States and the Republic of Korea;
                    (D) the 2018 National Defense Strategy states that 
                ``the willingness of rivals to abandon aggression will 
                depend on their perception of . . . the vitality of our 
                alliances and partnerships'', and thus United States 
                Government actions and public statements that undermine 
                the United States relationship with the Republic of 
                Korea harm United States national security and 
                exacerbate risks to members of the Armed Forces and 
                United States allies and partners; and
                    (E) United States alliances and troop deployments 
                should be based on shared principles and goals, not on 
                the profit motive; and
            (2) with respect to nationals of the Republic of Korea who 
        are employees of United States Forces Korea--
                    (A) the United States Government should endeavor to 
                avoid actions that negatively affect the welfare or 
                well-being of such individuals;
                    (B) as stated by the Commander of United States 
                Forces Korea on March 31, 2020, the partial furlough of 
                such individuals was ``heartbreaking'' and ``in no way 
                a reflection of their performance, dedication, or 
                conduct''; and
                    (C) the United States Government should work with 
                the Government of the Republic of Korea to ensure that 
                such individuals do not bear the burden of breakdowns 
                in negotiations regarding defense cost-sharing.

SEC. 3. STRENGTHENING THE MUTUAL DEFENSE TREATY.

    (a) In General.--The President may not take any action to change 
United States policy with respect to the Mutual Defense Treaty between 
the United States and Republic of Korea signed on October 1, 1953, 
unless, not later than 120 days before the President takes such an 
action, the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of State submit to 
the appropriate committees of Congress--
            (1) a detailed justification for such a change; and
            (2) a certification that--
                    (A) such a change is in the national interest of 
                the United States; and
                    (B) an alternative diplomatic agreement or measure 
                has been devised to replace any lost capacity or 
                benefits resulting from such a change, including--
                            (i) the benefits to United States national 
                        security and regional security derived from the 
                        presence of the United States Armed Forces in 
                        the Republic of Korea;
                            (ii) the nuclear nonproliferation benefits 
                        derived from extended deterrence enhanced by 
                        the stationing of members of the United States 
                        Armed Forces in the Republic of Korea;
                            (iii) the contributions of the Republic of 
                        Korea in--
                                    (I) countering illegitimate 
                                coercion and debt diplomacy;
                                    (II) promoting human rights;
                                    (III) promoting freedom of 
                                navigation and maritime security;
                                    (IV) protecting the environment;
                                    (V) improving global health; and
                                    (VI) assisting the victims of 
                                conflict and disaster;
                            (iv) the cooperation of the Republic of 
                        Korea with respect to United States efforts to 
                        enforce existing United Nations Security 
                        Council sanctions with respect to the 
                        Democratic People's Republic of Korea;
                            (v) the diplomatic support of the Republic 
                        of Korea for negotiations to implement the 
                        commitments of the Democratic People's Republic 
                        of Korea at the 2018 Singapore Summit; and
                            (vi) the value of United States trade with 
                        the Republic of Korea.
    (b) Form.--The justification and certification required by 
subsection (a) shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may include 
a classified annex.
    (c) Appropriate Committees of Congress Defined.--In this section, 
the term ``appropriate committees of Congress'' means--
            (1) the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on 
        Foreign Relations of the Senate; and
            (2) the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on 
        Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives.
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