A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that the President should work with the Government of the United Kingdom to conclude negotiations for a comprehensive trade agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom that the President should work with the President of the European Commission to conclude negotiations for a comprehensive trade agreement between the United States and the European Union.

Bill: 117-sres-134
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Lee, Mike [R-UT]
Introduced: 2021-03-24
Policy area: Foreign Trade and International Finance
Subjects: Europe

Free trade and trade barriers

Trade agreements and negotiations

United Kingdom
Latest action: action_date: 2022-05-25
text: Resolution agreed to in Senate with an amendment and an amendment to the Title and an amended preamble by Voice Vote. (text: CR S2699)

Summaries:
action_date: 2021-03-24
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p>This resolution expresses the sense of the Senate that the President, with the support of Congress, should work to conclude negotiations for a comprehensive future trade agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom.</p>

action_date: 2022-05-25
action_desc: Passed Senate
text: <p>This resolution expresses the sense of the Senate that the President, in consultation with Congress, should work to conclude negotiations for comprehensive trade agreements between the United States and the United Kingdom and between the United States and the European Union.</p>

tv_txt: III 117th CONGRESS 1st Session S. RES. 134 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES March 24, 2021 Mr. Lee (for himself, Mr. Scott of Florida , Mr. Moran , Mr. Cramer , Mr. Lankford , and Mr. Braun ) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Finance RESOLUTION Expressing the sense of the Senate that the President should work with the Government of the United Kingdom to conclude negotiations for a comprehensive free trade agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom.

Whereas, on March 5, 1946, Sir Winston Churchill delivered the Iron Curtain speech in Fulton, Missouri, solidifying the Special Relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom; Whereas, since the end of World War II, the United States and the United Kingdom have been beacons of freedom to the world, standing together in the fight against tyranny; Whereas the Special Relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom has driven economic prosperity and security cooperation in both nations for more than 70 years; Whereas the United States and the United Kingdom share the world’s largest bilateral trade and investment relationship; Whereas, while the United States and the United Kingdom already share a robust economic partnership, there remain clear opportunities for both countries to further strengthen economic ties; Whereas the United States Trade Representative and United Kingdom Department for International Trade have engaged in substantive negotiations towards the conclusion of a comprehensive free trade agreement since May 2020; and Whereas the constitutional power of making treaties with foreign nations includes both the legislative and executive branches: Now, therefore, be it

That it is the sense of the Senate that— (1) the United States should strengthen their close and mutually beneficial trading and economic partnership with the United Kingdom; (2) the President, with the support of Congress, should work to conclude negotiations for a comprehensive future trade agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom; and (3) during the course of finalizing a trade agreement, the President, in consultation with Congress, should strive to reach a mutually advantageous resolution of commercial disagreements between the United States and the United Kingdom.

tv_txt: III 117th CONGRESS 2d Session S. RES. 134 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES March 24, 2021 Mr. Lee (for himself, Mr. Scott of Florida , Mr. Moran , Mr. Cramer , Mr. Lankford , Mr. Braun , Mr. Cruz , Mrs. Fischer , Mr. Rounds , Mr. Cornyn , Mrs. Hyde-Smith , Mr. Grassley , and Mr. Rubio ) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Finance May 25, 2022 Committee discharged; considered, amended, and agreed to with an amended preamble and an amendment to the title RESOLUTION Expressing the sense of the Senate that the President should work with the Government of the United Kingdom to conclude negotiations for a comprehensive trade agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom that the President should work with the President of the European Commission to conclude negotiations for a comprehensive trade agreement between the United States and the European Union.

Whereas, on March 5, 1946, Sir Winston Churchill delivered the Iron Curtain speech in Fulton, Missouri, solidifying the Special Relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom; Whereas, since the end of World War II, the United States and the United Kingdom have been beacons of freedom to the world, standing together in the fight against tyranny; Whereas the Special Relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom has driven economic prosperity and security cooperation in both nations for more than 70 years; Whereas, according to Sterling Assets, a report from the Confederation of British Industry, the United States and the United Kingdom share the world’s largest bilateral trade and investment relationship; Whereas, while the United States and the United Kingdom already share a robust economic partnership and strong labor ties, there remain clear opportunities for both countries to further strengthen those ties; Whereas the United States Trade Representative and United Kingdom Department for International Trade have engaged in substantive negotiations towards the conclusion of a comprehensive trade agreement since May 2020; Whereas the United States seeks to support higher-paying jobs in the United States and to grow the United States economy by improving United States opportunities for trade and investment with the European Union; Whereas the economic relationship of the United States and the European Union is the largest and most complex in the world, with over $1,100,000,000,000 in annual two-way trade; Whereas the United States Trade Representative and the European Union have engaged in substantive negotiations toward the conclusion of a trade agreement; Whereas the United States has historically acted as a guarantor of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, an agreement between the British and Irish governments, designed to protect peace in Northern Ireland by avoiding a hard border on the island of Ireland; Whereas Prime Minister Boris Johnson of the United Kingdom, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, and President of the European Council Charles Michel signed the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement on January 24, 2020; Whereas as part of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement, in order to protect the Good Friday Agreement in the aftermath of the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union, the two parties agreed to the Northern Ireland Protocol; and Whereas the constitutional power of making trade agreements with foreign nations rests with Congress: Now, therefore, be it

That it is the sense of the Senate that— (1) the United States should strengthen its close and mutually beneficial trading and economic partnership with the United Kingdom that takes into account, as relevant, conditions requiring that obligations under the Good Friday Agreement be met; (2) the United States should strengthen its close and mutually beneficial trading and economic partnership with the European Union by working to conclude negotiations for a comprehensive trade agreement; (3) the President, in consultation with Congress, should work to conclude negotiations for such comprehensive trade agreements contingent upon an agreement between the European Union and the United Kingdom that fully protects and preserves the Good Friday Agreement consistent with the sentiments expressed by the Senate in S. Res.117 (117th Congress); and (4) the President, in consultation with Congress, should strive to reach mutually advantageous resolutions of commercial disagreements between the United States and the United Kingdom, including ending the Digital Services Tax on United States businesses and ensuring a satisfactory final resolution to the World Trade Organization large civil aircraft dispute.