A resolution reaffirming the deep and steadfast partnership between the United States and Canada and the ties that bind the 2 countries in support of economic and national security.

Bill: 119-sres-239
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Cramer, Kevin [R-ND]
Introduced: 2025-05-21
Policy area: International Affairs
Latest action: action_date: 2025-05-21
text: Referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. (text: CR S3060-3062)

Summaries:

tv_txt: III 119th CONGRESS 1st Session S. RES. 239 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES May 21, 2025 Mr. Cramer (for himself, Mr. King , Mr. Crapo , Mrs. Blackburn , Ms. Klobuchar , Ms. Murkowski , Ms. Hassan , Ms. Collins , Mr. Rounds , and Mr. Welch ) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations RESOLUTION Reaffirming the deep and steadfast partnership between the United States and Canada and the ties that bind the 2 countries in support of economic and national security.

Whereas strengthening and deepening United States alliances is critically important, and the Senate is called upon not only to protect, but to advance, United States partnerships; Whereas the United States enjoys the great fortune of having one of its closest allies next door at a time when countries around the world are facing existential threats from their neighbors; Whereas, in June 2023, the bipartisan and bicameral American-Canadian Economy and Security Caucus was established in the Senate and the House of Representatives, which presents an opportunity to fortify and advance the indispensable economic and security partnership between the United States and Canada; Whereas the United States and Canada can together reinforce their shared interest in 4 critical areas, which are— (1) economic security; (2) energy and critical minerals security; (3) national security; and (4) global security; Whereas the prosperity of the citizens of the United States and Canada are supported by their mutually beneficial economic relationship and resilient and integrated supply chains; Whereas the Agreement between the United States of America, the United Mexican States, and Canada, done at Mexico City on December 10, 2019 (commonly known as the USMCA ), forms the foundation of the economic competitiveness of the 3 countries; Whereas the United States and Canada— (1) share one of the largest trading relationships in the world, with nearly $1,000,000,000,000 in bilateral trade in goods and services in 2023, supporting nearly 8,000,000 jobs in the United States and more than 2,400,000 jobs in Canada; and (2) understand the importance of secure and resilient supply chains, and have established formal mechanisms to further strengthen economic integration and minimize the dependency of the United States on foreign adversaries; Whereas Canada is the largest single export market for the United States, and Canada was the number one customer for 36 of the 50 States in 2023; Whereas, in 2023, more than 330 congressional districts each exported more than $250,000,000 in goods to Canada, and more than congressional 100 districts each exported more than $1,000,000,000 in goods to Canada; Whereas bilateral trade in agriculture between Canada and the United States reached $72,500,000,000 in 2023 and Canada is the number one agricultural export market for 27 States; Whereas trade between Canada and the United States is built on long-standing binational supply chains, whereby roughly 70 percent of Canadian goods exported to the United States are used by manufacturers in the United States to produce higher value goods; Whereas Canada purchases more than $22,000,000,000 worth of automotive parts and approximately $33,600,000,000 worth of vehicles from the United States each year; Whereas, in 2024, the United States imported $53,000,000,000 worth of motor vehicles and parts from Canada, while United States exports of motor vehicles and parts to Canada totaled $55,000,000,000, including $18,000,000,000 worth of automotive parts; Whereas the United States lumber industry produces approximately 70 percent of the lumber needed every year in the United States and Canadian lumber makes up most of the shortfall, helping to meet the needs of United States consumers; Whereas the United States and Canada— (1) are global leaders in science, technology, and innovation, and can secure the future of North America as the most competitive region in the world; and (2) are working together to deepen cooperation in developing and protecting emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence and quantum technologies; Whereas Canada— (1) is the world's fourth-largest petroleum producer and is the largest foreign supplier of energy, including oil, uranium, natural gas, and electricity, to the United States; (2) supports United States energy dominance by providing safe and reliable natural gas, electricity, crude oil, and uranium for nuclear power; (3) bolsters the position of the United States as the world’s number one exporter of liquified natural gas by supplying border States with Canadian natural gas; (4) enables the growth of United States artificial intelligence technology by supplying the critical fuels required by the United States power industry; and (5) is a reliable source of energy and resources for the United States, producing more than 60 minerals and metals, and is a leading global producer of critical minerals on the critical minerals list the United States Geological Survey; Whereas Canada is— (1) committed to ensuring North American competitiveness and the success of workers and communities in Canada and the United States; and (2) taking steps to address nonmarket practices of the People's Republic of China, notably by screening inbound investment into Canada and applying a surtax on products imported from the People's Republic of China, such as electric vehicles, steel, and aluminum; Whereas the United States and Canada— (1) have a deeply interconnected electricity sector, with more than 35 active electricity transmission connections between the 2 countries, many of which enable bidirectional flows of electricity, helping to ensure the security and reliability of the North American grid; (2) have committed to work together to protect biodiverse areas that span their shared border, including in collaboration with Indigenous and Tribal partners, benefitting shared species like migratory birds; and (3) have jointly collaborated for more than 100 years under the Treaty relating to the Boundary Waters and Questions arising along the Boundary between the United States and Canada, signed at Washington January 11, 1909 (36 Stat. 2448; 12 Bevans 319) (commonly known as the Boundary Waters Treaty ) to manage and conserve their shared waters for the benefit of both countries, including almost 50 years under the Agreement on Great Lakes Water Quality, 1978, with Annexes and Terms of Reference, signed at Ottawa November 22, 1978 (commonly known as the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement ); Whereas the United States and Canada— (1) share 3 oceans and the world's longest border, and safely oversee the movement of about 400,000 people and more than $2,500,000,000 worth of goods and services across that border each day; (2) cooperate to keep the border open to legitimate trade and travel but closed to illegal migration, terrorists, criminals, and threats to the health and safety of citizens; (3) are committed to jointly protecting the security of their citizens, including though Canada’s recent actions and significant investments to strengthen border security by— (A) fighting sources of illegal migration at the border, and keeping deadly drugs like fentanyl and its precursors from entering; (B) securing border crossings by maintaining 24/7 eyes on the border using new surveillance technology and increased personnel; (C) combating fentanyl trafficking through the appointment of a fentanyl czar, listing cartels as terrorist entities, and launching a Canada-United States Joint Strike Force detecting and disrupting the fentanyl trade with more technology, tools, and intelligence; (D) reinforcing a one border, one team approach through more cross-border information and intelligence sharing; and (E) keeping people safe through joint emergency readiness and creating a joint emergency management partnership similar to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (commonly referred to as NORAD ); (4) are united in fighting a fentanyl crisis that is indiscriminately affecting citizens on both sides of the border and is fueled by the actions of malign actors abroad; (5) work together to secure the border between the United States and Canada through the Cross Border Crime Forum, the Integrated Border Enforcement Teams, the Beyond the Border Initiative, the United States-Canada NEXUS Trusted Traveler Program, the Border Enforcement Security Task Forces, the Integrated Cross-Border Maritime Law Enforcement Operations (commonly known as the Shiprider ), and the United States preclearance operations conducted at airports in Canada, all of which enhance joint security efforts; (6) have an Integrated Border Enforcement Charter that allows border enforcement agencies to jointly identify national security threats, disrupt organized criminal activities, seize drugs and weapons, and intercept criminal networks trying to smuggle people across the border; and (7) both understand that a threat to the security of one country is a threat to the security of both countries; Whereas the United States and Canada— (1) are Pacific, Atlantic, and Arctic countries; (2) are unequivocally committed to playing a leadership role in protecting global security and promoting democracy around the world; (3) recognize that collective security is a shared responsibility, and are committed to expanding cooperation on continental defense and in the Arctic, including by increasing investments in continental defense and modernizing NORAD, the world's only binational military command; (4) share the desire for a peaceful, stable, and predictable Arctic region, including for the benefit of Arctic and Northern peoples and communities; (5) work together to advance democratic principles, human rights, and free trade policies through the Group of 7, the Group of 20, the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the World Trade Organization, and at the Organization of American States; (6) cooperate extensively through a Tri-Command Framework comprised of the United States Northern Command, the Canadian Joint Operations Command, and NORAD; (7) work together as the only North American members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (commonly referred to as NATO ) to ensure peace and security in the transatlantic region; (8) support NATO's deterrence and defense efforts, and allies in Europe, through their roles as the Framework Nations for the NATO brigades in Latvia and Poland; and (9) share a long and storied history of civil space partnership between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (commonly referred to as NASA ) and the Canadian Space Agency, and a Canadian will fly on the historic Artemis II mission around the Moon with NASA; Whereas Canada has been a committed ally in upholding the rules-based international order by promoting peace, resilience, and security in the Indo-Pacific region through an augmented and diversified military presence; Whereas Canada has been a reliable and engaged partner of the United States in the Indo-Pacific region by collaborating extensively with the United States Indo-Pacific Command, including through bilateral and multilateral exercises, regional security cooperation and defense engagements, involvement in regional defense forums, and ultimately, through unwavering support of free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific region; Whereas Canada is in consultation with the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom to identify collaborative projects on advanced capabilities under Pillar II of the enhanced trilateral security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States; and Whereas history, geography, commerce, security, and shared democratic values underpin a close relationship between the United States and Canada: Now, therefore, be it

That the Senate— (1) recognizes that the relationship between the United States and Canada is— (A) an essential strategic asset to the United States and the people of the United States; and (B) critical to promoting peace, expanding global economic opportunity, and being prepared to respond to unforeseen events; (2) reaffirms its full commitment to maintain and grow the critical partnership between the United States and Canada; (3) recognizes that the security of either the United States or Canada is dependent on the security of the other, and welcomes greater collaboration in the areas of defense, cyber and technology security, and Arctic security; (4) reaffirms its commitment to the bilateral and international alliance between the 2 countries, which allows both countries to face common threats together and uphold common values, including democracy, human rights, and the rule of law; (5) recognizes the strategic importance of one of the most secure borders in the world, the co-management of which facilitates trade and serves as a trusted corridor for the supply chains of both countries; (6) recognizes that bolstering the supply chains of both countries will make both countries more competitive and more resilient in the face of economic aggression from hostile countries; (7) supports an increased focus on energy security through greater cross-border energy infrastructure, including infrastructure for oil, natural gas, nuclear, renewable energy, and resilient electricity transmission, and through diversifying supply chains for critical minerals; and (8) is fully committed to the creation of more well-paying United States jobs through continued trade and investment with Canada.