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.

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- VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:21 Feb 08, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR98.IH HR98 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 98 IH 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; VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:21 Feb 08, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR98.IH HR98 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •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; VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:21 Feb 08, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR98.IH HR98 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HRES 98 IH 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 (1) reaffirms its commitment to strengthening 2 the historic partnership between the United States 3 and the Dominican Republic based on shared demo- 4 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:21 Feb 08, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR98.IH HR98 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •HRES 98 IH cratic values and efforts to advance economic pros- 1 perity and national security; 2 (2) encourages continued actions by the Gov- 3 ernment of the Dominican Republic to assume a re- 4 gional leadership role in promoting human rights, 5 democratic values, and humanitarian assistance; 6 (3) calls for further steps to strengthen co- 7 operation between the Governments of the United 8 States and the Dominican Republic on issues of 9 shared strategic interest, including— 10 (A) by assisting the Dominican Republic in 11 its post-COVID–19 economic recovery, includ- 12 ing through support for United States and glob- 13 al initiatives that help developing countries re- 14 cover financial sustainability and attain equi- 15 table access to international financial markets; 16 (B) by developing and implementing 17 nearshoring initiatives in the Caribbean Basin 18 to realign international supply chains and 19 strengthen the Dominican Republic’s standing 20 as a significant industrial, manufacturing, and 21 logistical hub, including through cooperation on 22 infrastructure development such as ports, power 23 grids, and at free trade zones; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:21 Feb 08, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR98.IH HR98 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 6 •HRES 98 IH (C) facilitating the expansion of economic 1 and commercial ties, including by prioritizing 2 bilateral development project financing and the 3 formation of a United States-Dominican Repub- 4 lic Business Council; 5 (D) by supporting and developing collabo- 6 rative efforts to mitigate and adapt to the ef- 7 fects of climate change, including promoting de- 8 velopment and strengthening the U.S.-Carib- 9 bean Partnership to Address the Climate Crisis 10 2030 and similar initiatives; 11 (E) by improving security cooperation be- 12 tween the two countries, including in addressing 13 narcotics and human trafficking, dismantling 14 money laundering networks, and strengthening 15 professional law enforcement and criminal jus- 16 tice institutions; and 17 (F) by increasing cooperation with the Do- 18 minican Republic and other international part- 19 ners to promote stability in Haiti, address Hai- 20 ti’s humanitarian crisis, and facilitate political 21 solutions supported by the Haitian people; 22 (4) urges the Government of the Dominican Re- 23 public to continue taking steps to address the inher- 24 ent human rights, security, and data privacy risks 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:21 Feb 08, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR98.IH HR98 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 7 •HRES 98 IH posed by reliance on technology from the People’s 1 Republic of China, including Huawei components, in 2 telecommunication networks; 3 (5) commends efforts by President Abinader to 4 strengthen the political independence of the Attorney 5 General’s Office and institutionalize anti-corruption 6 reforms; and 7 (6) calls on the Department of State and the 8 United States Agency for International Development 9 to continue to support the efforts of the Government 10 of the Dominican Republic to respond to the human- 11 itarian needs of Haitian migrants in the Dominican 12 Republic. 13 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:21 Feb 08, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR98.IH HR98 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS