Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.), alongside U.S. Representatives Maria Salazar (R-Fla.), Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.), and Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) introduced the Americas Act to create an ever-expanding and permanent trade partnership across the Western Hemisphere and counter China’s growing influence in the region. The Americas Act is the only major strategic economic plan to counter China’s geopolitical and economic power in the Hemisphere and increase safety and stability to decrease regional migration.
“No region has greater ties to the United States than the Western Hemisphere. Yet in recent years we have failed to offer the region a compelling economic alternative to China’s growing influence. This bill changes that. It creates an opportunity for the United States to renew our partnerships across Latin America and the Caribbean, strengthen the rule of law, deepen economic prosperity, and embrace our values in a shared struggle for democracy,” said Bennet.
“We need to relevel the playing field between freedom-loving democracies and those who exploit the rules like China. We do that by refocusing on the Western Hemisphere to improve trade, bring manufacturing back to our shores, and end China’s growing influence,” said Cassidy. “Our Americas Act will make economies across the hemisphere more resilient, governments more stable, and our hemisphere more prosperous.”
“It’s past time we unleash the full economic potential of the United States and Latin America. The Americas Act is THE solution to grow our economy and bring stability to the hemisphere,” said Salazar. “This bill will create world-class business opportunities and jobs in Miami, help our allies in Latin America, build resiliency for American supply chains, and combat China’s influence.”
“At its core, the Americas Act is a multi-billion-dollar job creation tool for the U.S. and its allies in Latin America and the Caribbean,” said Espaillat. “With its reshoring and nearshoring loans, tax benefits, and other targeted grant assistance for workers at home and in our Western Hemisphere partner countries, the Americas Act will bring jobs and investment back to our Hemisphere and stem the root causes of migration by putting more money into the pockets of working families. Importantly, by creating grant programs for both textiles and medical devices and equipment, this bill directly bolsters two of the largest and most important export industries for the U.S.’s current Western Hemisphere trade partners, including the Dominican Republic. All in all, the Americas Act represents the most transformative piece of legislation to benefit the Western Hemisphere in two decades.”
“If our reliance on Chinese manufacturing and our lack of sufficient domestic and ally production are not properly addressed, our supply chain will remain at risk of manipulation by the CCP, putting Americans in danger,” said Gallagher. “We must encourage key industries to start diversifying their supply chains. Because if we find ourselves in a confrontation with China over Taiwan, American consumers are going to absorb a lot of pain—all the more reason we need to be smart about this on the front end.”
More than 60 million Americans are of Hispanic descent, making the U.S. the fourth-largest Spanish-speaking country in the world. Together, the Western Hemisphere grows enough food and produces enough critical minerals to sustain every country in the Americas.
Last year, Bennet urged the United States to deepen its ties with Latin America on trade, supply chains, climate, and immigration during the Inaugural Cities Summit of the Americas in Denver. In his speech, Bennet warned of the consequences of allowing the Chinese Communist Party to fill the void left by the United States’ decades-long neglect of the region. In September 2023, Bennet and Cassidy spoke to the Council of the Americas about the Americas Act. During that conversation, the senators highlighted the need to reassert U.S. leadership in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The text of the bill is available HERE. A section-by-section summary is available HERE.