Delegate to Congress Stacey Plaskett, a Member of the House Ways and Means Committee, announced Tuesday that she has introduced legislation along with Republican Congressman Brad Wenstrup that seeks to strengthen U.S.-Caribbean trade and economic relations.

“I am very pleased to share that I have introduced a Resolution in the House of Representatives with my colleague Representative Brad Wenstrup, focused on strengthening U.S. trade and economic ties with the Caribbean basin,” Ms. Plaskett said of the measure, called the Caribbean Trade Resolution.

“Since the second Bush Administration, the Caribbean region has been known as the United States’ Third Border. Although there have been numerous efforts to engage and build effective trade policies between the U.S. and the Third Border, Rep. Wenstrup and I are endeavoring to re-engage the Biden Administration, stressing the importance of the economic partnership between the United States and the Caribbean region, and strengthening U.S. trade and investment ties with the Caribbean, including Haiti,” she said.

The Resolution resolves that the House of Representatives:

• Urges the president to prioritize trade engagement with the Caribbean;
• Commits to engage directly with diverse stakeholders from the Caribbean;
• Affirms trade engagement that strengthens the economic relationship between the Caribbean and the U.S.;
• Recognizes the importance of further enhancing trade and investment relations;
• Commits to support efforts to rebuild and develop the Haitian economy; and
• Commits to support critical U.S. trade policies and preference programs for the Caribbean.

Ms. Plaskett added, “Strong economic ties between the U.S. and the Caribbean region helps American stewardship of the Western Hemisphere, where we want to support budding democracies on our doorstep and create mutually beneficial economic stability with our neighbors.  Our overall trade agenda is well served by agreements like the 2013 Trade and Investment Framework Agreement between the U.S. and the Caribbean Community, as well as important trade preference programs like the U.S.–Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act (CBTPA) and the HOPE/HELP access programs for Haiti.

Mr. Wenstrup said, “I strongly support continuing our mutually beneficial trade relationship with our Caribbean partners. I’m pleased to join my colleague, Rep. Stacey Plaskett, in offering this resolution highlighting the value of maintaining U.S. trade and investment ties with the Caribbean nations, including Haiti. Programs like the Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act (CBTPA) and the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement Act (HOPE-HELP) Program, are critical pieces of our overall trade policy agenda and these underpin the U.S.-Caribbean economic relationship.”

Ms. Plaskett and Mr. Wenstrup are working for passage of the resolution “in the near term during this current session of Congress.” If passed in the House, the resolution becomes the position of the U.S. House of Representatives about trade engagement with the Caribbean.”

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