Congressman Castro’s PARTNER Act Passes the House with Bipartisan Support

September 02, 2025

Congressman Castro's PARTNER Act Passes the House with Bipartisan Support

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Representatives Joaquin Castro (D-TX) Young Kim (R-CA), Gregory Meeks (D-NY), Ed Case (D-HI), Aumua Amata Radewagen (R-AS), Johnny Olszewski (D-MD), Dusty Johnson (R-SD), Bill Foster (D-IL), and Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick's (D-FL) Providing Appropriate Recognition and Treatment to Enhance Relations Act, or the PARTNER Act, which extends privileges and immunities under the International Organizations Immunities Act to a group of international organizations critical to U.S. leadership and foreign policy priorities, passed the House with bipartisan support.

"The PARTNER Act is a concrete step to strengthen U.S. leadership, deepen our alliances, and keep America at the center of global diplomacy and science," said Congressman Castro (D-TX). "At a time when our competitors are working overtime to expand their influence in Asia, the Caribbean, the Pacific, and Africa, we cannot afford to sit back. I urge my colleagues in the Senate to pass this bill and get it on the President's desk."

"The Indo-Pacific is central to America's national and economic security-when we show up for our allies in the region, we win," said Congresswoman Kim (R-CA). "The PARTNER Act is a necessary reaffirmation of America's engagement with allies and partner organizations around the world. I'm proud to work alongside Rep. Castro to strengthen key partnerships and promote a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific."

"Extending privileges and immunities to these international organizations will help facilitate and deepen the United States' engagement with them," said Congressman Meeks (D-NY). "Our partnerships with ASEAN, PIF, CERN, CARICOM and the African Union's mission to the UN have been vital to a range of U.S. national security interests and will be greatly strengthened through this common-sense legislation. I thank Ranking Member Castro for his tireless efforts advancing this bill, as well as all Members who've worked in a bipartisan way to move it forward."

"Our country's Indo-Pacific Strategy states in no uncertain terms that no region is of more consequence to the world and to everyday Americans than the Indo-Pacific," said Congressman Case (D-HI). "The United States and our allies and partners around the world who are aligned with an international rules-based order share the common vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific whose governance, priorities, goals and prosperity are determined by the countries of the Indo-Pacific without manipulation and dominance by malicious actors. This is especially true of the Pacific Islands themselves, in the heart of the Pacific, which today face the challenges of increased natural disasters and human and drug trafficking, economic sustainability, threats to democracy and more. It is crucial that the United States continue to extend our hand of full partnership in assisting the countries of the Pacific to meet these challenges, as we have for generations."

"I'm happy to cosponsor the bipartisan PARTNER Act, which extends important diplomatic privileges to Pacific Islands Forum nations and other key international relationships. This is another way for the U.S. to show commitment and diplomatic engagement with nations throughout the strategic Pacific region and the world," said Congresswoman Radewagen (R-AS).

"The U.S. needs to collaborate globally to solve shared challenges, and the PARTNER Act will do just that-strengthening diplomacy and the institutions that build trust and cooperation among our allies and partners around the world," said Congressman Olszewski (D-MD). "I am also proud that this legislation includes my bipartisan African Union Diplomatic Parity Act, which deepens our partnership with the African Union and promotes American leadership across the continent."

"The exchange of knowledge and ideas across borders not only promotes peace, but also serves as a powerful instrument to address urgent global challenges," said Congressman Foster (D-IL). "As a physicist, I spent more than two decades working with colleagues from around the globe at Fermilab in Illinois, where scientific collaboration transcended national boundaries and helped us better understand the world around us. I'm proud that my colleagues came together to pass the PARTNER Act, which will help solidify our long-term partnership with CERN and maintain our nation's role as a leader in scientific research."

"The countless contributions of the Caribbean-American community can be felt and seen across South Florida," said Congresswoman Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL). "With the House passage of the PARTNER Act, we are strengthening our diplomatic engagement with CARICOM and laying the foundation for deeper economic, security, and cultural ties that will yield long-term, strategic benefits."

The Partner Act will

• Extend privileges and immunities to officials of three important regional international organizations-Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Caribbean Community (CARICOM), and the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), allowing these organizations to work independently and effectively.
• Extend privileges and immunities to the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), an international organization that is engaged in cutting edge physics research.
• Extend privileges and immunities to the African Union's Observer Mission to the United Nations, which addressed a gap in the current law that provides the African Union such privileges and immunities but not its Observer Mission to the United Nations.
• Demonstrate the United States' commitment to our partnerships and multilateral cooperation that advance our interests and values.

Similar legislation was introduced by Senators Risch, Duckworth, Ricketts, Cortez Masto, and Ernst to extend diplomatic privileges and immunities to ASEAN, CERN, and PIF earlier this year.

View the full text of the PARTNER Act here.

Congressman Castro speaks on the House floor in support of the PARTNER Act

Congressman Castro's Remarks (as delivered):

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the PARTNER Act.

This is a bipartisan bill-supported by colleagues on both sides of the aisle-that strengthens American diplomacy, science, and leadership in the world.

The PARTNER Act does something very simple but very important: it extends basic legal protections, known as "privileges and immunities," to several key international organizations that the United States works closely with, but that until now have lacked the same recognition that we give to other multilateral institutions.

Let me explain why this is very important.

These legal protections are not special favors. They are the standard tools that allow international organizations to do their work effectively and independently. They protect institutions from lawsuits, taxation, or other interference that could disrupt their missions-while still ensuring that individuals remain accountable for their private actions.

And they are reciprocal. Just as American diplomats and officials enjoy these protections when we serve in international organizations abroad, we extend them to our partners here in the United States. It's the basic infrastructure of diplomacy.

Why is this bill important right now?

First, our strategic interests in the Indo-Pacific. ASEAN-the Association of Southeast Asian Nations-is central to U.S. engagement in Asia.

Recognizing its diplomatic status here in the United States shows our commitment to the region's future and to working with our Asian partners on equal footing.

Second, the Western Hemisphere, of which we are part, obviously is incredibly important to the United States.

CARICOM-the Caribbean Community-plays a crucial role in democratic governance, regional security, and disaster preparedness.

Extending privileges and immunities supports CARICOM as a unified voice for the Caribbean and strengthens U.S. ties to a region where our influence should be felt through real, consistent engagement.

Third, science and technology leadership.

CERN, which is the European Organization for Nuclear Research, is one of the world's premier scientific institutions. It is partnering with U.S. researchers on the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment, a $3 billion project based right here in the United States.

This is some of the most important and cutting-edge physics research in the world that will, hopefully, allow us to better understand the universe.

By extending privileges and immunities, we can speed up the timeline for this groundbreaking work, control costs, and ensure that American scientists remain at the forefront of discovery.

Fourth, our Pacific and African partners. This bill authorizes the President to extend protections to the Pacific Islands Forum-a vital regional body in the South Pacific where small island nations are on the front lines of climate change and facing significant diplomatic overtures by China.

And the bill fixes a gap in U.S. law by ensuring the African Union's Observer Mission to the United Nations in New York receives the same recognition as the AU itself.

Taken together, these provisions make clear that the United States values our partnerships and will invest in multilateral cooperation that advances our interests and our values.

Mr. Speaker, Congress has extended privileges and immunities before-to the European Union, to the African Union, and of course to the United Nations and the Organization of American States.

This bill simply applies the same standard to other organizations that the United States works with every single day.

At a time when our competitors are working overtime to expand their influence in Asia, the Caribbean, the Pacific, and Africa, we cannot afford to sit back.

The PARTNER Act is a concrete step to strengthen U.S. leadership, deepen our alliances, and keep America at the center of global diplomacy and science.

I want to thank all of my colleagues-Democrat and Republican-for their leadership and for their work on this bill.

This bill has broad bipartisan support. It's good for American diplomacy, good for American science, and good for American leadership in the world.

I urge all of my colleagues to vote yes on the PARTNER Act, and I reserve the balance of my time.