Duckworth-Curtis Bipartisan Bill to Strengthen Coordination with Indo-Pacific Partners Passes Committee

Duckworth-Curtis Bipartisan Bill to Strengthen Coordination with Indo-Pacific Partners Passes Committee

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Bipartisan legislation led by U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and John Curtis (R-UT) to improve coordination between the United States and our partners in the Indo-Pacific successfully passed the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) today. With the threat of increasing aggression from the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the Indo-Pacific, the Senators' bipartisan South China Sea Strategy Act would ensure the State Department prioritizes diplomatic engagement to help our partners manage tensions involving the PRC to prevent them from escalating into full-blown crises that require military action. The SFRC will next favorably report the bipartisan Duckworth-Curtis legislation to the full Senate for consideration.

"Our nation must stay laser-focused on the Indo-Pacific, making sure we are working with our partners and using all the tools at our disposal to address threats in a sustainable way that prioritizes diplomacy," said Duckworth. "As a Pacific nation ourselves, the United States' national and economic security depend on a stable Indo-Pacific. By passing our bipartisan legislation through committee, we're sending a message to our partners that we're invested in working hand in hand with them to protect our mutual interests and security. I urge the Senate to pass this critical legislation as swiftly as possible."

"The Committee's approval today will help ensure the United States is better prepared to respond to potential challenges in the Indo-Pacific," said Senator Curtis. "By strengthening both diplomatic planning and strategic preparedness, this legislation takes an important step toward deterring conflict and promoting stability in the region. I look forward to its passage by the full Senate."

The Senators' bipartisan South China Sea Strategy Act would ensure that the U.S. Department of State is strategically engaging on the South China Sea with our allies and partners and coordinating with interagency partners to achieve our objectives. Specifically, it would direct the Department to:

• Designate lead responsibility for coordinating South China Sea diplomatic engagement;
• Establish a Strategy for Diplomatic Engagement on the South China Sea to outline the United States' objectives for engagement with allies and partners on all matters in the South China Sea, covering security, diplomatic, legal and economic issues;
• Address specific priority themes for engagement, including bolstering defense capabilities, reinforcing maritime law enforcement capacity building resilience to foreign malign influence and supporting economic development; and
• Establish a clear mechanism for interagency and international coordination on crisis management for scenarios short of war in the region.

The final text of the legislation is available on Senator Duckworth's website.

Duckworth is a proven leader when it comes to strengthening our relations with Indo-Pacific nations and improving security in the region-which she has done while successfully securing significant international investments in Illinois. This week, Duckworth secured numerous provisions aimed at strengthening our security and readiness in the Indo-Pacific region. Last month, Duckworth led a bipartisan CODEL to the Philippines and Singapore to discuss her efforts to redouble U.S. collaboration with our Indo-Pacific partners and ensure security in the region.

Three months ago, Duckworth slammed Donald Trump's reckless Iran war for being a gift to the PRC and for undermining our military readiness and security in the Indo-Pacific. Duckworth's Indo-Pacific Medical Readiness program-a program she championed in the FY2025 NDAA and continues to implement through provisions in this year's NDAA-will help ensure our nation's servicemembers as well as their families have access to quality patient care throughout the Indo-Pacific region, where they often must travel long distances to receive care.

Last year, Duckworth led official visits to South Korea and Japan to meet with government and economic leaders and discuss how the U.S. can better collaborate with our Indo-Pacific partners to enhance American shipbuilding capabilities and mutually strengthen each other's economies. Last year, Duckworth also led a bipartisan CODEL to the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore to reaffirm the United States' strong bipartisan commitment to our partners and allies in the Indo-Pacific region, as well as a visit to Taiwan to reaffirm support for the U.S.-Taiwan partnership and Illinois's preparedness for additional international investments similar to those she's already successfully secured in her previous international travels.

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