Ranking Member Krishnamoorthi Celebrates House Passage of Resolution Affirming Ties Between the U.S. and the Philippines

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – Today, Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party issued the following statement on passage of H. Res. 837. This resolution reaffirms the United States’ commitment to invoke the 1951 U.S.-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty if Philippine assets are attacked in the South China Sea. The resolution also calls on the United States and the Philippines to begin joint patrols in the South China Sea, objects to Chinese sovereignty claims to the South China Sea, and continues the Biden Administration’s efforts to implement the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement.

Ranking Member Krishnamoorthi co-sponsored the bill along with 41 other members of the U.S. House of Representatives. This resolution was sponsored by Congressmen Bobby Scott (VA-03) and James Moylan (GU-AL), the co-chairs of the U.S.-Philippines Friendship Caucus.

“The passage of this resolution reaffirms America’s commitment to upholding freedom of navigation and the rules-based international order in the Indo-Pacific region,” said Ranking Member Krishnamoorthi. “Through close collaboration with the Philippines, we will deter coercion, protect sovereignty, and ensure that the South China Sea remains a region of peace, stability, and prosperity for all.”