The United States hosted the Ninth Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles on June 6-10, 2022. The Summits of the Americas, held roughly every three years since 1994, serve as opportunities for the Western Hemisphere’s heads of government to engage directly with one another and address issues of collective concern. The official theme of the summit was “Building a Sustainable, Resilient, and Equitable Future.” However, much of the media attention in the lead-up to the meeting focused on which leaders would attend. As the summit was about to start, the Biden Administration announced the authoritarian governments of Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela would be excluded, leading Mexico and a few other countries to send lower-level delegations and St. Vincent and the Grenadines to boycott the meeting.
Ultimately, 23 of the hemisphere’s 35 heads of government participated in the summit, along with representatives of eight other countries. Three official stakeholder forums occurred alongside the summit, bringing together civil society, youth, and private sector representatives to discuss regional challenges and interact with the assembled leaders. Many in Congress have expressed interest in the Los Angeles summit and in efforts to strengthen hemispheric ties. The Senate adopted a resolution (S.Res. 120) recognizing the summit and reaffirming the U.S. commitment to the hemisphere; the Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a hearing to assess the prospects for enhanced cooperation; and Members of both houses, including the Speaker, traveled to Los Angeles to observe the proceedings and meet with regional leaders. Some Members also introduced measures in advance of the summit that would seek to enhance economic ties (S.Res. 661 and H.R. 7935), support democratic governance (S. 4285), and increase energy security (H.R. 7934) in the hemisphere. Moving forward, Congress may consider those measures and/or other legislation, including appropriations, to support the multilateral commitments and U.S. policy initiatives announced in Los Angeles.
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