To amend the preamble.

SA 4141. Mr. THUNE (for Mr. Merkley (for himself and Mr. Daines))
proposed an amendment to the resolution S. Res. 321, commemorating 30
years of diplomatic relations between the United States and Vietnam on
July 11, 2025; as follows:

Strike the preamble and insert the following:
Whereas, since the end of the Vietnam War, hundreds of
thousands of Vietnamese have resettled in and built vibrant
communities across the United States, which contribute to the
rich diversity of our Nation;
Whereas joint efforts across the administrations of
President Ronald Reagan and President George H. W. Bush to
address questions surrounding United States servicemembers
missing in action (MIA) set the foundation for the
normalization of bilateral relations between the United
States and Vietnam;
Whereas, between 1991 and 1993, the Select Committee on
POW/MIA Affairs of the Senate conducted public hearings and
issued an extensive report on prisoner of war (POW) and MIA
issues, helping to lay the domestic political foundation for
subsequent breakthroughs in United States-Vietnam relations;
Whereas efforts to identify and return the remains of
service members missing in action on both the United States
and Vietnamese sides, alongside unexploded ordnance removal,
dioxin remediation, disability programs supporting survivors
impacted by these war remnants, and efforts to continue
public education on these topics have contributed to ongoing
war legacy programs, which are a vital component of the
bilateral relationship between Vietnam and the United States;
Whereas section 521 of the Foreign Relations Authorization
Act, Fiscal Years 1994 and 1995 (Public Law 103-236)
expressed the Senate's support for the normalization of
relations with Vietnam and sent an important political signal
to the Executive branch on moving ahead with diplomatic
normalization;
Whereas, on February 4, 1994, President Bill Clinton lifted
the trade embargo, which had been in place since the end of
the Vietnam War, paving the way for the announcement of a
normalization of relations between the United States and
Vietnam on July 11, 1995;
Whereas significant progress has been made in the bilateral
relationship since the normalization of diplomatic relations
between the United States and Vietnam, leading to cooperation
between the governments and peoples of the United States and
Vietnam in an array of areas, extending to political,
economic, and cultural ties;
Whereas, in January of 2001, Congress passed the bipartisan
Vietnam Education Foundation Act of 2000 (title II of
division B of Public Law 106-554) to promote reconciliation
between the United States and Vietnam through an
international exchange program between the 2 countries, which
allowed Vietnamese nationals to pursue advanced studies in
the United States and United States citizens to teach in the
fields of science, mathematics, medicine, and technology in
Vietnam;
Whereas, in September and October of 2001, respectively,
the House of Representatives and the Senate approved measures
to implement a bilateral trade agreement negotiated during
the Presidency of Bill Clinton, which was subsequently signed
into law by President George W. Bush on October 3, 2001;
Whereas, in December 2006, Congress granted permanent
normal trade relations status to Vietnam under title IV of
division D of the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006
(Public Law 109-432);
Whereas, on July 25, 2013, President Barack Obama and
Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang agreed to establish a
comprehensive partnership between Vietnam and the United
States based on the principles of respect for the United
Nations Charter, international law, respect for political
institutions, independence and sovereignty, and each other's
territorial integrity;
Whereas, on May 23, 2016, President Barack Obama announced
the removal of remaining United States restrictions on the
sale of lethal weapons and related services to Vietnam,
following President George W. Bush's 2007 decision to permit
case-by-case sales of nonlethal defense items and defense
services and President Obama's 2014 decision to partially
ease United States restrictions on the transfer of lethal
weapons and articles to Vietnam;
Whereas President Donald Trump became the first United
States President to visit Vietnam twice in one presidential
term, including a November 2017 state visit during which
President Trump and Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang--
(1) concluded a 3-year Plan of Action for Defense
Cooperation to increase bilateral naval activities;
(2) agreed on the first visit of a United States aircraft
carrier (the USS Carl Vinson) to Vietnam since the end of the
Vietnam War;
(3) reaffirmed the importance of freedom of navigation,
overflight, and unfettered commerce in the South China Sea
and a bilateral commitment to a rules-based approach to
resolving maritime disputes;
(4) celebrated the conclusion of a joint effort to clean
dioxin-contaminated soil and sediment in Da Nang, Vietnam;
(5) welcomed the United States' commitment to contribute to
dioxin remediation efforts at Bien Hoa Airport; and
(6) pledged to increase bilateral trade and investment
relations, including $12,000,000,000 in commercial
agreements;
Whereas, on September 10, 2023, President Joe Biden and
General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong issued a Joint Communique
that--
(1) upgraded the bilateral relationship between the United
States and Vietnam to the level of Comprehensive Strategic
Partnership;
(2) celebrated the expansion of dioxin remediation at Bien
Hoa Air Base, extending the bilateral partnership agreement
into 2028, and expanding unexploded ordnance tracking and
clearance activities;
(3) recognized considerable progress made in the bilateral
relationship in a short, 10-year period; and
(4) underscored fundamental principles guiding United
States-Vietnam relations and respect for each other's
independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity;
Whereas, on October 26, 2025, the United States and Vietnam
agreed to a Framework for an Agreement on Reciprocal, Fair
and Balanced Trade, which will bolster United States national
and economic security, expand bilateral trade, and strengthen
supply chain security;
Whereas the United States and Vietnam have formed a
partnership in promoting peace, cooperation, prosperity, and
security in the Indo-Pacific region, including by--
(1) recognizing the strategic importance of free and open
access to the South China Sea; and
(2) continuing programs initiated during the
administrations of President Obama, President Trump, and
President Biden to help Vietnam enhance its maritime
capabilities;
Whereas, throughout these positive developments, Congress
has consistently offered strong bipartisan support for the
continuation and eventual completion of war legacy programs
in Vietnam as the basis on which the bilateral relationship
was established 30 years ago;
Whereas the United States and Vietnam will continue to
deepen cooperation in a wide range of areas, including
political and diplomatic relations, economic trade and
investment, science and technology, education and health,
cultural and people-to-people ties, defense and security,
regional and global issues, and the promotion and protection
of internationally-recognized human rights, to ensure the
interests of the people in the United States and in Vietnam
and to contribute to peace, stability, cooperation, and
prosperity around the world: Now, therefore, be it
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