Congressman Krishnamoorthi Participates In Ninth Summit Of The Americas With Congressional Delegation Led By Speaker Pelosi
SCHAUMBURG, IL – Last week in Los Angeles, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi joined Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's Congressional delegation attending the Ninth Summit of the Americas, the only meeting between national leaders of the North and South American continents and a critical forum to discuss and address the region's shared challenges and opportunities. The United States served as host and chair for the first time since the inaugural event in Miami in 1994. The summit's topics include building and supporting strong and inclusive democratic governments, promoting green and equitable policies, improving pandemic response and resilience, and addressing the causes of migration. As the only U.S. Representative from Illinois attending the event, Congressman Krishnamoorthi focused on issues including trade, economic security, and climate change in terms of their effects on Illinois in meetings with officials including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness, and U.S. Special Climate Envoy John Kerry. The Americas form the backbone of Illinois' overseas customer base. Illinois' largest export partner is Canada, which imported $17.7 billion in goods from the state in 2018, while Mexico imported $10.2 billion in Illinoisan goods and South and Central America imported a combined $5.1 billion in goods from Illinois,according to the Office of the United States Trade Representative.
"I was proud to represent our nation and the State of Illinois at the Summit of the Americas as we address crucial challenges facing our local communities as well as our hemisphere as a whole," Congressman Krishnamoorthi said. "In my meetings with foreign leaders and other American officials, I emphasized the importance of addressing the current economic and environmental challenges we're facing in ways that don't place an undue burden on working families. The growth of inclusive international trade and collective climate action are essential for our nation in the century ahead, but as we work with our partners across the Americas, it's essential that we ensure that those efforts and our transition to the economy of the future come at the benefit of middle-class families and not at their expense."
Congressman Krishnamoorthi questioning Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau