US House passes Quad Bill, to strengthen ties with India, Australia, Japan

Washington, Feb 16 (PTI) The US House of Representatives has passed the Quad bill which instructs the Biden administration to establish a Quad Intra-Parliamentary Working Group to facilitate closer cooperation between the US, Australia, India and Japan.

Passed by a roll call vote of 379 to 39 votes, the ‘Strengthen US-Australia-India-Japan Cooperation’ or the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) bill says that the joint cooperation between the US, Australia, India and Japan should be strengthened.

It directs the State Department to submit to Congress, within 180 days of the bill's enactment, a strategy to increase engagement and cooperation with the Quad, and within 60 days of its enactment, to enter into negotiations with Japan, Australia and India to establish a Quad Intra-Parliamentary Working Group to facilitate closer cooperation.

It also would establish a US group, which would have a maximum of 24 members of Congress, to represent the US in the working group. It also would establish guidelines for annual meetings and group leadership. Under the bill, the group would be required to submit an annual report to the congressional foreign affairs committees.

Two Democratic lawmakers voted against the bill. One of them being Congresswoman Ilhan Omar from Minneapolis.

Introduced by Congressman Gregory Meeks, the bill requires the State Department to report to Congress a strategy for bolstering engagement and cooperation with the Quad.

The strategy shall address cooperation on issues including (1) preparing for the next pandemic, (2) co-developing new innovative technologies, and (3) deepening economic engagement and integration. PTI