WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Ted Cruz (R-TX), and Jacky Rosen (D-NV) released the following statements after their U.S. Legal Gold and Mining Partnership Act, which would require a comprehensive strategy from the U.S. Secretary of State to combat illicit gold mining in the Western Hemisphere, passed the Senate Foreign Relations Committee:

“Criminal organizations and authoritarian actors will do whatever it takes to enrich themselves, and that includes illegally mining and trafficking gold throughout Latin America,” said Sen. Cornyn. “By fostering greater cooperation between the State Department, partner governments, and the private sector, this legislation would help combat the threat illicit gold mining poses to the Western Hemisphere and ensure this illegal activity that bankrolls cartels is rooted out once and for all.”

“Illicit gold mining leads to human rights abuses, organized crime, and instability,” said Sen. Kaine. “I’m glad that the Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed our bipartisan legislation to combat illegal mining in our neighborhood. I look forward to working with my colleagues to get this bill across the finish line and boost prosperity and security in the hemisphere.”

“America’s enemies use illicit gold mining to launder money, evade sanctions, and finance terrorism, undermining American national security and the safety of Americans and our allies,” said Sen. Cruz. “This legislation will provide new tools to counter these dangers. I commend my colleagues on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for advancing this bill, and I urge the Senate to swiftly pass this legislation.”

“Advancing this bipartisan bill is an important step towards developing a strategy to cut off a key source of funding for bad actors in the Western Hemisphere,” said Sen. Rosen. “Cartels illicitly mine and traffick gold to fund their criminal activities, and collaboration between the State Department, partner governments, and the private sector can help us combat this and improve security and stability in our region.”

Background:

The illicit mining and trafficking of gold is used to finance transnational criminal organizations and other bad actors, and negatively impacts the region’s security and economic dynamics.

The U.S. Legal Gold and Mining Partnership Act would:

• Require the State Department and other relevant departments to develop a comprehensive multi-year strategy to counter illicit gold mining in the Western Hemisphere;
• Direct key agencies to conduct an investigation of and briefing on the illicit gold trade in Venezuela;
• And require the Secretary of State to establish a public-private partnership to build responsible gold value chains.