Representative Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.) made a motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 1263, the “Strengthening the Quad Act,” which would, in part, direct the U.S. secretary of state to “enter into negotiations with the Governments of Australia, India, and Japan (collectively, with the United States, known as the ‘Quad’) with the goal of reaching a written agreement to establish a Quad Inter-Parliamentary Working Group to facilitate closer cooperation on shared interests and values.”
The House agreed to Huizenga’s motion on May 19, 2025 by a vote of 334 to 51 (Roll Call 132). We have assigned pluses to the nays because establishing a Quad Inter-Parliamentary Working Group risks creating a permanent framework that deepens U.S. political and military entanglements in the Indo-Pacific, similar to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. This would contravene the Founders’ original intent of avoiding entangling alliances and risk undermining Congress’ constitutional powers by gradually committing the nation to collective-security obligations without proper debate or a declaration of war. Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution grants Congress — not the executive branch or a regional international body — the power to declare war and regulate foreign affairs.
