Whereas the United States maintains a strategic alliance with numerous countries located in the Gulf region and specifically enjoys a strong relationship and partnership with the member nations of the Gulf Cooperative Council (GCC); Whereas the GCC is a regional political and economic union consisting of its member states of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) formally established by the Charter of the Gulf Cooperation Council on May 25, 1981; Whereas the United States respects the state sovereignty of all member states in the GCC; Whereas the GCC has been a stabilizing force since 1981 in the aftermath of the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran and the turbulence following the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq War in 1980; Whereas the founding charter of the GCC emphasized the integration and interconnection of economics, education, and culture among members designed to respond to concerns that Iran would emerge as a political, ideological, and economic power; Whereas, on June 5, 2017, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt officially cut diplomatic ties with Qatar, a member state of the GCC, resulting in a cessation of diplomatic relations, closed borders and airspace with Qatar, and a blockade that has now stretched longer than one year, and creating increased tensions between members of the GCC, as well as with other United States allies in the region; Whereas Qatar’s isolation by these countries has created a diplomatic crisis in the Gulf region challenging the unity of nations that comprise the GCC, as well as the security of the entire region; Whereas, on January 13, 2019, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated that the rift between Qatar and its Gulf neighbors had gone on for too long and was threatening regional unity needed to counter Iran ; Whereas Secretary Pompeo also noted that Gulf unity was essential for a planned Middle East Strategic Alliance (MESA) that would also include Jordan and Egypt