; Whereas, on September 17, 1987, the Senate adopted an amendment, by a bipartisan vote of 90 to 2, to S. 1174 (100th Congress), known as the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 1988 and 1989 , affirming the sense of the Senate that the policy of the United States toward Central America should be based on the principles of the Monroe Doctrine ; Whereas the National Security Strategy dated October 2022 states that no region impacts the United States more directly than the Western Hemisphere, and acknowledges the threat of external interference or coercion in the Western Hemisphere from the People’s Republic of China, the Russian Federation, and the Islamic Republic of Iran; Whereas the 2023 Posture Statement of the United States Southern Command acknowledges that external malign actors like the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation are aggressively exerting influence over neighboring countries in Latin America and the Caribbean and raises concerns about Iranian intelligence and security activities; Whereas the 2023 Posture Statement of the United States Southern Command notes that the People’s Republic of China is encroaching upon sensitive critical infrastructure in the Western Hemisphere through investments, including in deep-water ports, cyber facilities, and space facilities which can have a potential dual use for malign commercial and military activities; Whereas the 2023 Posture Statement of the United States Southern Command notes that the Russian Federation undertakes extensive disinformation campaigns in Latin America, bolsters authoritarian regimes like the Republic of Cuba, the Republic of Nicaragua, and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, and pursues military engagement and gray zone operations in this region