{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.duckworth.senate.gov/news/press-releases/duckworth-discusses-ndaa-priorities-to-strengthen-indo-pacific-partnerships-with-filipino-ambassador-to-the-united-states-jose-manuel-g-romualdez", "Duckworth Discusses NDAA Priorities to Strengthen Indo-Pacific Partnerships with Filipino Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel G. Romualdez", "2024-12-19", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "IL", "Tammy Duckworth", "D000622", "www.duckworth.senate.gov", "duckworth", "https://www.duckworth.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "[WASHINGTON, D.C.] \u2013 U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)\u2014a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee and U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee\u2014met yesterday with Filipino Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel G. Romualdez. In their meeting, the two discussed their shared ongoing priorities as well as some of the ways Senator Duckworth is working to strengthen the alliance between the U.S. and the Philippines while bolstering security in the Indo-Pacific region through the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which passed the Senate yesterday and now heads to the President\u2019s desk for his signature. Photos of the meeting can be found on the Senator\u2019s website.\n\n\u201cI was glad to meet with Ambassador Romualdez to discuss the different ways we can keep working together to further strengthen the U.S.-Philippine Alliance,\u201d said Senator Duckworth. \u201cDuring our conversation, I\u2019m glad I had a chance to share some of the provisions I secured in this year\u2019s bipartisan defense bill that will help grow our strategic partnerships in the region while expanding medical readiness for U.S. servicemembers. I look forward to continuing to work together with our friends in the Philippines and across the region to ensure security and prosperity throughout the Indo-Pacific.\u201d\n\nIn the FY2025 NDAA, Duckworth secured several provisions to enhance strategic partnerships and advance U.S. priorities in the Indo-Pacific, including a provision to improve medical readiness for our servicemembers in the Indo-Pacific\u2014which is a modified version of Duckworth\u2019s Access to Care for Overseas Troops Act. Additionally, a Duckworth-led provision in this year\u2019s NDAA would reinforce the U.S.-Vietnam Relationship by extending the duration of the Vietnam Wartime Accounting Initiative and clarifying the purpose of the cooperative program to expand its activities.\n\nDuckworth is a proven leader when it comes to strengthening our relations with Indo-Pacific nations and improving security in the region\u2014which she has done while successfully securing significant international investments in Illinois. In July, Duckworth made an official visit to Laos and Vietnam to reinforce America\u2019s commitment to our partners in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), strengthening U.S.-ASEAN economic ties and building on the foundations of the U.S.-Laos relationship. In May, she led a bipartisan U.S. Senate delegation to Taiwan to underscore and reaffirm our nation\u2019s strong bipartisan support for the Taiwanese people. Last year, Duckworth visited the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia to meet with government and business leaders and discuss opportunities that would increase cooperation in areas of mutual interest, such as economic investments, regional stability and national security. Additionally, Duckworth led an official visit to Japan and Indonesia last year as part of her continuing efforts to strengthen ties and reinforce support between allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region and the United States.\n\n-30-", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.duckworth.senate.gov/news/press-releases/duckworth-discusses-ndaa-priorities-to-strengthen-indo-pacific-partnerships-with-filipino-ambassador-to-the-united-states-jose-manuel-g-romualdez"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4913759659975767, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}