# Plain Language Summary of H. CON. RES. 64

This is a statement of Congress expressing that whenever the United States makes trade deals with other countries, those agreements should include provisions allowing Americans to search for and recover the remains of U.S. military members who went missing in past wars. The bill doesn't create any new laws or requirements—it's essentially Congress saying "we think this should happen" and sending that message to negotiators who work on trade agreements.

The bill points to a real problem: there are thousands of American service members still unaccounted for from major conflicts. Vietnam still has about 1,578 missing Americans, World War II has roughly 72,500 unaccounted for across Europe and Asia, and the Korean War has nearly 7,800 missing on the Korean Peninsula. Right now, when the Department of Defense wants to search for these missing service members in foreign countries, they have to negotiate separately with each nation through diplomatic channels. It's a slow, country-by-country process that can be complicated and inefficient.

The resolution suggests that countries willing to trade with America should also be willing to cooperate on these recovery missions. The idea is that if two countries have a trade relationship, they should have a transparent and efficient process for helping locate and recover American remains. This would theoretically make it easier for recovery teams to access sites, conduct searches, and bring service members home for proper burial and recognition.

Since this is a concurrent resolution rather than actual legislation, it doesn't force anything to happen immediately. Instead, it's Congress telling trade negotiators and the State Department that they should prioritize including these recovery provisions in future trade agreements. It's a symbolic but clear message about what Congress values when making deals with other nations.

Expressing the sense of Congress that all trade agreements the United States enters into, should provide reasonable access and collaboration of each nation involved in such an agreement, for the purpose of search and recovery activities relating to members of the United States Armed Forces still missing and unaccounted for from prior wars or military conflicts.

Thompson, Glenn

 <p>This concurrent resolution expresses the sense of Congress that all trade agreements the United States enters into with a foreign country should provide reasonable collaboration with that country for the purpose of search, investigation, and recovery activities for U.S. personnel missing and unaccounted for from prior wars or military conflicts.</p>