BRIANJ.MAST,FLORIDA CHAIRMAN JAMES LANGENDERFER STAFF DIRECTOR...

BRIANJ.MAST,FLORIDA

CHAIRMAN

JAMES LANGENDERFER

STAFF DIRECTOR

GREGORYW.MEEKS,NEW YORK

RANKING MEMBER

SAJITGANDHI

DEMOCRATICSTAFFDIRECTOR

One HundredNineteenth Congress

U.S. House of Representatives

Committee on Foreign Affairs

2170 Rayburn House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Donald Trump President of the United States

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Washington, DC 20500

June 17, 2025

We are writing to encourage and support your Administration’s diplomatic efforts in facilitating

engagement between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwandan leadership to

advance peace and responsible development across the African Great Lakes region. We fully

endorse the diplomatic efforts toward a cessation of hostilities and a framework for lasting peace.

We commend Secretary Marco Rubio’s and Senior Advisor Massad Boulos’ leadership in the

recent signing of Declaration of Principles between the foreign ministers of Rwanda and the

DRC. This agreement demonstrates that regional leaders are prepared to translate dialogue into

concrete action, and is a sign that American leadership, when resolute and strategic, create

conditions for lasting peace.

Security and peace must be paired with meaningful economic stability and growth. Access to

reliable electric power and basic infrastructure will facilitate the gains your administration is

accomplishing right now. As the DRC-Rwanda Statement of Principles and draft Peace

Agreement articulates, both nations are committed to expanding bilateral and regional economic

integration on shared priorities including hydropower development, the derisking of critical mineral

supply chains, and the creation of transparent, formalized, and licit mine-to-metal mineral value

chains, linking both countries in partnership with the U.S. government and U.S. investors.

Few efforts illustrate this objective more clearly than the Ruzizi III hydropower project — a

project that will deliver electricity to more than 30 million people across the DRC, Rwanda, and

Burundi. The project would provide needed support to the region and build genuine political and

economic cooperation between the three governments—offering a diplomatic and economic

dividend that is in America’s national interest.

We believe that U.S. diplomatic engagement in such projects complements peace negotiations

by:1.2.3.Solidifying Interdependence: Regional infrastructure reduces the risk of renewed

conflict by raising the economic and political costs of aggression.

Countering Malign Influence: By supporting transparent, responsibly financed projects,

the U.S. supports a credible alternative to state-driven investments from adversarial

nations—most notably China—that continue to threaten U.S. interests in the region,

exploit natural resources, disregard governance, and violate human rights.

Fostering Economic Opportunity: Expanded energy access enables the development of

critical mineral and rare earth metal supply chains—resources scarce in the U.S. but vital

to defense, manufacturing, and technological competitiveness in our nation. Reliable

power and infrastructure in the region allows for the responsible development of these

resources, strengthens U.S. supply chains, and creates a market incentive for mineral

processing and refining to return to American soil.

To bolster these efforts, we respectfully urge you and your administration to:

•Continue high-level engagement with the Economic Community of the Great Lakes

Countries (CEPGL) and national ministries to ensure the final administrative steps—such

as the signing of the tri-national Establishment Agreement of the “Community Enterprise

of the Great Lakes.”

•Coordinate with all stakeholders to amplify diplomatic pressure in the region to usher an

end to the conflict and advance the Ruzizi III project to financial close in 2025

considering most of the funding for the project has been committed by the World Bank

Group and other Western allies to the U.S (EU, UK government). The U.S. International

Development Finance Corporation may also wish to participate.

By pairing robust diplomacy with smart infrastructure alignment, the United States can advance

regional peace, American interests, and human dignity.

Thank you for your visionary leadership on this important matter. We look forward to your

continued leadership in promoting lasting peace, prosperity, and American interests.

Sincerely,

Brian J. Mast James R. Baird

Chairman Member of Congress