Sponsor
Tammy Baldwin
Senator · D-WI
Senator · D-WI
The bill would reduce deaths, injuries, and displacement from landmines/UXO and support survivors and U.S. partnerships, but it requires additional taxpayer funding and risks diverting scarce humanitarian resources or offering symbolic commitments without clear delivery.
Residents of mine/UXO‑contaminated areas (especially rural and displaced communities, including children) gain safer land, fewer deaths/injuries, and improved ability to return home — supporting food security, school attendance, and local economic recovery.
U.S. security and service members and partner nations benefit because clearing explosive hazards reduces risks to forces operating overseas and strengthens security partnerships.
Survivors of mines/UXO gain access to rehabilitation, vocational support, and other assistance through existing U.S. programs (e.g., Leahy War Victims Fund), improving livelihoods and social inclusion.
Expanding demining and UXO programs will require additional taxpayer‑funded foreign assistance and could increase federal spending.
Prioritizing large‑scale clearance in particular countries could divert limited humanitarian and reconstruction funds from other urgent needs or regions, harming low‑income populations and straining state/implementing budgets.
Commemorative or country‑specific recognition language risks being symbolic if not paired with guaranteed new funding, clear timelines, or measurable commitments for clearance.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Expresses congressional findings and purposes about the harms of landmines/UXO, recognizes affected regions/communities, and cites international conventions and observances.
Official title: Recognizing April 4, 2025, as the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action, and reaffirming the leadership of the United States in eliminating landmines and unexploded ordnance.
Introduced April 30, 2025 by Tammy Baldwin · Last progress April 30, 2025
Declares congressional findings about the humanitarian, developmental, and security harms caused by landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO), highlights global scope and U.S. assistance, and recalls relevant international treaties, observances, and regional contamination (including legacy UXO in Southeast Asia and contamination tied to Russian aggression in Ukraine). Recognizes affected communities, commemorates the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, and notes the UN International Day for Mine Awareness.