Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), who serves on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and Senate Finance Committee, and Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and co-chair of the Senate Quad Caucus, have introduced the Quad Economic Security Act. This legislation aims to enhance collaboration among the Quad nations — Australia, India, Japan, and the United States — focusing on securing strategic supply chains, protecting critical infrastructure, and countering economic coercion.
Bennet emphasized the importance of the Quad in promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific, stating that amid increasing threats to economic security, the four democracies must act collectively to address shared challenges.
Ricketts highlighted that partnerships like the Quad represent a key strength in safeguarding a free and open Indo-Pacific. He noted that it is time to move the Quad beyond theoretical discussions and transform it into a mechanism for concrete action. As co-chair of the Senate Quad Caucus, he expressed pride in supporting the Quad Economic Security Act, which seeks to improve coordination with Quad partners on major economic issues, including securing critical infrastructure, enhancing supply chain resilience, and countering economic coercion. The bill also aims to better equip the U.S. to respond to illegal, coercive, aggressive, and deceptive actions by the Chinese Communist Party.
The Quad Economic Security Act mandates the Secretaries of State and Commerce to initiate negotiations with other Quad countries to establish an Economic Security Working Group within the Quad framework.
The bill outlines that the Working Group should:
– Serve as a platform to coordinate efforts to secure critical infrastructure and strengthen supply chain resilience;
– Conduct crisis simulation exercises to better prepare for economic coercion and supply chain disruptions; and
– Function as a collective emergency response mechanism in cases of economic coercion and supply chain disruptions.
Additionally, the bill directs the Secretaries to encourage the Working Group to collaborate with other regional partners to enhance shared economic security, including cooperation on capacity-building related to securing port infrastructure and undersea cables.
The Quad originated from the “Tsunami Core Group,” formed by the four countries after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami to coordinate emergency response and humanitarian assistance. The Quad was revitalized during the first Trump administration and later elevated to the leaders’ level under the Biden administration, which also expanded the group’s scope of work. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s first meeting after assuming office was with the Quad foreign ministers, with whom he met again earlier this month.
Bennet has been a leading advocate for strengthening strategic cooperation with global allies and partners to advance U.S. national security, including through the Quad.
In June 2025, Bennet and Senator Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) introduced the Quad Space Act to enhance Quad space cooperation in addressing shared challenges — such as China’s reckless behavior in space — by ensuring safer and more secure space missions, tracking objects and activities in space, and promoting shared innovation.
Amid China’s escalating aggressive and coercive tactics, Bennet recently introduced bipartisan legislation to bolster Taiwan’s self-defense and strengthen the AUKUS partnership between Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Additionally, as part of last year’s National Defense Authorization Act, Bennet secured passage of the Coordinating AUKUS Engagement with Japan Act, which requires the Department of Defense and State Department to assess how Japan can contribute to AUKUS.
Bennet and U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy (R-La.) are leading the bicameral and bipartisan Americas Act, which represents the only major strategic economic plan aimed at countering China’s geopolitical and economic influence in the Western Hemisphere. Bennet also played a key role in securing the April 2024 passage of the national security supplemental aid package, which included critical funds to support partners such as Ukraine and Taiwan and allies like the Philippines.