U.S. Participation in the G7 and the G20

Contents

• Overview
• Historical Context
• Meetings and Outcomes
• U.S. Participation and the Role of Congress
• 2026 Summits
• G7 Summit
• G20 Summit
• Policy Options for Congress

Overview

Governments engage formally through international organizations and less formally through international forums to coordinate economic and foreign policies. International organizations, such as the United Nations (UN) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), are governed by official international agreements and have permanent offices with staff implementing and managing such agreements.

The Group of 7 (G7) and the Group of 20 (G20), in contrast, are informal forums for advancing international cooperation and coordination about economic and foreign policy issues. The G7 comprises seven economically developed democracies—Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom (UK), and the United States—as well as the European Union (EU). G20 membership includes a mix of economically developed and emerging-market countries: the G7 members as well as Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey (Türkiye), and the African Union (AU) (Figure 1).¹

Figure 1. G7 and G20 Members

Source: Map created by CRS. Note: The European Union (EU) is a member of the G7 and the G20. The African Union (AU) is a member of the G20.

Leaders of the G7 and G20 countries generally meet annually at summits, and lower-level officials meet throughout the year. The forums initially focused on international economic and financial issues and over time have expanded to include a range of foreign policy issues. The G7 and G20 do not have permanent headquarters or staff and have at times worked in conjunction with formal international organizations. For example, G7 and G20 leaders have invited the heads of international organizations to participate in meetings, requested international organizations to examine specific policy issues, negotiated reforms of international organizations, and reiterated support for the policy goals of international organizations.

France holds the rotating G7 presidency in 2026 and hosted the annual summit on June 16-17, 2026, in Évian-les-Bains, a town in southeastern France. The summit focused on reducing global economic imbalances and rebuilding international solidarity.² The United States holds the G20 presidency in 2026, and the summit is scheduled for December 14-15, 2026, at Trump National Doral Resort in Miami, FL. U.S. priorities for the summit include refocusing the forum on its "core" mission of driving economic growth and prosperity.³ In 2027, the United States and the UK are hosting the G7 and G20, respectively.

Historical Context

The G7 has roots back to the 1970s, and the G20 rose to prominence during the global financial crisis of 2008-2009.⁴ Both forums run in parallel today.

G7

In the mid-1970s, leaders from a group of five developed countries—France, Germany, Japan, the UK, and the United States (known then as the Group of Five, or G5)—began meeting annually to discuss international economic issues, including the oil price shocks in the 1970s and changes in exchange rate policies. In the 1980s, G5 leaders broadened their discussions to include Canada and Italy, forming the G7. The EU began participating in the G5 meetings in the late 1970s and is a permanent member of the G7, although it does not host or chair G7 meetings.

G7 discussions originally focused on macroeconomic policies, including exchange rates, balance of payments, globalization, trade, and economic relations with developing countries. Over time, the G7's focus on macroeconomic policies expanded to include a variety of other global and transnational issues, including the environment, crime, drugs, AIDS, and terrorism.

In 1998, Russia joined the G7, creating the Group of Eight (G8). Russia participated in discussions about foreign policy issues; it did not usually participate in discussions on international economic policy, which continued to occur mainly at the G7 level. The G7 leaders of the G8 disinvited Russia in 2014, following Russia's illegal annexation of the Crimean region of Ukraine, and the group reverted to the G7.

G20

Starting in the early 1990s, emerging markets became more active in the international markets, and the Asian financial crisis of 1997-1998 demonstrated that problems in emerging-market countries can have spillover effects on developed economies. In 1999, finance ministers and central bank governors of the G7 partnered with their counterparts from 12 major emerging economies and the European Union to establish the G20, aimed at encouraging coordination between advanced and emerging economies.⁵ Over the next decade, the highest-level G20 meetings were held among finance ministers and central bank governors.

At the behest of the G7 leaders, the G20 leaders met for the first time in November 2008 in Washington, DC, to discuss the global financial crisis. Emerging markets' economies had grown rapidly over the previous decade (Figure 2), and the decision to convene G20 leaders reflected recognition that emerging markets needed to be included in the discussions about the global response to the financial crisis at the highest levels. Emerging markets also began organizing their own summits in 2009 (see text box below).

At the third G20 summit, held in September 2009 in Pittsburgh, PA, the G20 leaders decided that going forward, the G20 would be the premier forum for international economic cooperation, implicitly supplanting the G7's role as such.⁶ In practice, both forums have continued and it is not clear whether the G7's stature has changed. Former Treasury officials have attributed the G7's staying power to diplomatic inertia, a loss of the G20's momentum after the global financial crisis, and more like-minded economic and political structures among the G7 countries relative to the G20.⁷ Over time, G20 discussions have broadened from economic issues to include foreign policy issues such as health, refugees, terrorism, and climate change. In 2010, the G20 leaders made Spain a "permanent guest invitee" in the G20, which enables Spain to participate in the meetings,⁸ and the AU joined in the forum in 2023 at the invitation of the G20 leaders.

Figure 2. G7 and G20 Emerging Markets: Share of Global GDP 1980-2026

Source: Figure created by CRS using data from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) World Economic Outlook Database. Notes: GDP measured at current prices in U.S. dollars. 2026 data is a forecast. Data for Russia starts in 1992.

Meetings and Outcomes

The president of the G7 and the G20 rotates annually among members (Table 1). The rotating president sets the agenda, date, and location of the annual summit, and manages the group's secretarial, clerical, and administrative affairs. The rotating president also organizes meetings among lower-level officials before and after the summit. The leaders' personal representatives for the G7 and the G20, known as "sherpas," meet regularly, as do the G7 and G20 finance ministers, central bank governors, and foreign affairs ministers.¹⁶

G20 presidents have also convened cabinet-level officials focused on nonfinance issues, such as energy, labor, and trade. The rotating president also has discretion to invite additional countries and international organizations to summits and meetings. In addition, the G7 and G20 parliamentary speakers usually meet annually, and the G20 president at times convenes meetings among businesses, think tanks, and civil society groups from member countries to inform G20 discussions.

The forums have led to the creation of a complex set of interactions among officials at many different levels of government. The interactions open communication channels, which can be particularly useful during crises. At the same time, it takes time and resources for the national agencies tasked with managing their countries' preparations for and participation in these meetings to execute their responsibilities.

After meeting, the groups usually release a statement summarizing the discussions and any commitments pledged by members. All agreements, comments, recommendations, and policy reforms reached by the G7 and G20 ministers, central bankers, and leaders are done so by consensus. There is no formal voting system and commitments are nonbinding; the G7 and G20 do not have a way to enforce implementation of the agreements at the national level beyond moral suasion.

Notable G7 outcomes have included, for example, calling for the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative, a debt-relief program for low-income countries in the late 1990s; proposing the creation of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria in 2000; supporting the COVID-19 vaccine rollout to low-income countries in 2021; and coordinating sanctions in response to Russia's war against Ukraine in 2022. For the G20, examples of outcomes have included organizing the international response to the global financial crisis of 2008-2009, coordinating debt relief initiatives during the COVID-19 pandemic, and strengthening the lending capacity of the multilateral development banks in the early 2020s, among other initiatives. At the same time, not all G7 and G20 meetings result in significant policy commitments or outcomes. The joint statements are sometimes vague, emphasizing platitudes and repeating language from previous meetings. In some cases, participants have not reached consensus, and meetings have ended without a joint statement.¹⁷

U.S. Participation and the Role of Congress

The executive branch largely manages U.S. participation in the G7 and G20. The G7 and G20 work streams have generally evolved to each have a finance track and a foreign affairs track. Within the executive branch, the Department of the Treasury (the Treasury) manages the finance track, and the Department of State (State) manages the foreign affairs track. Depending on the topics on the forums' agendas, Treasury and State might coordinate with other federal agencies, such as the Departments of Energy and Labor and the U.S. Trade Representative. The White House, particularly through the National Security Council, is also involved in the G7 and G20 process.

Congress has tools for shaping U.S. participation in the G7 and the G20. The implementation of some U.S. commitments made by the executive branch in the G7 and G20 require legislation to implement, such as increasing funding to an international organization or reforming financial regulations. Members can support such legislation, oppose it, or condition their support on specific policy objectives. Congress also controls the funding of agencies involved in the G7 and G20 process. Members can also use hearings and reporting requirements to exercise oversight of the executive branch's engagement in the G7 and G20. Additionally, Members can use public statements to support or oppose an Administration's policy positions in the G7 and G20.

Congress has enacted a variety of legislation relevant to the G7 and the G20, including funding summits hosted by the United States, specifying which officials in the State Department are responsible for coordinating with G7 members, and directing the Administration to advance specific policy priorities in the G7 and G20. Table 2 provides specific examples enacted since 2016.

2026 Summits

G7 Summit

At the conclusion of the G7 summit in June 2026, the leaders released several joint statements.¹⁸ The statement on economic growth focused on the need to reduce global imbalances, in which certain countries run large, persistent current account deficits while others have large surpluses. Global imbalances can create financial vulnerabilities and economic distortions. The United States, the UK, Australia, and Brazil are among the countries that run current account deficits; examples of major current account surplus countries include China, Germany, Japan, and Norway.¹⁹

An additional statement on geopolitical issues reiterated leaders' support for Ukraine and the resumption of maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz and expressed concerns about North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs, among other issues. The leaders also issued statements calling for a coordinated response to the Ebola outbreak, secure supply chains for critical materials, safer digital spaces for minors, and an accelerated fight against cancer.²⁰ In his G7 presidency role, French President Emmanuel Macron invited leaders from outside the G7 (Egypt, India, Qatar, Ukraine, and the United Arab Emirates) to the summit.²¹

The G7 leaders also held an emergency virtual meeting on October 2, 2026, to coordinate responses to high energy prices. The leaders agreed to release, through the International Energy Agency, 100 million barrels of crude oil and diesel from reserves over four months.²²

G20 Summit

As president of the G20 in 2026, the United States set the agenda and meetings for the year. Some key details about the December 2026 summit follow.

Core themes. The Trump Administration seeks to "return the G20 to focusing on its core mission of driving economic growth and prosperity" through "three core themes: unleashing economic prosperity by limiting regulatory burdens, unlocking affordable and secure energy supply chains, and pioneering innovations" in artificial intelligence (AI) and emerging technologies.²³ Some in Congress have suggested additional focus areas. In March 2026, for example, the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission held a hearing on how the G20 could be used as a vehicle to promote human rights issues, including freedom of religion.²⁴

Attendees. The Trump Administration invited Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov to the Finance Ministerial in North Carolina in August 2026 and Russian President Vladimir Putin to the December 2026 summit. Neither official has attended a G20 meeting in person since Russia launched a full-scale war on Ukraine in 2022, and both are subject to U.S. sanctions. Under U.S. law, it is the policy of the U.S. government to exclude government officials of the Russian Federation, to the maximum extent practicable, from participation in specific international organizations, including the G20.²⁵ Some Members of Congress have opposed G20 invitations to Russian officials,²⁶ and European finance ministers objected to the participation of Russia's finance minister in August 2026.²⁷

The Trump Administration has also invited to the summit several countries that are not members of the G20, including Azerbaijan, Finland, Ireland, Kazakhstan, the Netherlands, Norway, Qatar, Singapore, Spain, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.²⁸ As noted above, in June 2026 French President Macron similarly invited non-G7 countries to the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced in December 2025 that the United States would not invite the South African government to participate in the G20 in 2026 due to that government's "racism and tolerance for violence against its Afrikaner citizens," among other reasons.²⁹ Such statements by the Administration have been refuted by South African officials and some policy experts.³⁰ The United States boycotted the G20 in 2025, when the rotating presidency was held by South Africa.

Location. The summit is scheduled to be held at the Trump National Doral Resort in Florida. The Administration has pledged that the resort will host the summit "at-cost" and "will receive no profit from either the State Department or a foreign government."³¹ In March 2026, the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) sued the State Department and the U.S. Secret Service for failing to produce records in response to its Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests regarding the evaluation of prospective venues to host the G20 summit and how the State Department plans to address payments to a company owned by the President.³² In 2019, President Trump canceled plans to host the G7 summit at the same resort in response to broad criticism.³³

Lower-level meetings. Over the course of its 2026 G20 presidency, the United States has held or plans to hold four sherpa meetings, two finance minister and central bank governor meetings, and two deputy finance minister and central bank governor meetings.³⁴ Additionally, it has hosted or is scheduled to host a foreign affairs minister meeting, an energy minister meeting, a trade minister meeting, and an innovation minister meeting.

Policy Options for Congress

If Members of Congress are interested in shaping U.S. participation in the G7 and/or the G20, they have several options, depending on their policy goals. Some examples follow.

• Depending on Member assessments of the utility of the G7 and G20 as foreign policy tools, they could consider legislation establishing a minimum and/or maximum of appropriated funds that Treasury and State can spend on U.S. participation in the forums.
• If Members want more visibility into the Administration's policy priorities and negotiations at the G7 and the G20, they could consider legislation requiring the Administration to brief key congressional committees prior to and/or following summits. Such briefings could include discussion of commitments made by the Administration that would require congressional action to implement. Members could also consider legislation establishing regular reports from Treasury and State on U.S. participation in the forums.
• If Members are concerned about which leaders are invited to G7 and G20 meetings hosted by the United States, Members could, for example, consider legislation requiring the Administration to notify Congress before disinviting any member governments or inviting foreign officials that the Congress might find objectionable, such as those who are subject to U.S. sanctions.
• If Members are concerned about the location of G7 and G20 meetings hosted by the United States, they could require the Administration to provide a report to key congressional committees on the different locations considered and the factors used to make the final determination. Members could also limit the use of appropriated funds for G7 and G20 meetings to venues that meet specific criteria.
• If Members want more information about the cost of U.S. participation in the G7 and the G20, they could request such an evaluation from the Government Accountability Office (GAO). Members could also request the report identify any potential cost saving measures.
• If Members are concerned about the number of federal agencies and number of offices within each agency involved in the G7 and G20 process, they could consider establishing a G7 and G20 coordinator within Treasury and/or State, potentially to be appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, to manage and streamline U.S. participation. Members could also consider assigning such duties to an existing position at Treasury or State.
• If Members want to influence U.S. policy priorities at the G7 and G20, they could consider legislation directing the United States to use its voice and influence at the G7 and G20 to advance congressional priorities, similar to legislation aimed at combatting foreign opioid trafficking and addressing marine debris, among other issues.³⁵
• If Members are concerned about the expansion of the BRICS forum and other BRICS activity, Members could hold hearings to evaluate the implications of broadened membership on U.S. economic and foreign policy interests; require regular reports from the Administration on efforts by the BRICS countries to de-dollarize and adopt alternative financial systems; urge reforms that encourage emerging-market participation in forums and organizations with a broader membership, such as increasing the voting share of BRICS countries at the IMF and the World Bank; and/or consider legislation that imposes costs (e.g., in the form of sanctions, tariffs, or foreign aid cuts) on countries that seek to advance policies at odds with U.S. interests in the BRICS forum.

Footnotes