Washington, DC – Chairman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) and Ranking Member Ted Deutch (D-FL) of the Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee and Chairwoman Kay Granger (R-TX) and Ranking Member Nita Lowey (D-FL) of the State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee, made the following joint statement today after introducing H.R. 907, the United States-Jordan Defense Cooperation Act of 2015 which seeks to strengthen military and economic ties between the United States and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
Joint statement by Ros-Lehtinen, Granger, Deutch, and Lowey:
“As Jordan ramps up its attacks against ISIL terrorists, it is critical that the United States does everything it can to support the Kingdom in our joint effort to combat radical Islamist terrorists. Jordan has been a key partner in the region for years and is on the front lines of the fight against ISIL, sharing a border with both Syria and Iraq. In order to ensure Jordan has the capabilities to defend itself and fight to eradicate this terrorist threat, we must increase our bilateral military cooperation and expedite military sales to the Kingdom.”
H.R. 907 - the United States-Jordan Defense Cooperation Act of 2015 would:
- Amend the Arms Export Control Act to include Jordan on a list of trusted allies for which Congress may expedite the process so that we sell Jordan much needed military equipment it needs to defend against and fight ISIL
- Support a Memorandum of Understanding to increase military cooperation between our two countries, including joint military exercises and personnel exchanges
- Support Jordan in its response to the Syria and Iraq refugee crisis.