News

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), a member of Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today introduced the “U.S.-Jordan Defense Cooperation Act of 2015,” legislation to support the Kingdom of Jordan in its response to the Syrian refugee crisis, cooperate with Jordan to combat the terrorist threat from ISIL and other terrorist organizations, and help secure Jordan’s borders with Syria and Iraq.
 
“A stronger relationship with our friends in Jordan is essential to preventing ISIL from gaining more territory and massacring tens of thousands of additional innocent people and key to our efforts to defeat this group,” said Rubio. “Given the President’s failure to put together a strategy to fight ISIL, Congress must step in to bolster our allies in the region, such as Jordan, against this threat to global stability and safety.”
 
The U.S.-Jordan Defense Cooperation Act passed the House of Representatives last week by unanimous consent. If passed by the Senate, the bill would be sent directly to the President for his signature.
 
A PDF of the legislation is available here. The U.S.-Jordan Defense Cooperation Act of 2015 would:

• Express the sense of Congress that expeditious consideration of certifications of letters of offer to sell defense articles, defense services, design and construction services, and major defense equipment to Jordan is fully consistent with U.S. security and foreign policy interests and the objectives of world peace and security;

• Include Jordan for three years among the countries eligible for certain streamlined defense sales, licensing agreements, and technical assistance under the Arms Export Control Act; and

• Authorize the Department of State to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with Jordan to increase military cooperation, including joint military exercises, personnel exchanges, and support for international peacekeeping missions, and enhanced strategic dialogue.