News

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) welcomed tonight’s Senate passage of his “U.S.-Jordan Defense Cooperation Act of 2015,” which ‎would support the Kingdom of Jordan in its response to the Syrian refugee crisis, cooperate with Jordan to combat the terrorist threat from ISIS and other terrorist organizations, and help secure Jordan’s borders with Syria and Iraq.

“This bill will strengthen our relationship with our friends in Jordan as they face immense challenges from ISIS and the chaos in Syria,” said Rubio. “Given the President’s failure to put together a serious strategy to destroy ISIS, our allies and partners need our assistance as they deal with millions of refugees from the conflict. I hope this bill moves quickly through the House and to the President’s desk so Jordan knows America stands with them during this difficult time.‎”

The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to consider the legislation in the coming weeks. 

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 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.