Today, Congressman Alcee L. Hastings (D-FL) offered an amendment to H.R. 1735, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016, calling for additional funds to be directed to Jordanian border security and military activities.  (Please find attached a copy of the amendment):

“I am proud to have offered an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which would provide an additional $25 million both to Jordanian border security efforts and enhanced military capability, respectively. 

“This funding will be offset by reducing monetary support for the Afghan National Security Forces by $50 million.

“At its current allocation, Afghan National Security Forces stand to receive $4.1 billion, nearly $338 million over the President’s request.  The transfer of $50 million out of this excess funding to these important programs will not only have a profound impact on the security of Jordan, a strategic partner in the region, but will also keep valuable and lethal weapons out of the hands of violent extremists in Afghanistan and elsewhere whose main objective is intimidate those of us who seek to uphold democracy.    

“We have seen all too often the vacuum of power that is left when U.S. troops are extracted from military endeavors, leaving behind local militaries ill-equipped to handle the complex and violent situations that confront them. For this reason, I take issue with continuing to fund Afghan forces at the rate that we seek to in this legislation, when terrorist organizations such as ISIS and the Taliban have seized military equipment provided to the Afghan National Security Forces at great cost to the U.S. Government. 

“Jordan has long served as a strategic partner to the U.S., cooperating on a number of security, regional and international issues.  Its geographic position in the region, makes Jordan a critical ally in the fight against violent extremism.  In light of the ongoing political change and unrest in the region, it is my strong belief that increasing assistance to Jordan for border security and military operations has never been more important.”  

Congressman Alcee L. Hastings serves as Senior Member of the House Rules Committee, Ranking Democratic Member of the U.S. Helsinki Commission, and Democratic Chairman of the Florida Delegation.

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