I 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 907 

To improve defense cooperation between the United States and the Hashemite 

Kingdom of Jordan. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 12, 2015 

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN (for herself, Ms. GRANGER, Mr. DEUTCH, and Mrs. 

LOWEY) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

A BILL 

To improve defense cooperation between the United States 

and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘United States-Jordan 

5 Defense Cooperation Act of 2015’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress makes the following findings: 

8 (1) As of January 22, 2015, the United States 

9 Government has provided $3,046,343,000 in assist10 ance to the Syria humanitarian response, of which 


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1 nearly $467,000,000 has been to the Hashemite 

2 Kingdom of Jordan. 

3 (2) As of January 2015, according to the 

4 United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees 

5 (UNHCR), there are 621,937 registered Syrian ref6 ugees in Jordan and 83.8 percent of those refugees 

7 live outside refugee camps. 

8 (3) In 2000, the United States and Jordan 

9 signed a free-trade agreement that went into force 

10 in 2001. 

11 (4) In 1996, the United States granted Jordan 

12 major non-NATO ally status. 

13 (5) Jordan is suffering from the Syrian refugee 

14 crisis and the threat of the Islamic State of Iraq and 

15 the Levant (ISIL). 

16 (6) The Government of Jordan was elected as 

17 a non-permanent member of the United Nations Se18 curity Council beginning in January 2014 and ter19 minating in December 2015. 

20 (7) Enhanced support for defense cooperation 

21 with Jordan is important to the national security of 

22 the United States, including through creation of a 

23 status in law for Jordan similar to the countries in 

24 the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Japan, 

25 Australia, the Republic of Korea, Israel, and New 


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1 Zealand, with respect to consideration by Congress 

2 of foreign military sales to Jordan. 

3 (8) Jordanian pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh was bru4 tally murdered by ISIL. 

5 (9) On February 3, 2015, Secretary of State 

6 John Kerry and Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser 

7 Judeh signed a new Memorandum of Understanding 

8 that reflects the intention to increase United States 

9 assistance to the Government of Jordan from 

10 $660,000,000 to $1,000,000,000 per year for the 

11 years 2015 through 2017. 

12 SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 

13 It should be the policy of the United States to sup14 port the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in its response 

15 to the Syrian refugee crisis, provide necessary assistance 

16 to alleviate the domestic burden to provide basic needs for 

17 the assimilated Syrian refugees, cooperate with Jordan to 

18 combat the terrorist threat from the Islamic State of Iraq 

19 and the Levant (ISIL) or other terrorist organizations, 

20 and help secure the border between Jordan and its neigh21 bors Syria and Iraq. 

22 SEC. 4. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

23 It is the sense of Congress that expeditious consider24 ation of certifications of letters of offer to sell defense arti25 cles, defense services, design and construction services, 


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1 and major defense equipment to the Hashemite Kingdom 

2 of Jordan under section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control 

3 Act (22 U.S.C. 2776(b)) is fully consistent with United 

4 States security and foreign policy interests and the objec5 tives of world peace and security. 

6 SEC. 5. AMENDMENTS TO ARMS EXPORT CONTROL ACT. 

7 The Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2751 et 

8 seq.) is amended— 

9 (1) in section 3 (22 U.S.C. 2753)— 

10 (A) in subsection (b)(2), by inserting ‘‘the 

11 Government of Jordan,’’ before ‘‘or the Govern12 ment of New Zealand’’; and 

13 (B) in subsection (d)— 

14 (i) in paragraph (2)(B), by inserting 

15 ‘‘Jordan,’’ before ‘‘or New Zealand’’; 

16 (ii) in paragraph (3)(A)(i), by insert17 ing ‘‘Jordan,’’ before ‘‘or New Zealand’’; 

18 and 

19 (iii) in paragraph (5), by inserting 

20 ‘‘Jordan,’’ before ‘‘or New Zealand’’; 

21 (2) in section 21 (22 U.S.C. 2761)— 

22 (A) in subsection (e)(2)(A), by inserting 

23 ‘‘Jordan,’’ before ‘‘or New Zealand’’; and 

24 (B) in subsection (h)— 


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1 (i) in paragraph (1)(A), by inserting 

2 ‘‘Jordan,’’ before ‘‘or Israel’’; and 

3 (ii) in paragraph (2), by inserting 

4 ‘‘Jordan,’’ before ‘‘or Israel’’ both places it 

5 appears; 

6 (3) in section 36 (22 U.S.C. 2776)— 

7 (A) in subsection (b)— 

8 (i) in paragraph (1), by inserting 

9 ‘‘Jordan,’’ before ‘‘or New Zealand’’; 

10 (ii) in paragraph (2), by inserting 

11 ‘‘Jordan,’’ before ‘‘or New Zealand’’; and 

12 (iii) in paragraph (6), by inserting 

13 ‘‘Jordan,’’ before ‘‘or New Zealand’’; 

14 (B) in subsection (c), by inserting ‘‘Jor15 dan,’’ before ‘‘or New Zealand’’ both places it 

16 appears; and 

17 (C) in subsection (d)(2)(A), by inserting 

18 ‘‘Jordan,’’ before ‘‘or New Zealand’’; 

19 (4) in section 62(c)(1) (22 U.S.C. 2796a(c)(1)), 

20 by inserting ‘‘Jordan,’’ before ‘‘or New Zealand’’; 

21 and 

22 (5) in section 63(a)(2) (22 U.S.C. 

23 2796b(a)(2)), by inserting ‘‘Jordan,’’ before ‘‘or 

24 New Zealand’’. 


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1 SEC. 6. AMENDMENTS TO FOREIGN ASSISTANCE ACT OF 

2 1961. 

3 Section 656(a)(2) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 

4 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2416(a)(2)) is amended by inserting 

5 ‘‘Jordan,’’ before ‘‘or New Zealand’’. 

6 SEC. 7. MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING. 

7 The Secretary of State is authorized, subject to the 

8 availability of appropriations, to enter into a Memo9 randum of Understanding with Jordan to increase eco10 nomic support funds, military cooperation, including joint 

11 military exercises, personnel exchanges, support for inter12 national peacekeeping missions, and enhanced strategic 

13 dialogue. 

Æ 


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