WASHINGTON, D.C. — Ahead of the House Rules Committee House prepares to vote this week on which amendments to H.R. 4365, Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2024 will be made in order for a vote, Demand Progress sent members of the House Rules Committee a list of amendments it strongly urges the committee to make in order.
Cavan Kharrazian, Foreign Policy Advisor at Demand Progress, offered the following remarks on the recommendations:
“There are several crucial defense appropriations amendments offered by representatives on both sides of the aisle that would defend Congressional war powers regarding Mexico and Yemen; increase transparency over the use of U.S. security assistance and armed forces — especially in Peru, Saudi Arabia, Niger, Uganda, and Azerbaijan/Armenia; and join the vast majority of the world by banning deadly cluster munition transfers.
“We were disappointed by the dozens of important amendments that the Rules Committee did not make in order for the National Defense Authorization Act this year, and we strongly urge the Rules Committee to correct course and allow members of Congress the opportunity to debate and vote on amendments that are absolutely critical to Congress’s military oversight duties.”
Demand Progress particularly urges the rejection of the following provisions (full list here):
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Amendment 131 submitted by Gaetz (FL), Jacobs (CA), Tlaib (MI) — Prohibits funds made available by the bill from being used to transfer cluster munitions.
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Amendment 237 submitted by Wild (PA), Castro (TX), Velázquez (NY), Schakowsky (IL), Kamlager-Dove (CA) — States that none of the funds made available by this Act may be used to provide arms, training, or other assistance to the following Peruvian military units: the Segunda Brigada de Infantería del Ejército del Perú; the Cuarta Brigada de Montaña del Ejército del Perú.
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Amendment 245 submitted by Garcia (IL), Velázquez (NY), Castro (TX) — Prohibits funds from being used for unauthorized military force against Mexico.
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Amendment 250 submitted by Hoyle (OR) — Prohibits U.S. funding from being used for unauthorized U.S. military involvement in the war in Yemen if the Saudi-led coalition resumes aerial hostilities against the Houthis in Yemen.
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Amendment 230 submitted by Jayapal (WA), Kamlager-Dove (CA), Tlaib (MI) — Prohibits firearms and explosive weapons from being transferred to Saudi border guards, weapons which were recently identified in the killings of hundreds of Ethiopian migrants and asylum seekers at the Saudi-Yemen border by Saudi security forces.
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Amendments 36, 37, 38, and 39 submitted by Gaetz (FL) to halt U.S. security assistance to Niger until specific conditions are met, including: a comprehensive briefing on the U.S. role in the Niger coup; a detailed report on U.S. funding before, during, and after the coup; the restoration of Niger’s democratic government; a complete account of U.S. military equipment used during the coup; and a report detailing the parties involved in the coup.
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Amendment 34 submitted by Gaetz (FL) — Prohibits use of funds for drawdown of defense articles and services pending certification of compliance with end-use monitoring requirements.