Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Ted Deutch Team Up to Back Jordan

The two members of the Florida congressional delegation leading the U.S. House Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee are looking to increase economic and military aid to Jordan which is in the front lines against Islamic State (IS) terrorist forces.

U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., the chairwoman of the subcommittee, and U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Fla., the ranking Democrat on the subcommittee, introduced the United States-Jordan Defense Cooperation Act of 2015 on Thursday. The bill would list Jordan as a trusted ally, giving Congress more flexibility to send military aid to that nation to fight IS. The legislation also allows the two nations to have joint military exercises.

U.S. Rep. Kay Granger, R-Texas, the chair of the U.S. State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee, and her ranking Democrat U.S. Rep. Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., are also backing the measure.

The four congressional representatives released a joint statement on Thursday explaining the rationale behind the bill.

As Jordan ramps up its attacks against IS terrorists, it is critical that the United States does everything it can to support the kingdom in our joint effort to combat radical Islamist terrorists, they said. Jordan has been a key partner in the region for years and is on the front lines of the fight against IS, sharing a border with both Syria and Iraq. In order to ensure Jordan has the capabilities to defend itself and fight to eradicate this terrorist threat, we must increase our bilateral military cooperation and expedite military sales to the kingdom.