Hearing of the Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee - Opening Statement of Rep. Ros-Lehtinen, Hearing on "Jordan: A Key U.S. Partner."

Hearing

"In recent years, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan has turned into one of America's most important allies. The King of Jordan has proven to be a reliable partner and someone who is committed to protecting our shared security interests. With all of the violence and turmoil in the region -- and the accompanying instability and insecurity -- the U.S. has made a substantial commitment to strengthening our bilateral relations with the Kingdom. That commitment was reflected in a renewal of our Memorandum of Understanding with Jordan, which was signed a year ago last week. This new MoU recognizes the importance of Jordan in the fight on the frontlines against ISIS and radical fundamentalism, as well as the Kingdom's leadership in taking in over a million refugees from Syria and Iraq. Jordan's resources are already scarce, and with the addition of over one million Syrian and Iraqi refugees, these resources are being strained and stretched to the limit.

That's why it is vital that we help Jordan shore up some of these resources, especially when it comes to the Kingdom's water and energy needs. Through our MCC Jordan Compact, a $275 million compact that nears its completion, we have invested in Public-Private Partnership Wastewater projects that are now operational and serving over one million people, many of whom are refugees. I had the pleasure of visiting the Samra wastewater plant in 2014 with Ted, and its importance cannot be overstated. I'm also pleased to see that a local South Florida firm, Hazen and Sawyer, was the engineering firm that managed this project -- proof that these MCC compacts and projects can benefit both the U.S. economy and also the host nations.

There are other projects that it is important that we help bring to fruition; One of these will not only be important to alleviate the water shortages in Jordan, but it has the potential to also improve the cooperation and bilateral relations between Israel and Jordan -- the Red-to-Dead project. Continued U.S. investment in this sort of infrastructure project has enormous upside and can really be a game changer, and it's critical Congress remains supportive of these efforts. There is also the potential for other collaborative work between Israel and Jordan that can be mutually beneficial, especially when it comes to Jordan's energy needs. Jordan signed an agreement with Israel to import natural gas -- and again, as with the wastewater project, this agreement has economic benefits for the U.S. as well, with U.S. based Noble energy discovering the natural gas fields off the coast of Israel and now ready, willing and able to begin production to help meet the growing natural gas demand in Jordan and elsewhere. And it will be important that we continue to support these efforts, and others just like them, because Israel and Jordan have shared concerns and interests, and it would be mutually beneficial for the two to work closely together.

We must also continue to support the good work USAID is doing to help aid Jordan's economy, but also the work it does to strengthen the country's democracy and governance as well as female empowerment programs. The Jordanian government's commitment to political reform over these past few years has been commendable, and it is clear that our programs have had a good amount of success based on the interest and support from the government and the Jordanian people. A testament to this is how the International Republican Institute has been able to expand from working in just a handful of districts when its program first started in Jordan, to now over 30 and seeking to expand further. These programs have had successes, and we need to build upon the support these programs have received and work with the Kingdom to help strengthen democracy and governance in Jordan and to strengthen civil society.

On security, Jordan's needs are also substantial because the Kingdom has been such a staunch ally in the coalition against ISIS and the stability and security of Jordan is vital if we are ever going to see a secure and stable region. That's why I'm pleased that the bill I introduced with Ted, Kay Granger, and Nita Lowey -- the U.S.-Jordan Defense Cooperation Act -- has passed Congress just last night, and will now make its way to the President's desk. This bill recognizes Jordan's precarious situation and the need for the U.S. to support the King's efforts against ISIS. That is why it will allow for expedited sales of certain weapons and ammunition and excess defense articles the Kingdom needs to secure its borders, protect its citizens, and assist the coalition in the fight against ISIS.

But as the King reminded us when he visited last month, we cannot keep a myopic focus on the fight against ISIS in just Iraq and Syria. ISIS is spreading and it is gaining support elsewhere, and it has shown that it has the capability to strike the West. The King warned us to not lose sight of the threat ISIS poses in Africa, where it can gain a lot of support and use a lot of territory for safe havens, and we obviously can't lose sight of the threat ISIS poses to us at home. This is obviously a difficult task, but it would be a much more difficult task if we didn't have the leadership and the willingness of our ally, Jordan, to take on this challenge together. I look forward to expanding and strengthening our relationship with the Kingdom of Jordan in the coming months and years, and I thank the King for his steadfast commitment to the security and stability of the region."

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