House Passes National Defense Authorization Act, Includes Four Poe Amendments

Press Release

Congressman Ted Poe (TX-02), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Terrorism issued the following statement on the House passage of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2016. The defense funding bill included four amendments authored by Chairman Poe.
SUMMARY OF AMENDMENTS:

Poe Amendment # 14: Gives State and Federal Border Security Agencies preference for excess DOD equipment for the purpose of strengthening U.S. border security. This equipment (all currently used by CBP) includes: Humvees, night-vision goggles & unmanned surveillance aerial vehicles. Passed with Bipartisan Support
Poe Amendment #104: Responds to Pakistan's questionable relationship with the Taliban and Haqqani network terrorists by adding a condition on U.S. aid to Pakistan. The new condition requires the administration to certify that Pakistan has shown progress in arresting and prosecuting Haqqani Network senior leaders and mid-level operatives. The Choice: either really go after the Haqqani network or lose hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. aid.
Poe Amendment #106: Cracks down on Russia's blatant violations of the Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty by prohibiting government contracts with entities that have contribute to Russia's violation of the treaty. In 2008, the Russians tested a missile with prohibited range under the treaty. It took 2 years for the Administration to report any concerns to Congress and 6 years for the State Department to find them in violation. And today, 8 years later, there have still been no consequences. This Amendment puts penalties in place for Russia's actions. Passed the House unanimously
Poe Amendment #297: Requires DOD to establish an evaluation policy for how it spends foreign aid. This evaluation policy must help determine if the taxpayer dollars we are sending overseas are achieving the desired outcome. Passed the House unanimously

"From Czar Putin in Russia to deceitful Pakistan and dangerous actors who wish to infiltrate our porous Southern border, America is under more threats than ever before and as such Congress must provide smart funding for the Department of Defense," said Chairman Poe. "Provide Border States the equipment they need to protect the sovereignty of our country. Give Pakistan an ultimatum--you are either with us or you are with the terrorists. Islamabad can no longer collect U.S. aid while using the Haqqani network as a "veritable arm of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence Agency'. Crack down on Putin's flagrant and bold violations of the INF, a treaty that is meaningless if both sides don't hold up their end of the bargain. Finally, be smart about how we spend foreign aid in the Department of Defense. Monitoring and evaluation will ensure that taxpayer dollars are being used efficiently and effectively in ways that will ultimately protect our own national interests. All three of these Amendments are meant for one purpose: to keep our country safe. As Chairman of the Subcommittee on Terrorism, I believe the House passed bipartisan National Defense bill will achieve this purpose."

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