Contact: Josh Holly; 202.226.3988
Washington D.C. – Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA), ranking Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, successfully offered an amendment to H.R. 1585, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008, which would prohibit the Pentagon from purchasing goods or services from a company sanctioned by the U.S. Department of State for violations of the Iran and Syria Nonproliferation Act. The Armed Services Committee unanimously passed the Hunter amendment by voice vote during its mark-up of the legislation yesterday.
“We know that Syria and Iran are complicit in attacks on American warfighters in Iraq. One of the deadliest weapons against our troops is the explosively formed projectile, which is machined in Iran and smuggled into Iraq,” said Congressman Hunter. “It is irresponsible for the Department of Defense to conduct business with companies that have been sanctioned for aiding these countries in their development of deadly weapons.”
The Hunter amendment specifically prohibits the Department of Defense, as well as defense contractors at any tier, from procuring goods or services from a source owned or controlled by an entity sanctioned by the U.S. Department of State for violations of the Iran and Syria Nonproliferation Act (Public Law 106-178).
The full House of Representatives is expected to consider the committee-passed National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 in the coming weeks.
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