An amendment spearheaded by Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas) that would enhance a prohibition on Department of Defense (DoD) contracts with a Russian arms dealer was included in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
Granger and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) led the bipartisan effort to strengthen the ban on new contracts with Rosoboronexport, Russia’s state arms dealer.
“The United States government should not be entering into contracts with Russia’s state arms dealer when Russia is intentionally arming the Syrian regime and actively working to destabilize the sovereign country of Ukraine,” Granger said. “Russia’s actions have consequences, and the Defense Department should not spend a penny of American tax dollars to benefit Russia’s Rosoboronexport.”
The amendment stipulates that the Pentagon would not be allowed to contract with Rosoboronexport for operational and maintenance assistance. The ban would also apply to purchases of helicopters or other weapons. The Pentagon’s inspector general would be required to investigate if the secretary of defense lifted the ban.
“Russia has been fueling the war in Syria through Rosoboronexport, illegally annexed Crimea and continues to destabilize Ukraine,” DeLauro said. “Yet, the Pentagon has awarded Rosoboronexport more than $1 billion in contracts for Russian helicopters for the Afghan military. This continued even after the inspector general for Afghanistan said the Afghan forces cannot operate or maintain the aircraft. We must stop supporting Russian jobs and the Russian interest and start acting in America’s interest and on behalf of America’s workers.”
A second amendment offered by Granger and DeLauro was denied. The amendment would have canceled an active Pentagon contract with Rosoboronexport for 18 additional helicopters to be delivered to the Afghan military.