DeLauro Statement on Passage of Amendment to Stop Pentagon Contracts with Russian Arms Dealer

WASHINGTON, DC—Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) issued thefollowing statement after her amendmentto stop Pentagon contracts with the Russian arms dealer Rosoboronexport wasmade part of the National Defense Authorization Act. The amendment passed by avote of 423-0.

"As we have debated this bill, estimates of the death tollin Syria hit 93,000 and the Administration confirmed use of chemical weapons bythe Assad regime. Yet, remarkably, US taxpayers continue to providesubsidies to Russia's arms dealer Rosoboronexport through no-bid Pentagonpurchases of Mi-17 helicopters for the Afghan National Security Forces even asthe firm continues to serve as the top supplier of the weapons the Syrianregime is using to fuel the tragic war. If we are going to spend U.S.taxpayer dollars to provide helicopters to the Afghan National Security Forces,we should be spending those dollars for the purchase of U.S.-made helicopters.This is simply outrageous and it must stop."

In 2012, the Army purchased 31 Mi-17s from Rosoboronexport.The President then signedinto law a defense authorization bill that banned the Defense Departmentfrom using 2013 funds to enter into a contact with the Russian arms dealer.Yet, in a clear violation of the spirit of the law, the Pentagon announced inthe spring it would use 2012 Afghanistan Security Forces Funds to purchase 30more Mi-17s, a contract signing that is imminent. DeLauro and othermembers wroteto Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel at that time urging him not to go throughwith that purchase. Meanwhile, the Defense Contract Audit Agency, or DCAA,attempted an audit of Rosoboronexport's pricing of Mi-17 helicopters, which thefirm refused to cooperate with.

The bipartisan DeLauro amendment prohibits the DefenseDepartment from continuing to purchase equipment from Rosoboronexport unlessthe Secretary of Defense certifies that the firm is cooperating with a DCAAaudit, not delivering S-300 missile defense batteries to Syria, and that no newcontracts have been signed by the firm with Syria since the beginning of theyear. It also requires that any future contract to provide helicoptersfor the Afghan National Security Forces be competitively bid.