Speech #1130124108

As requested by the administration. it authorizes the Department of Defense to train and equip vetted members of the moderate Syrian opposition and to train and equip national and local forces who are actively fighting ISIS in Iraq. It establishes a counterterrorism partnership fund to provide the administration new flexibility in addressing emerging terrorist threats around the world. In addition. the bill extends the Afghanistan Special Immigrant Visa Program. providing for 4.000 new visas. and addresses a legal glitch that precluded members of the ruling parties in Kurdistan from receiving visas under the Immigration and Nationality Act. Our bill takes steps to respond to Russian aggression in Ukraine by authorizing $1 billion for a European reassurance initiative to enhance the U.S. military presence in Europe and build partner capacity to respond to security threats of which no less than $75 million would be committed for activities and assistance to support Ukraine. by requiring a review of the U.S. and NATO force posture. readiness. and contingency plans in Europe. and by expressing support for both lethal and nonlethal military assistance to Ukraine. The bill adds hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to improve the readiness of our Armed Forces across all branchesActive.