Republican Lawmakers Urge Repeal of New Arms Transfer Policy

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas, and Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Jim Risch, R-Idaho, called on the Biden administration April 30 to revoke its new arms transfer policy, saying it duplicates human rights safeguards in existing law.

National Security Memorandum 20 (NSM-20), which President Joe Biden issued in February (see 2402120051), requires the State Department to obtain written assurances that recipients of U.S. foreign military aid will use those weapons in accordance with international humanitarian law. But McCaul and Risch wrote in a letter to Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken that the Foreign Assistance Act already provides such human rights protections, making NSM-20 a “redundant requirement that adds unnecessary bureaucracy and contributes to frustration from the partners and allies that count on U.S. security assistance.”

The letter also asserts that NSM-20 was designed to “placate” critics of Israel and that its “vague language leaves open the possibility for executive overreach that would have serious negative consequences for our national security.”

The White House didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.