{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://amo.house.gov/press-release/amo-highlights-rhode-island-s-role-in-protecting-the-indo-pacific-in-foreign-affairs-hearing", "Amo Highlights Rhode Island\u2019s Role in Protecting the Indo-Pacific in Foreign Affairs Hearing", "2024-09-18", "2024", "2024-09", "Democrat", "House", "RI", "Gabe Amo", "A000380", "amo.house.gov", "amo", "https://amo.house.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "Ocean State manufacturers produce critical defense articles for the Australia, United Kingdom, United States (AUKUS) security pact\n\nWASHINGTON, DC \u2013 Today, Congressman Gabe Amo (RI-01) participated in a House Committee on Foreign Affairs hearing on the Indo-Pacific that featured testimony from Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell about the ongoing work to strengthen bilateral relationships and advance democracy in the region. At the hearing, Congressman Amo spoke about the Biden-Harris Administration\u2019s work to strengthen the AUKUS security pact and its critical role in maintaining security and stability in the Indo-Pacific. Congressman Amo emphasized the need to tailor the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) rules to allow for smoother transfer of information and weapons to our allies.\n\n\u201cIn my home state of Rhode Island, we are proud of our role in AUKUS defense production, ensuring mutual security and boosting our local economy through small businesses that provide good-paying jobs,\u201d said Congressman Gabe Amo. \u201cThat said, we need a smooth, orderly process to transfer defense articles between our nations for AUKUS to effectively deter threats and maintain security.\u201d\n\nVideo of full hearing exchange HERE.\n\nBACKGROUND\n\nRhode Island is front and center in supporting the AUKUS security pact. A substantial amount of the domestic production for AUKUS, including submarines and autonomous naval vessels, is either produced in Rhode Island or through subcontractors located in Rhode Island. The trilateral agreement allows Rhode Island the opportunity to export its expertise by establishing long-lasting research collaborations and empowering an expert workforce. In the past year alone, the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport signed a cooperative research and development agreement with Australia\u2019s Flinders University to foster collaborative research on undersea technology.\n\nIn June, the House of Representatives passed Congressman Amo\u2019s amendment to the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act, which encourages the Department of Defense to promote and prioritize domestic manufacturing, supply chains, and research for defense articles for AUKUS to boost local economies and improve national security.\n\nIn August, the State Department issued a new ITAR rule that removes the requirement for U.S. ITAR licenses or other approvals for the export, re-export, re-transfer (in-country), or temporary import of Defense articles, the performance of defense services or engaging in brokering activities. This rule excludes the transfer of certain critical technologies like the technology and capabilities of the Rhode Island-produced Virginia-class submarine.\n\nFULL HEARING REMARKS AS DELIVERED\n\nThank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you, Secretary Campbell, for being here today.\n\nThis week, as has been noted in this hearing, we celebrated the 3rd anniversary of one of the most important security arrangements in generations \u2014the Australia, United Kingdom, United States security pact \u2014 also known as AUKUS.\n\nThanks to President Biden\u2019s work to strengthen this trilateral relationship, AUKUS is playing a critical role in maintaining security and stability in the Indo-Pacific.\n\nThe domestic benefits are worth noting too.\n\nIn my home state of Rhode Island, we are proud of our role in AUKUS defense production, ensuring mutual security and boosting our local economy through small businesses that provide good-paying jobs.\n\nWe need a smooth and orderly process to transfer defense articles between our nations for AUKUS to effectively deter threats and maintain security.\n\nCongress has previously created exemptions to our International Traffic in Arms Regulations \u2014 or ITAR \u2014 to allow for easier transfer of information and weapons.\n\nI know there are concerns that the ITAR rule proposed by the State Department in August excludes critical technologies that our allies need.\n\nTechnologies like engineering and capabilities of the Virginia-class submarine, which is produced in Rhode Island and is essential to fulfilling the promise of AUKUS.\n\nMr. Deputy Secretary, how is the State Department working with our Australian and United Kingdom partners to ensure the rules allows AUKUS to be effective while still protecting sensitive technology?\n\nThe bipartisan cooperation here alongside the State Department is essential and we\u2019ll continue to be supportive of moving as fast as possible.\n\nVery briefly as I close here, I do want to note the concerning increase in cooperation between Russia, China, and North Korea.\n\nYou have publicly said that you believe that China is providing Russia with material support to continue their illegal invasion of Ukraine.\n\nIn June, Vladimir Putin visited North Korea to sign a comprehensive strategic partnership that raised concerns about North Korea suppling Russia with munitions.\n\nDo we have evidence that Russia is being provided lethal assistance in their war in Ukraine by China or North Korea? And what actions can the Administration do to deter this cooperation?\n\nI yield back.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:43:57Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://amo.house.gov/press-release/amo-highlights-rhode-island-s-role-in-protecting-the-indo-pacific-in-foreign-affairs-hearing"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.6516329012811184, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}