{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.hirono.senate.gov/news/press-releases/hirono-colleagues-announce-amendment-requiring-that-use-of-us-supplemental-aid-comply-with-us-international-law", "Hirono, Colleagues Announce Amendment Requiring that Use of U.S. Supplemental Aid Comply with U.S., International Law", "2023-12-07", "2023", "2023-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "HI", "Mazie K. Hirono", "H001042", "www.hirono.senate.gov", "hirono", "https://www.hirono.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 Today, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Chair of the Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support, joined a group of her Senate colleagues in announcing that they are working on an amendment to require that the weapons received by any country under the proposed national security supplemental are used in accordance with U.S. law, international humanitarian law and the law of armed conflict.\n\n\u201cThis amendment will further ensure that American aid is used in accordance with international law and American values,\u201d said Senator Hirono. \u201cAs we support Israel\u2019s right to defend itself, we must continue working to create the conditions for a two-state solution and lasting peace in the region.\u201d\n\nThe Senators\u2019 amendment also requires that the president report to the Congress on whether countries receiving military equipment paid for by American taxpayers meet that test and whether the use of U.S-supplied weapons comports with established presidential directives on arms transfers and Defense Department policies for reducing harm to civilians. And it would buttress current law that prohibits U.S. security assistance to any country that prevents or restricts U.S. humanitarian assistance to those in need, subject to a presidential waiver. The amendment does not apply to funds for air defense systems or other systems that the president determines will be used for strictly defensive purposes.\n\nSpecifically, the Senators\u2019 amendment:\n\nRequires that the weapons received by any country under this bill are used in accordance with U.S. law, international humanitarian law and the law of armed conflict;\n\nRequires that the president obtain assurances that any country receiving weapons through this bill cooperate fully with U.S.-supported efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to those in need, subject to a presidential waiver;\n\nRequires that the president report to the Congress within 30 days on whether each country receiving U.S. security assistance through this bill is:\n\nUsing U.S.-funded military equipment in accordance with:\n\nTheir intended purposes and U.S. end-use monitoring programs;\n\nInternational humanitarian law, the law of armed conflict, and U.S. law;\n\nThe President\u2019s 2023 Conventional Arms Transfer (CAT) Policy and the Defense Department\u2019s Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response Action Plan (CHMR-AP);\n\nFully cooperating with U.S. efforts and U.S.-supported international efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to civilians; and\n\n4. Clarifies that these provisions do not apply to funds for air defense systems or other systems that the president determines will be used for strictly defensive purposes.\n\nIn addition to Senator Hirono, the announcement was made by Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Peter Welch (D-VT), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Tom Carper (D-DE), Ben Ray Luj\u00e1n (D-NM), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Ed Markey (D-MA).\n\nThe full text of the amendment is available here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:14:16Z"]], "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://www.hirono.senate.gov/news/press-releases/hirono-colleagues-announce-amendment-requiring-that-use-of-us-supplemental-aid-comply-with-us-international-law"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9304839186370373, "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"}