{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=2F4D634A-0D0E-4155-BE4A-0AB01B967A64", "Portman Praises Proposed Kuwaiti Tank Sale That Will Benefit JSMC", "2016-12-14", "2016", "2016-12", "Republican", "House", "OH", "Rob Portman", "P000449", "www.portman.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C.\u00a0\u2013 U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) today applauded the State Department\u2019s approval of a potential $1.7 billion foreign military sale of 218 M1A2 Abrams tanks to Kuwait. Portman, who recently helped secure $1.2 billion in funding for military systems that support jobs at Lima\u2019s Joint Systems Manufacturing Center (JSMC), released the following statement:\r\n\u201cSales of military equipment to our allies are critical to our security, and to supporting good American manufacturing jobs. This sale is an important signal of our support for Kuwait, our close ally in the Middle East, and it\u2019s good news for the JSMC and its workers. Keeping the Abrams production line open will help JSMC stay ready to keep meeting the U.S. Army\u2019s future needs. I applaud the State Department\u2019s approval of this sale to Kuwait; I look forward to this sale being finalized, and I\u2019m going to keep engaging with our allies to find new partners and continue existing partnerships with the JSMC.\u201d\r\nNOTE: Pending the 30-day Congressional notification period, the sale will proceed.\r\nThis sale follows the State Department and Pentagon announcement in August of the approval of the sale of more than 130 Abrams battle tanks, 20 armored recovery vehicles and other equipment to Saudi Arabia.\u00a0Foreign military sales form an important part of demand for Lima\u2019s work. Portman has consistently advocated on behalf of the JSMC and its workers.\r\n###\r\n\u00a0\r\nhttp://bit.ly/2gKyXtS", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "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.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=2F4D634A-0D0E-4155-BE4A-0AB01B967A64"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.2751230970025063, "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"}