WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-08), a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, has introduced a series of amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) seeking to expand American leadership and protect the homeland. The foreign policy measures relate to China, specifically navigation rights in the South China Sea, North Korea, cybersecurity and ISIS financing in Syria.

The NDAA is an annual federal legislation responsible for setting the budget and expenditures for the Department of Defense. Fitzpatrick submitted and supported amendments including:

• Amendment #40: Requires the Department of Defense to include a description of recently drafted or implemented Chinese legislative, regulatory, or standardization actions that could jeopardize the national economic security of the United States in their Congressionally-required annual report on Chinese military and security development.
• Amendment #41: A sense of Congress on freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea that the Secretary of Defense should refrain from inviting the military forces of a nation to participate in RIMPAC exercises and withdraw any invitation extended to a nation to participate if the Secretary determines that such nation is engaged in actions that limit the right to freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea.
• Amendment #42: Requires an annual report to Congress regarding the extent of cooperation on nuclear programs, ballistic missile development, chemical and biological weapons development, or conventional weapons programs between Iran and North Korea.
• Amendment #56: Ensures the full reporting of freedom of navigation operations, including maritime claims that go unchallenged.
• Amendment #121: Expresses the United States should assist Ukraine to improve its cybersecurity capabilities.
• Amendment #282: Requires the Report on United States Strategy in Syria to include a description of the amounts and sources of ISIL financing in Syria and efforts to disrupt this financing as part of the broader strategy of the United States in Syria.

Last week, Fitzpatrick announced the introduction of a pair of amendments to the budget measure that related to water contamination surrounding former and active military installations. Read more HERE.