No cosponsors
Title I amends the Security Assistance Act of 2000 to authorize funds for the Foreign Military Financing (FMF) program for FY2009 and FY2010, specifically authorizing increased FMF aid for Israel “in line with the [US-Israeli Memorandum of Understanding of August 2007] to provide $30 billion of FMF to Israel over the next 10 years” according to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations report on the bill (110-496). Despite this stated intent, the bill maintains the language of previous bills which increased FMF grants to Israel by $60 m. per year when, under the terms of the MoU, FMF grants should increase by $150 m. for FY2009 and $225 m. for FY2010. Consequently, only $2.46 b. in FMF is authorized for Israel for FY2009 which must be disbursed within 30 days of enactment of an appropriations bill or by 31/10/08, whichever occurs later. In each year thereafter, the funds authorized for Israel under the FMF account are to be increased by $60 m. over the amount authorized for the previous year. These levels of funding are authorized regardless of any amount provided in any other acts. Additionally, the bill states that of the FMF aid to Israel “not less than $2,550,000,000 for fiscal year 2009 and . . . fiscal year 2010 shall be available for the procurement in Israel of defense articles and defense services” despite only authorizing $2.46 b. and $2.5 b. respectively, per year, in aid. Section 514 amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 in order to limit the value of defense articles provided to Israel as “war reserve stocks” to $200 m. for FY2009 and 2010.
See also: related measures H.R. 5916 of 4/29/08 and H.R. 7177 of 9/27/08.