Republicans and Democrats like Jordan
On Thursday, the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa hosted a hearing on “Jordan: A Key US Partner.” Opening statements were delivered by the following members of the Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa: Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Chairwoman, Representative Ted Deutch, Ranking Member, Representative David Cicilline and Representative Lois Frankel. Witnesses included Gerald Feierstein, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, Department of State, Paige Alexander, Assistant Administrator, Bureau for the Middle East, USAID, and Fatema Sumar, Regional Deputy Vice President, Europe, Asia, the Pacific and Latin America, Department of Compact Operations, Millennium Challenge Corporation.
Ros-Lehtinen affirmed Jordan’s importance as an ally and King Abdullah’s status as reliable partner. Last year, the US signed an MoU with Jordan that recognized its key role in fighting ISIS and in welcoming refugees. Refugees are straining Jordan’s already limited resources. It is vital that we help Jordan shore up these resources, especially water and energy. Through the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) compact, we have already invested $275 million in Public-Private Partnership (PPP) wastewater projects that are nearing completion. She and Deutch visited the Al-Samra wastewater treatment plant last year. There are other projects such as the Red-Dead Sea Conduit that could shore-up Jordan’s water resources and strengthen Jordanian-Israeli cooperation.
Another area for possible Israeli-Jordanian cooperation would be an agreement for Jordan to import Israeli gas. Jordan and Israel have shared interests and should work together. We must also support USAID and IRI in their efforts to strengthen civil society and governance. Jordan’s stability is essential for the region. She and Deutch recently introduced the United States-Jordan Defense Cooperation Act, which passed Congress and is on its way to Obama. It will expedite weapons sales to Jordan to help it fight ISIS and strengthen its borders.
Deutch thanked his colleagues for supporting the bipartisan legislation and explained that last year’s MoU increased annual US aid to Jordan from $600 million to $1 billion. This reflects our commitment and Jordan’s willingness to partner with us against ISIS. Jordan has taken in 635,000 registered refugees, but Jordanian officials believe the actual figure is much higher. Jordanian communities have welcomed them but they have strained water and energy resources. USAID programs have brought fresh water and sanitation services to 1/3 of Jordan. The expansion of the Al-Samra wastewater treatment plant will increase access to water for over 3 million Jordanians.
Schooling is key to prevent a lost generation of Syrian refugee children. Secretary of State Kerry recently announced $267 million in education spending for Jordan. More refugees will seek safety in Jordan as the conflict in Southern Syria worsens; they will be difficult to vet at the border but Deutch hopes Jordan will let those who don’t pose a threat in.
King Abdullah understands the need to both defeat ISIS and find a political solution to the conflict. As long as Assad remains in power, we won’t be able to stem the flow of refugees or defeat ISIS. Helpful actions that Jordan can take include improving refugees’ ability to work and cooperating with Israel on the Red-Dead project. Deutch thanked Jordan for its efforts to calm tensions on the Temple Mount last fall, but was alarmed by news that some Jordanian MPs had threatened to topple the government if the deal to import Israeli gas goes through.
Cicilline also expressed appreciation for Jordan’s counter-ISIS efforts and noted that he had visited the Za’atari Refugee Camp last month. Frankel noted that she had visited Jordan last month on a personal trip and had admired the beauty of the country and its people. She thanked Jordan for welcoming refugees but noted that refugees whom she met with expressed how difficult it was for them that they were unable to work and supplement their meager allowances. She wanted to know if anything was being done about this and what the US was doing to boost Jordan’s economy, including by supporting tourism. She also questioned whether our aid programs in Syria were still
helpful given the devastating impact of Russia’s intervention.
Feierstein noted that Jordan has played a vital role in addressing all of the US’s highest priority challenges in the region. Jordan is a leader in the anti-ISIS fight and is active in the airstrikes. Amman is working with us to expose ISIS’ false narrative. Jordan is also active in non-proliferation activities and in promoting a political solution to the Syrian conflict. Jordan’s engagement on Israeli-Palestinian issues, including the recent Temple Mount tensions, has been crucial. Our trade with Jordan remains strong and we are providing Jordan with robust security and economic assistance. Jordan was our largest Foreign Military Financing Recipient in 2015. Our cooperation with Jordan has never been closer.
Alexander stated that Jordan is home to one of the largest USAID missions in the world, which dates back almost six decades and has included water, education and healthcare. We have upgraded medical facilities and have helped boost key economic sectors. Economic assistance to Jordan includes direct assistance, loan guarantees, and project-based programs, helping Jordan deal with low economic growth, scarce water resources and crowded classrooms. With regard to the water sector, Jordan remains one of the world’s most water-scarce countries, so USAID focuses on Non-revenue Water (NRW) reduction. USAID has increased aid in sectors where Syrian refugees make the most impact and seeks to catalyze innovations that will help meet Jordan’s long-term needs. USAID
supports government reform and partners with IRI to strengthen civil society, governance, and rule of law. USAID partners with local communities and officials to identify local priorities. Economic programs have evolved over the years from building roads to building a competitive economy; one program has awarded nearly 100 grants to SMEs. USAID is also the lead donor for education in Jordan, and the Syrian refugee crisis is affecting Jordan’s schools. Aid to Syrian refugees also benefits Jordanians. For example, refugees get a food voucher debit card that they can use to shop at local stores.
Sumar stated that in 2005, MCC selected Jordan to be part of its threshold program to improve accountability and encourage trade. MCC partners with some of the world’s poorest countries, but only those committed to good governance. In 2011, MCC embarked on a five-year compact in Jordan focused on increasing the supply of water to households and improving the efficiency of water delivery. Water scarcity constrains Jordan’s growth potential. The refugee crisis has compounded the problem. MCC’s biggest investment in Jordan is in the Al-Samra wastewater treatment plant, which is partially funded by the private sector and will be operated for 25
years by a private sector firm. Treated water is now used for irrigation in the Jordan River Valley, which has freed up approximately 10% of the Jordan Valley’s water resources. MCC is also involved in water sector restructuring to decrease Jordan’s high NRW rate. They have targeted nearly 500 miles of urban pipelines for rehabilitation and have completed 70% of these so far. They evaluate their projects after the fact to assess their benefits. The Government of Jordan has been an excellent partner.
Ros-Lehtinen asked Feierstein what the US is doing to promote Jordanian imports of Israeli gas and the Red-Dead Conduit. Feierstein stated that the US is pushing hard for the gas deal and are working on an environmental impact study regarding the Red-Dead Conduit. They hope to hold a tripartite meeting soon. Ros-Lehtinen also asked Kumar whether Jordan could receive a second MCC compact. Kumar replied that Jordan is now an upper-middle income country, rendering it ineligible for another compact, unless the World Bank reevaluates this status based on the recent refugee influxes.
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