Schiff Amendment to Address the Threat Posed by Improvised Explosive Devices Passes in the House
Washington DC – The House today unanimously approved Representative Adam Schiff’s (D-CA) amendment to require the Secretary of Defense to submit quarterly reports to Congress regarding the threat posed by IEDs and the efforts being undertaken to eliminate such a threat as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 5122). Rep. Schiff introduced the amendment in reaction to continuing news reports dating back to the beginning of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan that have highlighted the catastrophic dangers associated with improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and continuing concerns over the Defense Department’s response to the problem. H.R. 5122 passed the House this afternoon.
“These bombs kill American troops almost every day; no effort should be spared to stop them,” Schiff said. “I am please my colleagues supported my amendment and I am confident this legislation will help protect our troops from the devastating effects of improvised explosive devices.”
The amendment will require each report to include information regarding every incident involving the detonation or discovery of an IED in that past 90 days. In accessing the threat posed by the IEDs in Iraq and Afghanistan the report will include the following:
- Any work being done by any office in the Department of Defense or by military department that focuses on countering IEDs;
- Any countermeasures being used and their success rate;
Any evidence of assistance by foreign countries or other opposition forces;
- A list and summary of information or reporters developed by the Department of Defense and Armed Forces on counter-IED efforts;
- The status of any and all efforts within the Department of Defense and the Armed Forces to research, develop, test, and evaluate countermeasures and what is being done to speedup their introduction.
Congressman Schiff is a former federal prosecutor and the co-founder of the Democratic Study Group on National Security. He serves on both the House Judiciary and International Relations committees. He represents California’s 29th Congressional District, which includes the communities of Alhambra, Altadena, Burbank, East Pasadena, East San Gabriel, Glendale, Monterey Park, Pasadena, San Gabriel, South Pasadena and Temple City.
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