WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' first bill - a ban on the sale or export of parts for the F-14 fighter jet - won strong, bipartisan support today in the House of Representatives.
“Republicans and Democrats stood shoulder to shoulder today to make sure U.S. military hardware cannot be used against us or our allies,” said Giffords, a member of the Armed Services and Foreign Affairs committees. “This common sense legislation will help make America a safer place.”
H.R. 1441 passed in a voice vote shortly after 1 p.m. Tucson time.
Giffords' bill is aimed at preventing approximately 10,000 unique F-14 parts from ending up in Iran, the only country still flying the American-made fighter jet. These parts, which Iran does not have the capability of producing, are critical to keeping the two-engine, supersonic warplane operational.
Last year, an undercover investigation by the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that significant tracking problems existed with the surplus sale of U.S. military equipment, including F-14 parts. As a result, the GAO reported that the U.S. could be unwittingly allowing jet parts to end up in Iran.
“Congress simply cannot let this happen,” said Giffords. “A hostile Iran represents a grave threat to our country and to the stability of the Middle East. The last thing we want - the last thing the world wants - is for Iran to be more of a threat than it is now.”
The Senate version of the bill was introduced by Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon. “Congresswoman Giffords and I believe that this is an important first step in reforming an out of control surplus sales program,” he said. “I expect the Senate will pass this legislation later this month as part of the Defense Authorization Bill, and hope that the President will agree that this is a problem that needs to be fixed once and for all.”
The F-14 was used primarily by the U.S. Navy after it was introduced in 1972. The jet achieved a measure of celebrity status in 1986 - two decades before its retirement from the American fleet - with the movie Top Gun. The U.S. sold the planes to Iran prior to the Islamic Revolution of 1979, when the country was a close ally. Iran is now widely condemned for supporting international terrorism and pursuing nuclear weapons. Earlier this year, the United Nations Security Council voted to impose tougher sanctions on Iran for refusing to suspend its uranium enrichment program.
“During my trip to the Middle East earlier this year, I heard over and over again from our military commanders in Iraq and our friends in Israel about the security dangers posed by Iran,” Giffords said. “The goal of my bill is to keep those dangers in check.”