Media Contact 202-321-9747

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast and Foreign Arms Sales Task Force Chairman Ryan Zinke (R-MT) applauded President Trump’s executive order taking action on key reforms to improve the foreign defense sales process. 

The lawmakers pledged to work closely with the Trump administration to codify these much-needed reforms into law and improve the U.S. defense industrial base, eliminate red-tape in the arms sales process, and improve interoperability and efficiency with our foreign partners,  

“President Trump is taking the bold, decisive action needed to ensure the U.S. continues to maintain the world’s leading defense industrial base and that our partners are better armed more quickly with American systems and hardware.  We will work hand in hand with the Administration, the Senate, and industry on these and other needed reforms,” Chairman Mast said. “These actions, at their core, are about deterring aggression and, when needed, defeating our adversaries. These improvements to the arms sales process will ensure interoperability between the US and our partners, and strengthen our defense industrial base for years to come and create more American jobs.” 

Earlier this month, Chairman Mast formally established the bipartisan Foreign Arms Sales Task Force to ensure the foreign arms sales process meets the demands of the future. 

The task force, which is being led by Chairman Zinke and Ranking Member Madeleine Dean (D-PA), will propose overdue reforms aimed at eliminating bureaucratic hurdles that encumber the current foreign arms sales process. The task force will hear from the Trump administration and industry partners on key reforms to improve our defense sales process.  These efforts will result in more efficient partnerships between the government and private sector stakeholders, a stronger defense industrial base, and foreign partners being better armed more quickly with American systems and hardware.

“I fully support President Trump’s Executive Order to streamline foreign military sales for trusted allies,” Chairman Zinke said. “Cutting red tape boosts our security, supports manufacturing, and gets vital tech to the good guys. The task force is ready to make it happen.”

###