WASHINGTON — Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement applauding Senate and House appropriators after they announced a bipartisan deal on federal government spending. Comprised of 12 separate appropriations bills, the legislation includes key priorities championed by Menendez: legislation to reshape U.S. strategy in the Eastern Mediterranean; the largest assistance package to date in response to the Venezuelan crisis; and a provision authorizing the State Department to provide additional medical attention and compensation to U.S diplomats affected by the attacks during their service in Cuba and China.

“The appropriations package announced tonight is a victory for U.S. national interests and our nation’s broader foreign policy agenda,” said Ranking Member Menendez. “With this deal, Congress is using our power of the purse to assert our leadership in addressing key national security priorities for the United States. I thank my colleagues across the aisle in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, and the Leadership of both Chambers, for working with me through these critical negotiations, and I look forward to enacting this funding package into law without further delay.”

The Eastern Mediterranean Security and Energy Partnership Act of 2019:

The Eastern Mediterranean Security and Energy Partnership Act of 2019 deepens U.S. security and energy relationships in the Eastern Mediterranean region, especially with Israel, Cyprus and Greece. The bill authorizes security assistance for Cyprus and Greece and would lift arms restrictions on Cyprus. It also authorizes the establishment of a United States-Eastern Mediterranean Energy Center to facilitate energy cooperation among the U.S., Israel, Greece, and Cyprus.

“By including this legislation in the government funding package, the United States Congress is recognizing our significant national security interests in the Eastern Mediterranean,” said Menendez. “Bolstered by strong and expanding relationships with Greece, Israel, and Cyprus, this commonsense legislation will drastically strengthen our bonds of friendship through joint efforts to promote peace, prosperity, and security for our nations.”

The Eastern Mediterranean Security and Energy Partnership Act of 2019:

· Lift the prohibition on arms sales to the Republic of Cyprus;

· Authorize the establishment of a United States-Eastern Mediterranean Energy Center to facilitate energy cooperation between the U.S., Israel, Greece, and Cyprus;

· Authorize Foreign Military Financing (FMF) assistance for Greece;

· Authorize International Military Education and Training (IMET) assistance for Greece and Cyprus.

· Require the Administration to submit to Congress a strategy on enhanced security and energy cooperation with countries in the Eastern Mediterranean, as well as reports on malign activities by Russia and other countries in the region.