Biden Issues Order to Link Military Aid to Humanitarian Law Compliance
• Biden issued an order requiring recipients of U.S. military aid to adhere to international humanitarian law and facilitate delivery of humanitarian assistance.
• The order came after Senate Democrats, led by Sen. Chris Van Hollen, threatened to block billions in aid over humanitarian concerns.
• The White House saw it as an opportunity to formalize humanitarian standards for aid recipients that it was already following.
• The order includes detailed reporting requirements to Congress on recipients' compliance, giving Biden the option to suspend further aid deliveries for violations.
• Advocates say the transparency requirements will make it harder for Biden to ignore violations, providing him a "toolbox" to enforce humanitarian law.