Senate Votes to Block Emergency Defense Sales to Middle East
Senators on June 20 voted to block the sale of billions of dollars worth of arms to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates after weeks of criticism from bipartisan members of Congress. The sale, originally announced by the Trump administration on May 24, used an emergency provision in the Arms Export Control Act to allow the State Department to bypass congressional approval and certify 22 arms transfers to the Middle East. But Democratic and Republican members in both the House and Senate criticized the move, saying it was a misuse of executive power (see 1906120066).
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Before the vote, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said he would vote for the resolution of disapproval, adding that he rejected the premise that the president's emergency powers allow circumvention of congressional approval. “It sets a dangerous precedent for congressional oversight of future arms sales, and can lead to renewed conflicts,” Schumer said on the Senate floor. While a similar resolution is expected to pass in the House, the president is expected to veto any bill blocking the sales, according to a June 20 statement from the Office of Management and Budget.