Senators say Trump using loophole to push through Saudi arms sale

Source: The Hill | May 24, 2019 | Rebecca Kheel

The Trump administration has invoked an emergency provision of the law governing arms sales to immediately sell Saudi Arabia and other Gulf allies weapons without congressional approval, senators said Friday.

The approval comes amid heightened tensions with Iran over what the administration has described as increased threats to U.S. interests in the region, and the senators indicated that Iran was used as justification for the emergency sale.

The administration on Friday also announced the deployment of 1,500 U.S. troops to the Middle East to protect U.S. forces already there from Iran.

State Department spokespeople did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the arms sale.

The package Congress was notified of Friday is composed of more than 20 separate deals and is valued at $8.1 billion, a Senate staffer told The Hill. The weapons include precision guided munitions, others bombs and ammunition, and aircraft maintenance support, the staffer said.

The arms are being sold to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, with the UAE then transferring some to Jordan, the staffer said.

The State Department informed relevant Senate and House committees and offices of the decision in a call and also sent to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s determination that an emergency exists requiring the sale in U.S. national security interests, the staffer added.

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