The State Department has notified Congress that it is moving forward with issuing a license for the sale of precision-guided bombs to Saudi Arabia, a person familiar with the situation confirmed to The Hill.
The license, the advancement of which was first reported by Bloomberg News, would allow Raytheon to directly sell Saudi Arabia 7,500 of its Paveway air-to-ground “smart” bombs at an estimated value of $478 million.
Asked for comment, a State Department spokesperson told The Hill that federal law and regulation bars the department from “commenting on or confirming specific direct commercial sales defense trade export licensing cases.”
The administration is moving ahead with approving the license in the waning days of President Trump’s tenure over the objection of Democratic lawmakers.
Lawmakers in both parties have been increasingly opposed to selling the Saudis weapons amid thousands of civilian deaths in the Saudi-led war in Yemen. Many lawmakers also reached their breaking point with the Kingdom when a Saudi hit squad killed and dismembered journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
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Trump administration advances bomb sale to Saudis https://t.co/oMlYykfv1K pic.twitter.com/d0URsyeKFS
— The Hill (@thehill) December 23, 2020
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