Trump administration may use loophole to sell Saudi Arabia weapons
The Trump administration is reportedly considering using a legislative loophole to sell billions of dollars worth of weapons to Saudi Arabia without congressional approval.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and other senior officials are pushing a plan in which President Trump would utilize a provision of the Arms Control Act that enables the sale of weapons without congressional consent if the president feels the nation’s security is at risk, according to the New York Times.
Under normal circumstances, members of Congress are granted a review period where they can introduce legislation to halt prospective arms sales.
The possible $7 billion sale to Saudi Arabia would include precision-guided munitions and combat aircraft, the Times said.
The emergency declaration, the Times reports, would likely be based on Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s perceived threat to American interests in the Middle East from Iran.
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) was highly critical of the potential sale in a series of tweets on Wednesday.
“To state the obvious, there is no new emergency reason to sell bombs to Saudi Arabia to drop in Yemen,” read part of Murphy’s tweet. “The Saudis been dropping the bombs on civilians, so if there is an emergency, it’s a humanitarian emergency caused by the bombs we sell the Saudis.”
