Senate blocks Trump on arms deals, his use of special power
WASHINGTON — The Senate on Thursday passed three measures to block President Donald Trump from using his emergency authority to complete several arms sales benefiting Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, but fell short of the support needed to overcome a pledged veto.
Trump has cited rising tensions with Iran as justification for using his emergency powers to complete the deals.
A bipartisan group of senators, led by Sens. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., and Lindsey Graham, RS.C., had filed 22 resolutions of disapproval against the sales — one for every contract the administration had expedited by emergency order, effectively sidestepping congressional opposition.
But after weeks of negotiations, Senate leaders agreed to hold just three votes encompassing the substance of all resolutions seeking to block the deals.
Trump, according to congressional aides, would still have to issue 22 individual vetoes even though the Senate resolutions were bundled into three.
The first two resolutions, to prohibit sales benefiting filing of Saudi Arabia and various western nations, passed 5345 with seven Republicans voting in favor: Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Graham, Mike Lee of Utah, Jerry Moran of Kansas, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Todd Young of Indiana.
Only five of those Republicans backed the third resolution, which sought to block several arms deals also benefiting Jordan, the UAE and others. It passed 51-45. Murkowski opposed that measure, and Lee was not recorded as voting.
The votes came hours before the White House was to host congressional leaders — including the heads of the Senate and House committees overseeing the military, the intelligence community, and diplomatic affairs — for an Iran briefing, which Trump was expected to attend.
Senior administration officials have been on Capitol Hill all week briefing lawmakers about escalating tensions with Tehran, but overnight reports that the Iranian military shot down a U.S. Navy drone over the Persian Gulf has fueled concerns that the United States might be on the brink of an all-out military conflict with Iran.
Democrats have argued that any arms sales to Iranian nemesis Saudi Arabia and its allies would only worsen such a regional conflict, particularly in war zones such as Yemen that have already turned into proxy battles.
But Republican leaders have repeatedly stated their opposition to efforts to scale back the United States’ defense cooperation with Saudi Arabia, including the arms sales, which makes securing a vetoproof, two-thirds majority for the resolutions a difficult endeavor.
Democratic leaders in the House had been waiting to see whether the Senate would have any difficulty passing the resolutions before taking their own steps to block Trump’s actions.
Democrats and Republicans have been troubled by Trump’s embrace of Saudi Arabia, which has endured despite international condemnation of its leaders’ reported role in the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributing columnist, and the kingdom’s involvement in Yemen’s civil war.
“I personally feel betrayed,” especially concerning Khashoggi, Graham said Wednesday during a confirmation hearing for Trump’s pick to serve as ambassador to the United Nations.