On Wednesday, Politico reporter Andrew Desiderio reported that a bipartisan group of senators is releasing 22 resolutions to block President Donald Trump’s arms deals to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates — including a couple of GOP senators who are reliable votes for the president’s agenda.
The sponsors include Sens. Chris Murphy (D-CT), Todd Young (R-IN), Rand Paul (R-KY), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Jack Reed (D-RI), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Patrick Leahy (D-VT).
Trump has a fondness for the Saudi royal family, which has purchased real estate from his businesses, and for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. He has eagerly accelerated the sale of weapons to Saudi Arabia, even as a Saudi-led coalition has waged a brutal war in Yemen that has targeted food supplies and killed tens of thousands of children from starvation.
Congress recently passed a resolution directing the president to remove U.S. troops engaged in “hostilities” in Yemen, but Trump vetoed it.
In addition to these resolutions, some lawmakers and activists are planning to try to slip language into the upcoming defense budget that would block Trump from assisting the Saudis in Yemen.
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