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Congress Pushes Oversight of Saudi Arms Transfers

Katherine Gypson

   A growing number of U.S. Democratic and Republican lawmakers are
   expressing concern about the Trump administration's emergency
   certification of arms sales to Saudi Arabia.

   The U.S. Senate could vote as early as next week on resolutions
   blocking Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's May 24 announcement of $8.1
   billion in arms transfers "to deter Iranian aggression and build
   partner self-defense capacity." The transfers include the United Arab
   Emirates and Jordan.

   A top House Democrat said Wednesday that he would use "every possible
   avenue" to stop the action. The Trump administration "employed an
   obscure and rarely used provision of the law to declare a phony
   emergency, ram these sales throughand undercut Congress' ability to
   carry out its oversight role," said House Foreign Affairs Committee
   Chairman Eliot Engel, D-N.Y.

   Four House Democrats filed resolutions Wednesday
   afternoonthat,ifpassed,would block the licenses required for the sales
   to move ahead.

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