The New York Times: Democrats block $3 billion arms deal to Qatar and the UAE
The New York Times reported that members of the US Democratic Party want to ban arms sales to Qatar and the UAE worth more than $3 billion.
The New York Times reported that Democrats in Congress are trying to block arms sales worth more than $3 billion to Qatar and the UAE.
The deal is worth $1.9 billion with Qatar and $1.5 billion with the UAE.
The US State Department approved the sale and formally notified Congress of it shortly before President Donald Trump’s trip to the Middle East this week, but in the case of arms sales to the UAE, the administration bypassed the step that allows foreign affairs committees to express concerns about the proposal or discuss changes to it.
In response, Democratic Senator Christopher Murphy on Thursday introduced a series of resolutions aimed at banning deals with both Qatar and the UAE, joined by several other senior Democrats, including Independent Senator Bernie Sanders.
The talks reportedly involve the sale of Chinook helicopters, drones carrying lethal weapons, hundreds of bombs, F-16 fighter jet components, and other military equipment.
Trump visited Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE this week as part of his Middle East tour.
During Trump’s visit, the UAE authorities officially announced their intention to invest $1.4 trillion in the US economy by 2035.
