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June 10, 2019

Bipartisan Senators Oppose U.S.-Saudi Arms Deal with Flurry of Resolutions
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Democratic Senator Chris Murphy and Republican Senator Todd Young are
introducing a bill today to force a vote on U.S. military support for
Saudi Arabia, as a bipartisan effort to block President Trump's
emergency arms sales to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states is mounting.
On Friday, The New York Times reported that the contested arms
deal-secured after Trump used an emergency declaration last month to
push it through without congressional approval-will allow for high-tech
U.S. bomb parts to be manufactured in Saudi Arabia. Under the deal,
Raytheon would work directly with Saudi Arabia on precision-guided bomb
technology, which has been used against civilians in the U.S.-backed war
in Yemen. The provision is part of an $8.1 billion arms package for
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.

Both Democratic and Republican lawmakers, including staunch Trump ally
Lindsey Graham, have blasted the arms deal, and senators have announced
22 resolutions against it-one for each sale. Senator Chris Murphy said
in a statement, "The process we are setting in motion will allow
Congress to weigh in on the totality of our security relationship with
Saudi Arabia, not just one arms sale, and restore Congress's role in
foreign policy-making."
In April, Trump vetoed a historic congressional War Powers Resolution
ordering the U.S. to halt most military support for the war in Yemen.
Yemen is the world's worst humanitarian disaster. In April, a new report
by the U.N. found that the combined death toll from fighting, hunger and
disease has reached nearly a quarter-million since the start of the
conflict.

In related news, Raytheon and aircraft manufacturer United Technologies
announced Sunday they are merging, creating a defense and aeronautics
giant that would rank as the second largest behind Boeing.