Secretary of State Mike Pompeo notified lawmakers Friday that President Trump is invoking his emergency authority to sidestep Congress and complete 22 arms deals that would benefit Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other countries, despite lawmakers’ objections to the transactions. Lawmakers anticipated that the Trump administration might try to push through arms deals benefiting Saudi Arabia, in light of increased tensions with Iran. Yet the breadth of the Trump administration’s decision Friday, which benefits many more countries than just Saudi Arabia and the UAE, Iran’s regional rivals, will probably upset members of both parties, according to congressional aides. Amash tweeted about the arms sale Friday: “Congress must reclaim its powers. Saudi Arabia does not use F-18s but helps make them for countries such as Israel, India and South Korea.

Source: Washington Post May 24, 2019 18:25 UTC