{"id":59456,"date":"2020-12-03T19:54:14","date_gmt":"2020-12-03T19:54:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2020\/12\/03\/us-senate-to-vote-next-week-on-23b-uae-arms-sale\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T00:27:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T00:27:10","slug":"us-senate-to-vote-next-week-on-23b-uae-arms-sale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2020\/12\/03\/us-senate-to-vote-next-week-on-23b-uae-arms-sale\/","title":{"rendered":"Senate to vote on banning $23 billion UAE arms sales next week"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2015 The Senate will vote next week on legislation<\/a> to halt the Trump administration\u2019s $23 billion sale<\/a> of F-35 fighter jets, Reaper drones and munitions to the United Arab Emirates, a lawmaker said Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Four pending joint resolutions of disapproval offer lawmakers a chance to block the Trump administration\u2019s 11th hour proposal to transfer arms to the Emirates. Critics say the sales, meant to bolster the UAE against Iran, ignores risks to Israel<\/a> and to sensitive military technology posed by UAE\u2019s ties to Russia and China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Asked about the legislation, Sen. Bob Menendez, who is sponsoring the effort to bar the weapons sale with Sens. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., and Rand Paul, R-Ky., told reporters: \u201cIt\u2019s ripe, it\u2019s ready, it has privilege on the floor. We are gathering support for it and I would think sometime next week.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The deal includes 50 F-35s, 18 MQ\u20139B Reapers, as well as thousands of munitions and hundreds of missiles. It was approved by the U.S. State Department in November after the UAE agreed to formalize diplomatic relations with Israel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because there are four resolutions targeting different parts of the sale, it remains unclear how the votes will be structured and whether each one will attract a different level of support. The resolutions are privileged, which means they can be called up without the approval of Senate leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the House, Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., introduced corresponding resolutions, but there\u2019s been no announcement on the timing there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an interview Thursday, Murphy said the Trump administration briefing on the sales he and other members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee received last month convinced him the sale is being rushed to box in the incoming Biden administration. But he believed the deal, if it\u2019s not defeated in Congress, may be open to change by the next president.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI believe the Biden administration will be able to put additional conditions on sales or hold back weapons, but I haven\u2019t dug into the fine print yet,\u201d Murphy said. \u201cMy worry is there are certain sales we will be obligated to make.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t