(CLO) The US State Department has announced a $7 billion arms sale to Israel without going through the congressional review process, according to senior Democrat Gregory Meeks on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
The deal, which includes thousands of Hellfire missiles and bombs, was announced just days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with President Donald Trump and other top officials in Washington, D.C. It was also the first meeting between a foreign leader and Trump at the White House during his second term.
Normally, the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee are notified of arms sales and given time to review them and ask questions. But despite Meeks’s many unanswered questions, the Trump administration moved forward with the sale.
In this January 22 photo, Israeli troops and military vehicles prepare to enter Jenin in the West Bank. (Photo: Gi)
A congressional aide said they were “shocked but not surprised” by the Trump administration’s decision, noting that Trump’s earlier dismantling of USAID showed a disregard for congressional oversight.
The deal marks the Trump administration's first arms sale to Israel, but the country has received billions of dollars in military aid from the US under previous administrations.
Last summer, the Biden administration approved a $20 billion arms sale to Israel, including more than 50 F-15 fighter jets.
Josh Paul, a former State Department official who resigned in 2023 over the Biden administration’s Gaza policy, said bypassing congressional oversight was a clear disregard for the legislature.
Ha Trang (according to USP, CNN)
Source: https://www.congluan.vn/bo-ngoai-giao-my-ban-goi-vu-khi-7-ty-usd-cho-israel-ma-khong-thong-qua-quoc-hoi-post333598.html
Comment (0)