Saudi arms sales to proceed as Senate fails to override veto

WASHINGTON: The US Senate on Monday failed to prevent the  sale of $8.1 billion in weapons to Saudi Arabia, after President Donald Trump vetoed congressional resolutions blocking the deal.Despite bipartisan votes this month that served as a rebuke to the president -- and an expression of lawmakers´ outrage with the kingdom over  the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi last year -- the effort to override Trump´s third use of his veto powers since taking office fell well short.Trump sought approval for 22 separate sales of aircraft support maintenance, precision-guided munitions and other weapons and equipment to countries including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates at a moment of heightened tensions in the Middle East.Trump´s administration took the extraordinary step of bypassing Congress to approve the sale in May, as his administration declared Iran to be a "fundamental threat" to the stability of the Middle East.Senate Democrat Ben Cardin said that by not blocking the sales, Republicans "abdicated their constitutionally mandated responsibilities" to conduct oversight."We have both a legal and moral obligation to make certain that US weapons are not used to repress human rights or perpetrate violence against innocent civilians," Cardin said.

from The News International - World https://ift.tt/30Z7FlW