Democrats in US House oppose sale of smart bombs to Saudi Arabia

WASHINGTON, Jan. 16 (YPA) – Democrats in the US House of Representatives on Friday introduced resolutions opposing the Trump administration’s sale of millions of dollars of precision-guided bombs to Saudi Arabia.

These measures expressing congressional opposition to the sale were introduced by Reps. Gregory Meeks, the chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, because of the kingdom’s role in Yemen’s brutal civil war, which has sparked the worst humanitarian crisis in modern history.

“There is no justification for the Trump administration’s decision to rush through the sale of thousands of bombs to Saudi Arabia,” Meeks said in a statement, referencing a 2019 “emergency” arms sale to the Saudis that Democrats allege circumvented congressional oversight.

“Yemen has already been described by the UN as the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, and that crisis is worsened when weapons sold by the United States are being used recklessly, costing the lives of civilians,” he added.

The resolutions of disapproval were co-sponsored by Reps. Gerald Connolly, Ted Deutch, Ted Lieu , Ro Khanna, Barbara Lee and James McGovern.

The Trump administration most recently approved a $290 million sale to Riyadh for 3,000 Boeing-made GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs.

Arms sales to Saudi Arabia in particular has been a point of contention between the White House and lawmakers of both parties, because of Because of the war in Yemen, the killing of U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi,” and human rights violations in the country.

YPA