US Republican members of Congress pushed back on Wednesday against President Donald Trump's plan to sell $8 billion in weapons to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, saying it was "unfortunate" the administration used an emergency declaration to avoid Congressional review.
Members of Congress have been blocking sales of military equipment to Saudi Arabia and the UAE for months, angry about the deaths of civilians in the US's air campaign in Yemen, as well as human rights abuses such as the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at a Saudi consulate in Turkey last year.
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The Trump administration is pressing Riyadh to show "tangible progress" toward holding to account those behind Khashoggi's killing, a senior administration official said on Tuesday.
A ranking Republican on the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, Michael McCaul (R-Texas), said at a hearing on Wednesday that he supported "the efforts of Saudi Arabia to defend themselves against Iran," but "the recent use of this emergency authority, in my judgment, was unfortunate."
Another member, Representative Ann Wagner (R-Missouri), asked for a better understanding of the administration's move to sidestep congressional oversight given Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses.
Citing an Iran-related emergency, the Trump administration told congressional committees on May 24 that it would go ahead with 22 military deals worth $8.1 billion to Saudi Arabia, UAE and Jordan, circumventing a long-standing precedent for lawmakers to review major weapons sales.
The Trump administration announced that it was sending 1,500 additional troops to the Middle East, in an effort to bolster defenses against what it sees as a threat of potential attack by Iran.
