Washington – Trump Mulls Bypassing Congress On Saudi Arms Sales

Washington – U.S. officials say the Trump administration is considering an emergency declaration that would allow it to make a new arms shipment to Saudi Arabia without the approval of Congress.

Two officials say a decision on invoking a national security waiver in the Arms Control Act to bypass congressional review of proposed sales to the Saudis could come as early as Friday. The officials were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Congressional opposition to U.S. military support for Saudi Arabia has been growing. Lawmakers have blocked about $2 billion in arms sales to the kingdom for more than a year due to concerns over civilian casualties in the Saudi-led military operation in Yemen and outrage over the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.