Rand Paul to tee up vote on blocking Trump's Saudi arms deal

[babylonsister]

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/23/rand-paul-saudi-arabia-arms-sales-238730


Rand Paul to tee up vote on blocking Trump's Saudi arms deal

By Elana Schor

05/23/2017 05:32 PM EDT

Updated 05/24/2017 10:05 AM EDT


Kentucky GOP Sen. Rand Paul is expected to offer legislation as soon as Wednesday that would block President Donald Trump's $110 billion weapons sales to Saudi Arabia.

Paul's planned bill disapproving of the arms deal, confirmed by a Senate source familiar with the timeline, comes as Trump completes the first leg of an overseas trip that began with a warm welcome from the Saudi royal family in Riyadh. Paul recently joined three Democrats in proposing to make future arms sales contingent on reining in Saudi military involvement in Yemen's civil war, and he is likely to take advantage of a 1976 law that allows any senator to force a vote on halting overseas arms sales.

Paul is going to be joined on the forthcoming resolution by Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, his partner last year in forcing a Senate vote to halt then-President Barack Obama's plans for a $1.15 billion Saudi arms sale. Their effort was defeated on a 71-27 vote, with Republican Sens. Dean Heller of Nevada and Mike Lee of Utah joining 23 Democrats in voting to block the deal.

Murphy tweeted early Wednesday that the bill would not look to stop all $110 billion of Trump's planned sales, but instead "target munitions used" in the ongoing violence in Yemen. Humanitarian groups have warned that the new Trump-backed sales are likely to be used against rebel factions in Yemen that the Saudi government sees as aligned with Iran.

The Connecticut Democrat also has spoken out against Trump's Saudi arms sales, warning in a Saturday column that the inclusion of precision-guided munitions goes further than Obama's weapons deal and runs the risk that "more — not fewer — civilians will be killed" in the ongoing Yemeni conflict. It remains unclear how many Democrats are preparing to join him in signing onto the latest disapproval measure.

[emulatorloo]

1. Rand Paul, the stopped clock.

Right two times a day.

Good for him. And good for Chris Murphy.

[Laf.La.Dem.]

2. I have a love - hate for Rand Paul!!

Sad to say - mostly hate