US Senate backs massive arms sales to UAE after Trump veto threat – By Al Jazeera and News Agencies (Al Jazeera) / Dec 10 2020
Opponents of $23bn deal for F-35s, Reaper drones fail to muster enough votes to block the sale.
The United States Senate has defeated an effort to block the Trump administration’s sale of $23bn in advanced fighter jets and drones to the United Arab Emirates.
President Donald Trump had issued a formal threat to veto congressional efforts to block the planned weapons transfer, which is tied to the UAE’s normalisation of ties with Israel under the “Abraham Accords”.
Two procedural votes failed to gain a majority of the 100-member Senate, effectively stopping the effort to block the sale of advanced F-35 fighter jets and Reaper drones.
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said the resolutions seeking to block the arms sale fell far short of the two-thirds support that would be needed to overcome a presidential veto.
“It’s a little baffling to suggest that, now of all times, a protest gesture with no chance of obtaining a veto-proof majority is a valuable use of the Senate’s time,” McConnell said in Senate floor remarks.
