US President Trump has vetoed three joint congressional resolutions prohibiting emergency arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) worth more than $8 billion.
"This resolution would weaken America's global competitiveness and damage the important relationships we share with our allies and partners," Trump wrote in veto messages.
According to CNN, Trump announced he was returning the bipartisan bills that would have blocked licensing for certain arms sales in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the UK, France, Spain and Italy.
"Apart from negatively affecting our bilateral relationships with Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, Spain, and Italy, the joint resolution would hamper the ability of the United States to sustain and shape critical security cooperation activities," Trump said in one of the messages.
Trump said. "Rather than expend time and resources on such resolutions, I encourage the Congress to direct its efforts toward supporting our work…”
In a letter to congressional lawmakers in May, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that he "determined that an emergency exists, which requires the immediate sale of the defense articles and defense services" to Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Jordan "in order to deter further the malign influence of the Government of Iran throughout the Middle East region," according to a copy obtained by CNN.
Senate voted 53-45 in June to block two of the emergency arms sales, and 51-45 to block the other 20. The House followed suit by blocking three of the arms sales in mid-July. Two resolutions passed 238-190, and the third passed 237-190.
According to The Hill, the three resolutions vetoed by Trump covered Paveway precision-guided munitions for the Saudis and Emiratis, as well as fuzing systems to detonate the bombs.
The Paveway deal with the Saudis also includes the co-production of the so-called smart bombs, an aspect that has raised concerns among lawmakers who say it runs the risk of giving the Saudis access to sensitive technology they can use to produce their own version of the bomb.
Disapproval stood as a symbolic showing of congressional opposition -- including from within Trump's own party -- to the administration's relationship to Saudi Arabia, following the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi last year, reported CNN.
Congress is not expected to have the two-thirds majority needed to override Trump’s vetoes.
With Congress likely unable to override Trump's vetoes, lawmakers have already begun plotting their next steps. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is scheduled Thursday to debate competing bills to hold Saudi Arabia accountable for the Khashoggi killing and Yemen civil war, reported The Hill, reported The Hill.
