The U.S. Senate has narrowly defeated a proposal to block the sale of precision-guided munitions to Saudi Arabia.
The resolution (S.J.Res.42), which failed by a 47-53 vote after a late-morning debate June 13, sought to prevent the Royal Saudi Air Force from receiving a $510 million package that includes Boeing [BA] Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) bomb guidance tailkits and Raytheon [RTN] Paveway laser-guided bombs.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who introduced the measure, said that stopping the sale would send an important message to Saudi Arabia, whose air strikes against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen are accused of killing hundreds of civilians.
“We have a chance today to stop the carnage,” Paul told his colleagues. “We have a chance to tell Saudi Arabia we’ve had enough.”
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) called for the sale to be put on hold until Saudi Arabia provides assurances that the weapons will be used only for military purposes. Murphy said that Saudi aircraft have bombed water treatment plants, fueling a civilian cholera epidemic.
But opponents of the resolution countered that Saudi Arabia needs the munitions to help it fight the Islamic State and Iran’s proxies across the Middle East.
“Now is not the time to undermine one of our critical allies in the Arab world,” said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).
Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) asserted that the precision weapons would help Saudi Arabia prevent the kind of civilian casualties that its critics have complained about.
Senators said the weapons are the first part of the nearly $110 billion arms deal that President Donald Trump signed during his visit to Saudi Arabia last month.