Staff Reports
Senate Democrats are up in arms over the Biden administration’s decision to bypass Congress yet again to send weapons to Israel. They’re really not happy about it, folks! The Defense Department announced that Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Congress about the emergency determination to cover over $147.5 million in equipment sales. This includes new fuses and chargers for the 155 mm shells already purchased by the Israeli military.
Democrats upset with Biden administration for bypassing Congress on Israel weapons — again https://t.co/xUmR9vRXGV
Even Senate Democrats are turning on Biden by bypassing them over foreign weapon sales. Biden will probably do the same with Ukraine. So who is the Dictator now?— Gene Pavlova (@GenePavlova) January 2, 2024
Blinken defended the decision, saying, “Given the urgency of Israel’s defensive needs, the secretary notified Congress that he had exercised his delegated authority to determine an emergency existed, necessitating the immediate approval of the transfer.” Basically, he said they had no time to waste, and Israel needed those weapons ASAP.
This emergency determination allows the Biden administration to skip the usual congressional review process for foreign military sales. But get this – it’s actually the second time in less than a month that the Biden team has pulled this trick for Israel. They did the same thing just a few weeks earlier, pushing through a separate $106.5 million for tank ammunition.
Now, Senate Democrats are not holding back their criticism. They’re worried that the Israeli military isn’t doing enough to prevent civilian casualties in Gaza. They’re all hot and bothered that the State Department is authorizing these sales behind Congress’s back, arguing that it removes an important check on the executive branch.
“Unnecessarily bypassing Congress means keeping the American people in the dark,” said Senator Tim Kaine. He really wants the administration to explain why they’re doing this. He’s not the only one; Senator Chris Van Hollen also thinks the decision “undermines transparency and weakens accountability.” And Senator Peter Welch is really riled up, saying the weapons sent to Israel have been used to cause a lot of harm in Gaza.
The Democrats are also calling for certain conditions on U.S. military aid, like making sure recipient countries follow international armed conflict laws. And let’s not forget about President Biden’s $106 billion request for foreign military aid to other countries.
