Just weeks after the announcement of a controversial arms package to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Trump Administration has notified Congress of an additional $290 million in proposed munitions sales to Saudi Arabia. 

The sale, for 3,000 GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs, includes very same sorts of munitions that have been used to devastating effect in the Saudi-Led war in Yemen, where coalition airstrikes have killed scores of civilians and decimated the civilian infrastructure of the already impoverished country. 

Arms sales to members of the Saudi-led coalition have catalyzed an increasingly robust response from lawmakers and civil society. In 2019, Congress passed joint resolutions of disapproval for arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the UAE after the Trump administration circumvented traditional notification processes through the use of an emergency declaration. Though the resolutions were vetoed, it marked an important moment for lawmakers and indicated their willingness to expand their authority over U.S. arms transfers. 

In December, sales of armed drones, advanced fighter jets, and thousands of munitions to the UAE drew a similar response from Congress. Though efforts to block the sales failed, the message of opposition was clear and could be seen as a signal to the incoming Biden administration, which has promised to reconsider weapons transfers to countries like Saudi Arabia. 

The recent Sale to Saudi Arabia caps a record year for the Trump Administration’s arms exports, with more than $130 billion in Foreign Military Sales notified to Congress. Many of those sales have come after Trump’s electoral defeat.  Advocates looking to the incoming Biden Administration to impose stronger safeguards on U.S. arms transfers will be watching early actions on these most recent sales as a signal of things to come. 
 

With a new administration taking office, the 2021 Forum on the Arms Trade annual conference, “Advancing More Responsible Arms Trade Policy,” looks to inform early discussions of how lawmakers and a Biden White House can reshape the U.S. role in the global arms trade. This virtual event on Tuesday, January 12, will feature leading Congressional and civil society voices in virtual conversation with audience participants. RSVP now to join our in-depth discussion of new opportunities to develop a responsible U.S. arms transfer policy.  Join us!