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Meeks and other leaders of the House Foreign Affairs and Senate Foreign Relations committees often sign off on foreign military purchases.
“For me, it’s organized,” Meeks said. “Congress has power for a reason. And I want to make sure that the owner of the watch continues.
Some Democrats have drawn comparisons to the Trump administration, which has similarly pressured Congress to speed up arms sales to Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, prompting uproar on Capitol Hill. .
Under the Arms Export Control Act, Congress must be notified 15 days before the administration can finalize a major arms sale to Israel or other allies — though the State Department has years provided more information than that, on an informal basis.
“We already have a congressional review process. But I think that process is important, in all cases, for transparency and accountability,” said Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “And I think the decision to cut short that process is a disservice to the American public.”
A State Department official said Secretary of State Antony Blinken “had determined an emergency would require immediate approval of the transfer,” adding that the administration had used the same procedure in the many years in recent years to accelerate the arms in Ukraine.
“We continue to be clear with the government of Israel that they must comply with (international humanitarian law) and must take any necessary steps to avoid harming civilians,” he said. said the official, who requested anonymity to speak on a sensitive matter.
The fight could end in a legal action to end the sale, as the Trump-era maneuver did. But the critics of the road were not willing to give in a special way a few days after the sale was announced.
Sen. said. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who called on the Biden administration to do more to protect civilians in Gaza and criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the war, also criticized the wake.
“The bottom line is, I think Israel has the right to defend itself against a terrorist group like Hamas, but they don’t have the right to go to war against women and Palestinian children, thousands of them have already been killed,” Sanders said.
“And I am not in favor, as you know, of giving more military aid to the right wing of Netanyahu to continue that terrible war against the Palestinians,” he added.
Blinken on Sunday defended the move, saying it was only a small portion of the U.S. aid sent to Israel so far, “and we want to make sure Israel has what it needs.” needed to protect himself from Hamas.”
The administration began sending weapons to Israel within hours of Hamas’ attack on October 7, and has so far refused to provide a full list of the weapons.
The latest deal is nearly 14,000 120mm M830A1 High Explosive Anti-Tank Multi-Purpose with Tracer tank kits, as well as US support, engineering and logistics, according to the Department of State. The shells will come from the US Army inventory, so they can be quickly transferred to Israel.
During the Trump era, the solution caused a conflict between the Democrats and the administration on the sale of weapons in the Middle East. Citing the threats posed by Iran, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in 2019 used an emergency to approve the sale of billions of dollars in weapons to Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Jordan.
Congress approved resolutions to freeze sales to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, but this time President Donald Trump approved it.
Sen. said. Bob Menendez (DN.J.) a critic of the action at the time, argued this week that there are important differences now: Israel has already been attacked and there is no “idea to try to avoid the Congress.”
“You have a clear partner that is in a war and that needs a lot of things to fight and succeed, but the other one is not as urgent as Israel,” said Menendez, who farewell from abroad. Relations Committee chairman in September amid federal corruption charges.
In fact, Israel’s war against Hamas in response to the group’s attack on October 7 can calm the fears of some lawmakers about the threat. The top Senate Foreign Relations Republican, Sen. Jim Risch of Idaho, said the action was justified because of the conflict.
“Israel’s self-defense is now a matter of great concern and urgency,” Risch said in a statement to POLITICO. “This is a situation where it is appropriate to use an emergency measure, and I have received the necessary information on these purchases from the special office, as expected.”
But that doesn’t seem to satisfy Democrats who have complained that the U.S. is not doing enough to ensure that weapons sent to Israel are not responsible for preventing deaths as civilians and humanitarian crises escalate in Gaza. .
“I have deep concerns about the current military operations in Gaza and the lack of a meaningful response by the Israeli government to our stated concerns,” said another Democratic politician and the member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, who did not disclose his name to speak directly. a sensitive issue. “The passage of Congress for these weapons only increases my concern.”
Biden addressed the issue, saying at a closed-door fundraiser on Tuesday that international support for Israel has crumbled because of the “reckless bombing” of Gaza. In his widely publicized criticism of the war effort, Biden added that Netanyahu “has to change.”
Sen. said. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) led a letter sent to the White House last week calls for more Israeli aid. Sanders and Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Martin Heinrich (DN.M.) and Tim Cain (D-Va.).
Lawmakers urged the administration to do more to protect the public in Gaza, complaining that the exemption for requiring council notification of the sale would undermine the power of the policymakers to determine whether US weapons benefit civilians.
To Warren, the administration passed by Congress at the end of the week is another cause for concern
“The White House made a mistake by avoiding transparency with Congress,” Warren said in an interview. “If they want to give these weapons to Israel, they should explain to Congress why and under what circumstances they used them.”
Asked if Democrats could pass a joint resolution to reject the sale, he said one previous resolution to cancel a sale to Riyadh “started with a letter.”
“I don’t think there’s anyone left in the administration who doesn’t know how unhappy some of us are because Congress hasn’t been consulted,” he added.
Biden is pushing lawmakers to pass $111 billion in emergency funds for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan before the end of the year. That package is in the Senate as Democrats and Republicans try to strike a deal on immigration and border regulations, though that won’t happen before both chambers leave for the holidays.
Biden’s first supplemental proposal submitted to Congress in October included a legislative proposal to allow aid to Israel to bypass notification requirements. of the council. Kaine said he is concerned about the arms sales proposal that Congress is unable to pass.
“The passing of congressional information bothers me,” Kaine said in a brief interview. “There is one part of the amendment that I don’t like is the abandonment of the announcement of the council of aid to Israel, not to Ukraine, Taiwan or any other country, and I think it is not Congress should, normally, be. place congressional notice (requirement).”
Van Hollen indicated that lawmakers could respond outside of the arms sales issue.
“What happens if the members of the committee make it clear that this decision to pass the council’s review will cause major problems in the future,” said Van Hollen. “In other words, giving a strong signal that there is an expectation for review – of transparency, of accountability – and if the administration does not cooperate in that process, it means that Congress will not cooperate when it comes to other issues.”
Anthony Adragna contributed to this report.