The United States on Friday approved arms sales worth close to $6.7 billion for Israel and $9 billion for Saudi Arabia, deals that come as the Middle East remains on edge with President Donald Trump weighing military strikes on Iran.
The sales were approved by the State Department, according to news releases published through the Defense Department. Congress has been notified of the approvals, according to the releases.
But Rep. Gregory W. Meeks (D-New York), the ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said the Trump administration had sidestepped the committee review process for significant arms sales for the transactions involving Israel.
“This is yet another repudiation by Donald Trump of Congress’ Constitutional oversight role,” he said in a statement, adding that the administration was also “refusing to engage Congress on critical questions about the next steps in Gaza and broader U.S.-Israel policy.”
Meeks added that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had “failed to provide any justification or documentation” for bypassing the review process.
The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The U.S. in 2024 said that while Israel may have violated international law using U.S. weapons during its military campaign in Gaza, there was insufficient information to prevent the flow of American military aid to the country. Amid famine in Gaza last year, a number of Democrats called for sales of offensive weapons to Israel to be cut off, in a notable shift for the party.
In the sales announced Friday, Israel is set to buy 30 Apache attack helicopters and related equipment for an estimated $3.8 billion and more than 3,000 joint light tactical vehicles worth almost $2 billion, including weapons and personnel carriers. The rest of the sales include light utility helicopters and power packs for armored personnel carriers.
“The United States is committed to the security of Israel, and it is vital to U.S. national interests to assist Israel to develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defense capability. This proposed sale is consistent with those objectives,” the State Department said in one of the news releases.
The U.S. provides at least $3.8 billion in aid to Israel every year, a figure that has risen sharply in recent years — making it the largest cumulative recipient of U.S. aid in the world.
The State Department also approved the $9 billion sale of 730 advanced Patriot missiles to Saudi Arabia, which the release said would “improve Saudi Arabia’s capability to meet current and future threats by providing advanced air defense missiles.”
After threatening strikes against Iran in the wake of mass protests that left thousands of Iranians dead, Trump backed away from an attack after foreign allies and military advisers raised concerns about a less-than-adequate U.S. military presence in the region to repel a potential response from Tehran. He has since dispatched the Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group and other military assets to the Middle East.
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