The State Department has issued a formal Congressional notice that plans to sell more than $8 billion of weapons to Israel, bypassing the ongoing informal review process by the House Committee.
The move comes days after President Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and said the United States would “take over” the devastating Gaza Strip and turn it into the “Middle East” the Riviera.”
The State Council formally notified Congress on Friday. The same day, the Pentagon released two news releases, one said it was sending 3,000 Hellfire Hell missiles to Israel, worth $660 million, while another said it was sending $6.75 billion in bombs and guidance kits. The Pentagon did not issue a press release to sell shells, because direct commercial sales did not require the department to issue a detailed statement. U.S. officials also include other bombs. All sales are worth $8.4 billion.
The Biden administration announced $8 billion in sales in early January and then sent the entire package to the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for informal review. In the process, legislators can ask questions about sales before deciding whether to approve it.
Two of the committee’s top Republican lawmakers gave recognition, and Democratic senators eventually did the same, but Gregory W. Meeks, the committee’s top Democrat, decided to use the review process to propose More questions.
The plan moved forward after more than 20 days in the informal review by the State Department, which is a typical time to give senior lawmakers to consider Israeli arms sales. The normal informal review time varies by partner country.
It is almost certain that sales will continue to be unhindered, as Congress needs to vote two-thirds of the two homes to stop the order.
After announcing that sales will continue to move forward, Mr. Meeks thoroughly criticized his erosion as a long-standing precedent erosion, accusing the Trump administration of bystanders in its decision to continue the arms transfer.
“I continue to support Israel’s key military needs because it faces a range of regional threats,” Meeks said in a statement. But he made it clear that his support was not unconditional. He had “close consultations” with government officials about sales, which caused a lot of concerns – just found his inquiry silent. He said the government failed to provide meaningful documents or justifications for its decision.
The government’s move to sell is legal, but Mr Meeks said, “blatantly disregarding long-standing Congressional privileges.” He believes that this is not just a slightness of bureaucracy, it is a fundamental challenge to the balance of power among equal branches of government.
In 2019, Trump declared a “state of emergency” against Iran during his first administration, allowing then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to ask questions about weapons during the initial review. Mr. Pompeo’s actions led to the State Department The Inspector General conducted an investigation.
Friday’s notice did not issue an emergency statement. In 2023, the Biden administration used similar mechanisms to circumvent Congress’ oversight of Israel’s arms sales by invoking the same emergency provisions.
Separated from the $8 billion package, Congress is reviewing Israel’s request to buy 5,000 assault rifles from U.S. gun manufacturers. The State Department will soon be able to submit more requests to Congress for an informal review of the assault rifle permit. During the Biden administration, the State Department held a license that allowed Israel to purchase 24,000 US-made assault rifles. In direct commercial sales, a foreign country requires the State Council to obtain a license from the company to purchase weapons from the company.
