On Monday, the US Senate attempted to override President Trump’s veto on Congress’s attempted to block the Saudi Arms Deal — one that will include over $8 billion in arms to countries like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The final vote fell short, at 45-40, and failed to secure the two-thirds vote needed.
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Trump’s veto came late last week, following a bipartisan push to block Trump’s deal. Members of Congress were particularly stirred by popular discontent with the Saudi-led war in Yemen, a brutal conflict that, according to Human Rights Watch, had left nearly 7,000 civilians killed and over 10,000 wounded as of November 2018. As their report warns, however, “the actual civilian casualties are likely much higher. Thousands more have been displaced by the fighting and millions suffer from shortages of food and medical care.”
Nearly 14 million people “remain at risk of starvation and death due to repeated outbreaks of diseases like cholera,” the report continues.
Members of Congress were particularly stirred by popular discontent with the Saudi-led war in Yemen, a brutal conflict that, according to Human Rights Watch, had left nearly 7,000 civilians killed and over 10,000 wounded as of November 2018
In Congress, the push was led by Democratic Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey. It was also backed by prominent Trump supporters, like senators Rand Paul and Lindsey Graham, the latter of which has been adamant about confronting Trump on Saudi Arabia. It was a rare show of bipartisan agreement, which made Trump’s veto all the more biting.
Late Monday evening, Senator Menendez shared a video of his plea on the floor in a tweet, urging his colleagues to override the President’s veto.
Trump has long cozied up to the Kingdom’s Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, has been said sprung a friendship with Saudi Arabia’s quasi-leader. That friendship has made it through thick and thin — even after MBS was widely criticized following the murder of Washington Post Journalist and Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi, Kushner held a private meeting with the crown prince. During that meeting — in March of this year — the President’s son in law reportedly “did not allow U.S. embassy staffers” in.
Trump himself visited the kingdom in May of 2017 for the 2017 Riyadh summit. That meeting was the source of much satire and critique -- particularly due to an image of Trump, King Salman, and Sisi huddled around an orb in what looked like something from a “villain’s evil lair”.
All along, arms deals were at the center of this relationship. In March 2018, the Crown Prince toured around the US in a marketing mission for the new order he sought to bring about in the conservative kingdom. On March 20th, a bizarre meeting and photo saw Trump excitedly point around a poster board with the heading “12.5 BILLION IN FINALIZED SALES TO SAUDI ARABIA,” in all caps, replete with pictures and two bullet points on each of the items included in the deal. As Trump points at the board to read out specific prices, an uncomfortable MBS laughs when Trump pauses to say “that’s peanuts for you. Should’ve increased it.”
On March 20th, a bizarre meeting and photo saw Trump excitedly point around a poster board with the heading “12.5 BILLION IN FINALIZED SALES TO SAUDI ARABIA,” in all caps, replete with pictures and two bullet points on each of the items included in the deal.
In recent weeks, the deal has been billed as a response, and counter-weight, to Iranian aggression in the region, giving it reason to evoke an “emergency provision” to push the deal through.
Congress had seen through the absurdity of Trump’s arms deals, and so did many members of the Senate. Although the attempt to override Trump’s veto was unsuccessful, the push points to a new state of affairs -- the U.S. relationship is being questioned by members of both houses like never before, and the Kingdom’s relations with the U.S. will be on shaky ground for the foreseeable future.
