Bipartisan group of lawmakers attempt to block weapons deal with Saudi Arabia

A bipartisan group of senators on Thursday introduced a joint resolution that seeks to block the Biden administration's proposed $650 million weapons sale to Saudi Arabia.  

According to The Hill, Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah., Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., introduced the joint resolution disapproving of the weapons deal due to Saudi Arabia's involvement in the war in Yemen. 

"A message needs to be sent to Saudi Arabia that we don’t approve of their war with Yemen,” Paul said in a statement. “By participating in this sale, we would not only be rewarding reprehensible behavior, but also exacerbating a humanitarian crisis in Yemen. I urge Congress and the Biden Administration to consider the possible consequences of this sale that could accelerate an arms race in the Middle East and jeopardize the security of our military technologies.” 

In a different statement, Sanders wrote: "As the Saudi government continues to wage its devastating war in Yemen and repress its own people, we should not be rewarding them with more arms sales."

According to US News and World Report, the State Department approved the arms package, which includes hundreds of air-to-air missiles and missile launchers, as well as support equipment and technical support from U.S. contractors and engineers.