WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on Wednesday released the following statement after the United States Senate failed to pass the bipartisan joint resolutions of disapproval on the Trump administration’s latest proposed arms sale to the United Arab Emirates (UAE):

“Rushing through massive sales of Reaper drones and our most advanced fighter jets to the Middle East just makes defense companies richer and international security poorer. There is no doubt that the UAE’s recent normalization agreement with Israel is a big deal, and there is a level of arms transfer that could make sense for an important partner in the region. But the Emiratis’ recent behavior in Yemen and Libya where U.S. weapons were misused and given to radical militias, on top of their active and growing defense relationships with China and Russia, should give everyone pause,” said Murphy.

Murphy continued: “While I am disappointed the Republican-controlled Senate failed to block these sales, I am eager to work with the incoming administration to take a closer look at each of these sales before any transfers are completed. I also look forward to working with President-elect Biden’s team on reforms to the arms sale process to include greater scrutiny of recipient government’s past use of U.S. arms and potential human rights concerns.” 

Last month, Murphy along with U.S. Senators Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) announced the introduction of four separate Joint Resolutions of Disapproval rejecting the Trump administration’s effort to provide the United Arab Emirates with precedent-setting weapons systems. The bipartisan resolutions come after the Trump administration formally notified Congress of its intention to sell over $23 billion in Reaper drones, F-35 joint strike fighter jets, munitions, and air-to-air missiles to the UAE. Murphy joined Crooked Media’s Pod Save the World and Yahoo News’ Skullduggery to discuss the sale last week. Earlier this year, Murphy also welcomed the Abraham Accords.

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