The U.S. Senate voted on two resolutions of disapproval Wednesday, failing to block the Trump administration’s planned sale of more than $23 billion in military equipment, including F-35s and MQ-9 Reaper to the United Arab Emirates.
The resolutions failed, with the Senate, splitting mostly along party lines, voting 47-49 and 46-50, short of the 51-vote majority needed for passage. President Donald Trump was expected to veto the resolutions had they passed.
The bipartisan group of senators who introduced the resolutions say the administration did not go through the proper congressional review process for a sale of that magnitude, and that there are unanswered questions about the purpose and security of the transfer.
UAE; US Senate approves F-35, MQ-9 sale