<p class="title">President Donald Trump has vetoed a trio of congressional resolutions aimed at blocking his administration from bypassing Congress and selling billions of dollars in weapons and maintenance support to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Secretary of State Mike Pompeo last month cited threats from Iran as a reason to approve the USDS 8.1 billion arms sale to the two US allies in the Persian Gulf, which are enemies of Tehran.</p>.<p class="bodytext">But Trump's decision in May to sell the weapons in a way intended to bypass congressional review infuriated lawmakers. Democrats and Republicans in the Senate banded together to introduce resolutions to block the weapons sale in what was viewed as a bipartisan pushback to Trump's foreign policy.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The White House had argued that stopping the sale would send a signal that the United States doesn't stand by its partners and allies, particularly at a time when threats against them are increasing.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The arms package included thousands of precision-guided munitions, other bombs and ammunition and aircraft maintenance support.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, led the effort, but he had support from two of Trump's GOP allies in Congress: Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Rand Paul of Kentucky.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Anger has been mounting in Congress over the Trump administration's close ties to the Saudis, fueled by the high civilian casualties in the Saudi-led war in Yemen — a military campaign the US is assisting — and the killing of US-based columnist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents. Trump's decision in May to sell the weapons further inflamed the tensions.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Last month, members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee grilled State Department officials about the sale. Chairman Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., said it was a "slap in the face" to Congress and accused the Trump administration of using threats from Iran as a "convenient excuse" to push through the sale.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In a statement released Wednesday night, Engel said, "The President's veto sends a grim message that America's foreign policy is no longer rooted in our core values — namely a respect for human rights — and that he views Congress not as a coequal branch of government, but an irritant to be avoided or ignored."</p>.<p class="bodytext">Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, reacted to Trump's vetoes with a terse tweet: "What. Do. They. Have. On. Him???"</p>
<p class="title">President Donald Trump has vetoed a trio of congressional resolutions aimed at blocking his administration from bypassing Congress and selling billions of dollars in weapons and maintenance support to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Secretary of State Mike Pompeo last month cited threats from Iran as a reason to approve the USDS 8.1 billion arms sale to the two US allies in the Persian Gulf, which are enemies of Tehran.</p>.<p class="bodytext">But Trump's decision in May to sell the weapons in a way intended to bypass congressional review infuriated lawmakers. Democrats and Republicans in the Senate banded together to introduce resolutions to block the weapons sale in what was viewed as a bipartisan pushback to Trump's foreign policy.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The White House had argued that stopping the sale would send a signal that the United States doesn't stand by its partners and allies, particularly at a time when threats against them are increasing.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The arms package included thousands of precision-guided munitions, other bombs and ammunition and aircraft maintenance support.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, led the effort, but he had support from two of Trump's GOP allies in Congress: Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Rand Paul of Kentucky.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Anger has been mounting in Congress over the Trump administration's close ties to the Saudis, fueled by the high civilian casualties in the Saudi-led war in Yemen — a military campaign the US is assisting — and the killing of US-based columnist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents. Trump's decision in May to sell the weapons further inflamed the tensions.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Last month, members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee grilled State Department officials about the sale. Chairman Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., said it was a "slap in the face" to Congress and accused the Trump administration of using threats from Iran as a "convenient excuse" to push through the sale.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In a statement released Wednesday night, Engel said, "The President's veto sends a grim message that America's foreign policy is no longer rooted in our core values — namely a respect for human rights — and that he views Congress not as a coequal branch of government, but an irritant to be avoided or ignored."</p>.<p class="bodytext">Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, reacted to Trump's vetoes with a terse tweet: "What. Do. They. Have. On. Him???"</p>