Meeks Says State Dept. Short-Circuited Arms Sale Review by Congress
House Foreign Affairs Committee ranking member Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., criticized the State Department Feb. 7 for moving ahead with possible arms sales to Israel while he was still reviewing the potential transactions.
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The department formally notified Congress last week about two potential transactions totaling more than $7.4 billion (see 2502100015). Meeks said that by conducting the formal notification while he was “engaged in closed consultation with the [Trump] administration on a range of questions and concerns,” the department broke with long-standing procedure and undermined congressional oversight.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee typically review possible arms sales on an informal basis before Congress receives a formal notification. The State Department had no immediate response to Meeks’ comments.