Washington (CNN) The Trump administration has declared an emergency to bypass Congress and expedite billions of dollars in arms sales to various countries -- including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates -- citing the need to deter what it called "the malign influence" of Iran throughout the Middle East.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo formally told lawmakers Friday of the administration's plans.

"These sales will support our allies, enhance Middle East stability, and help these nations to deter and defend themselves from the Islamic Republic of Iran," Pompeo said in a statement that put the value of the sales at $8.1 billion.

In a Friday letter to congressional lawmakers, Pompeo said that he "determined that an emergency exists, which requires the immediate sale of the defense articles and defense services" to Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Jordan "in order to deter further the malign influence of the Government of Iran throughout the Middle East region," according to a copy obtained by CNN.

The notification comes on the same day as President Donald Trump's announcement that he is sending an additional 1,500 US troops to the Middle East to counter Iran. Pompeo noted in his statement that "today's action will quickly augment our partners' capacity to provide for their own self-defense and reinforce recent changes to US posture in the region to deter Iran."

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