President Donald Trump meets Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia during a Washington, D.C., visit. | Kevin Dietsch-Pool/Getty Images congress Senate rebukes Trump with vote to block arms sales to Saudi Arabia, UAE

The Senate voted to block arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on Thursday, rebuking President Donald Trump’s foreign policy in the aftermath of the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Trump, whose administration signaled it would bypass congressional opposition to the sale of arms, is expected to veto the Senate's resolutions.


The votes highlights ongoing tension between Trump and members of his own party over how much power Congress should cede to the executive branch when it comes to foreign policy. It also illustrates bipartisan anger with Saudi Arabia over the murder of Khashoggi, as well as the United States' ongoing support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen's civil war.

In two 53-45 votes and a third 51-45 vote, the Senate passed 22 resolutions of disapproval, with seven Republicans joining the Democratic caucus on the first two votes, and five joining the Democratic caucus on the second.

The resolutions from Senate Foreign Relations Ranking Member Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a Trump ally, came after Trump's administration signaled it would bypass Congress to sell arms to Saudi Arabia in a deal worth billions.

Prior to the votes, Graham said he intended to send a signal to Saudi Arabia that "if you act the way you're acting there is no space for a strategic relations."

"There is no amount of oil you can produce that will get me and others to give you a pass on chopping somebody up in a consulate," Graham said, referring to the killing of Khashoggi, who was slain inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Menendez urged his Senate colleagues to stand up for its "institutional prerogatives."

"This is the moment to stand up for some moral clarity," Menendez said. "This is the moment to send a global message you cannot kill journalists with impunity."

Despite passing the resolutions, the senators did not receive the two-thirds vote threshold needed to overcome an expected White House veto. The White House issued a veto statement Thursday, saying the resolution "would hamper our ability to sustain and shape critical security cooperation activities and would significantly hinder the interoperability between our nations."

Several Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, also opposed the move, noting Saudi Arabia’s role in countering Iran’s influence in the Middle East.

"Rejecting long-planned arms sales strikes me as an overly blunt tool with several unintended consequences," McConnell said. "The situation in the Middle East as we speak could hardly be more fraught. The timing could not be worse for the Senate to send the wrong signal."

Thursday’s vote was not the first time Senate Republicans have voted with Democrats to rebuff Trump on Saudi Arabia. Earlier this year, seven Republicans joined Senate Democrats to pass a resolution to withdraw U.S. support for the Saudi-backed war in Yemen.

Thursdays’ resolutions had a similar level of Republican support. On the first two votes, Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Mike Lee of Utah, Jerry Moran of Kansas, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Todd Young of Indiana, Rand Paul of Kentucky, and Graham voted in favor of the resolutions. In the third vote, Young, Moran, Collins, Graham and Paul voted for the resolution, while Murkowski voted against it. Lee did not vote.

The resolutions now head to the House, where they are expected to pass.



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