Measure targets domestic Saudi Arabia arms sales prohibition

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) recently introduced legislation prohibiting domestic arms sales to Saudi Arabia.

The measure stems from Saudi Arabia’s agreement with Russia to cut oil production at last week’s OPEC+ meeting, lending support to Russia in its war against Ukraine.

“This simple yet urgent measure would halt U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia after their deeply offensive, destructive blunder: siding with Russia at this historic moment,” Blumenthal said. “Saudis must reverse their oil supply cuts, which aid and abet Russia’s savage criminal invasion, endanger the world economy, and threaten higher gas prices at U.S. pumps. We cannot continue selling highly sensitive arms technology to a nation aligned with an abhorrent terrorist adversary.”

Blumenthal said the legislation sends a strong message to Saudi Arabia and urged his colleagues to support the bill and will fight for its swift passage.”

“Saudi Arabia’s disastrous decision to slash oil production by two million barrels a day makes it clear that Riyadh is seeking to harm the U.S. and reaffirms the need to reassess the U.S.-Saudi relationship,” Khanna said. “There is no reason for the U.S. to kowtow to a regime that has massacred countless civilians in Yemen, hacked to death a Washington-based journalist, and is now extorting Americans at the pump.”

The legislation pauses all domestic arms sales to Saudi Arabia, including military supplies, sales, and other weapons aid to the country. It stipulates a one-year halt to all direct commercial sales and foreign military sales of weapons and munitions to Saudi Arabia.