U.S. President Donald Trump's administration announced on Friday that it had approved military sales to Israel worth some $7.4 billion, despite a Democratic lawmakers' request that the sale be paused until he received more information, APA reports citing Reuters.
The Department of Defense announced that the State Department had approved a package for Israel worth an estimated $6.75 billion that included munitions, guidance kits and fuses with Boeing Co (BA.N), opens new tab among the principal contractors.
It also detailed a deal estimated at $660 million to sell Hellfire Missiles to Israel in which Lockheed Martin (LMT.N), opens new tab would be the principal contractor.
The announcement came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Washington for meetings with Trump, administration officials and members of Congress.
Representative Gregory Meeks, ranking Democrat on the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, denounced what he termed a decision to break with a long-standing precedent for congressional review of major weapons sales.
He said he had been discussing his concerns about the sale with the administration, which had failed to provide significant documentation or justification.
"I continue to support Israel’s critical military needs as it faces a range of regional threats and was engaged in close consultation with the Administration on a range of questions and concerns," Meeks said in a statement.
He said the decision showed a lack of respect for Congress as a co-equal branch of government. "In the United States we do not have kings - we are a democracy rooted in the Constitution, governed by laws," Meeks said.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Former President Joe Biden's administration had notified Congress of a proposed $8 billion arms sale to Israel in January, two U.S. officials said at the time. That aligned with a long-standing practice of giving the chairs and ranking members of the House Foreign Affairs and Senate Foreign Relations Committees the opportunity to review a sale and ask for more information before making a formal notification to Congress.
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