CAIR Condemns Senate’s Failure to Block ‘Corrupt and Dangerous’ UAE Arms Deal, Calls on President-Elect Biden to Block Sale
WASHINGTON - The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today condemned the U.S. Senate's decision to permit the Trump administration's "corrupt and dangerous" 23-billion-dollar arms sale to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and called on the incoming Biden administration to cancel the sale upon taking office.
Last night, the Senate blocked two separate procedural bipartisan attempts to stop President Trump's arms sale to the UAE, failing to win a simple majority, 46-50 and 47-49 votes, respectively. The first resolution would have banned drones and munitions sales, while the second would have prevented the sale of F-35 fighter jets. The opposing pair of resolutions to the arms sale were introduced by Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Rand Paul (R-KY).
The arms sale is part of the larger National Defense Authorization Act, which was approved by the House of Representatives on Tuesday. Senate leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has said he expects the bill will pass the Senate before the end of the year.
The Hill: Senate rejects attempt to block Trump's UAE arms sale
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/529553-senate-rejects-attempt-to-block-trumps-uae-arms-sale
NBC News: Senate bid to block UAE arms sales falls short
In a statement, CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said:
"Our government should not sell a single bullet to the UAE, much less billions of dollars in deadly military equipment. The UAE has committed war crimes in Yemen, bolstered dictators and suppressed democracy in the broader Arab world, and smeared Americans who dare to speak up against such human rights abuses.
"Now that the Senate has failed to block the Trump administration's corrupt and dangerous arms deal, the incoming Biden administration should support peace, democracy and human rights overseas by cancelling the sale upon taking office."
CAIR has previously called on the government to stop supporting other foreign governments that use American military to violate human rights, including Burma, Egypt, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and India.
SEE: CAIR Says Obama Must Act Against Massacre of Pro-Democracy Protesters in Egypt
SEE: CAIR Welcomes Passage of Senate Bill Ending U.S. Military Involvement in Yemen
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