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Senator Blunt Expresses Approval of Arms Sale to United Arab Emirates

Senator Blunt Expresses Approval of Arms Sale to United Arab Emirates

Senator Blunt Expresses Approval of Arms Sale to United Arab Emirates

Senator Roy Blunt says he supports a Trump administration sale of 50 F-35 fighter jets, among other weapons, in a $23 billion dollar sale to the United Arab Emirates.

“The other topic I wanted to talk about today was the arms sale, the F-35 sale to the UAE. It appears sometime this month there’ll be a congressional vote on that issue,” Blunt says, “My personal view is it would be a big mistake not to move forward with that arms sale. Israel is supportive. I think it may be the only thing that Netanyahu and Gantz had agreed on since they formed their coalition government, that this sale should go forward.”

You can read an Associated Press brief on the same arms deal below. 

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has formally notified Congress that it plans to sell 50 advanced F-35 fighter jets to the United Arab Emirates as part of a broader arms deal worth more than $23 billion. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he had authorized the sale in keeping with the administration’s Middle East peace efforts.

The notification to lawmakers on Tuesday follows the signing of the Abraham Accords between Israel, Bahrain and the UAE, under which the Arab states have agreed to normalize relations with Israel.

Israeli officials have previously expressed some concern about an F-35 sale because it could affect the balance of military power in the region. But Pompeo it would be “fully consistent” with the longstanding policy of maintaining Israel’s qualitative military advantage.

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