Name: GOP Senators And Democratic Defectors Save Donald Trump's Biggest Arms Deal
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GOP Senators And Democratic Defectors Save Donald Trump's Biggest Arms Deal

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US EditionU.S.CLOSEFollow usPart of HuffPost Politics. ©2020 Verizon Media. All rights reserved.BREAKING NEWSTap here to turn on desktop notifications to get the news sent straight to you.The result is a big loss for lawmakers and activists who want a less hawkish U.S. foreign policy — and a signal that they have a lot of work to do under President-elect .Two influential , Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly of Arizona, were crucial to the deal’s survival. Both voted in favor of one part of it, armed drones for the UAE, and Sinema also approved the second aspect, selling a batch of F-35 fighter jets to the country.“Really mindboggling votes,” Stephen Miles of the progressive group Win Without War of Sinema and Kelly after the vote.&nbsp;Arizona Daily Star columnist Tim Steller the senators’ move “disgusting.”The defense unit of military contractor Raytheon — which is crucial to the drones being considered — is based in Arizona.Congress’ upper chamber was voting on two separate motions that would have stopped Trump from giving the two arms systems it does not currently possess. The F-35 proposal failed 49-47; the bill on the drones failed 50-46.“Rushing through massive sales of Reaper drones and our most advanced fighter jets to the Middle East just makes defense companies richer and international security poorer,” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a leader in the effort against the sale, said after the vote. “While I am disappointed the Republican-controlled Senate failed to block these sales, I am eager to work with the incoming administration to take a closer look at each of these sales before any transfers are completed.”Scott Paul of Oxfam America cited Biden’s commitment to “significantly alter” U.S. policy in Yemen, where Washington has since 2015 helped the UAE and its ally Saudi Arabia wage a military campaign that’s produced the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. “The humanitarian situation in Yemen is predicted to deteriorate even further in the coming months with hunger on the rise. Congress and the Biden administration should do all they can to halt these arms sales and be a force for peace to save lives in Yemen,” Paul wrote in an email to HuffPost.Activists working on similar national security issues in the future are likely to see this as an important reminder for their work: Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched. In conversations with HuffPost over a month, multiple advocates mentioned Lee, as well as other Republicans and Democrats, as hard to win over and possibly casting deciding votes against the sale, but Sinema and Kelly never came up.Philippe Nassif of Amnesty International warned of the devastating consequences Wednesday’s vote could have in a statement. “Today’s vote could be the first act in a domino effect which ends in human tragedy as this country provides capabilities which risk being used to injure and kill thousands of Yemenis and Libyans in their homes, their schools, and their hospitals,” Nassif said.Calling all HuffPost superfans!Sign up for membership to become a founding member and help shape HuffPost's next chapterDo you have information you want to share with HuffPost?Today is National Voter Registration Day!We made it easy for you to exercise your right to vote!

US EditionU.S.CLOSEFollow usPart of HuffPost Politics. ©2020 Verizon Media. All rights reserved.BREAKING NEWSTap here to turn on desktop notifications to get the news sent straight to you.The result is a big loss for lawmakers and activists who want a less hawkish U.S. foreign policy — and a signal that they have a lot of work to do under President-elect .Two influential , Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly of Arizona, were crucial to the deal’s survival. Both voted in favor of one part of it, armed drones for the UAE, and Sinema also approved the second aspect, selling a batch of F-35...

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GOP Senators And Democratic Defectors Save Donald Trump's Biggest Arms Deal

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