The US state department has officially informed Congress that they are advancing with more than $8 billion in arms sales to Israel, evading an informal review procedure that had been in progress in the house foreign affairs committee.
The move follows the US President Donald Trump meeting with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and had a dialogue over plans for Gaza’s future.
The Pentagon declared on Friday that the arms package comprising 3,000 Hellfire air-to-ground missiles worth $660 million, along with bombs and direction kits worth at $6.75 billion.
The sale also contains artillery shells, but the Pentagon did not release a public statement regarding that portion of the agreement.
The Biden administration had originally suggested the $8 billion arms package in early January and registered it for an informal congressional review. While top Republican lawmakers and a Democratic senator granted the sale, Representative Gregory Meeks, the ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, halted the process to request additional information.
Despite Meeks’ concerns, the State Department went forward with the sale after it remained under informal review for over 20 days, the standard time frame for such considerations.
Meeks fiercely condemned the administration, stating that proceeding without addressing lawmakers’ questions displayed a “blatant disregard of long-standing congressional prerogative.”
He added, “I continue to support Israel’s critical military needs as it faces a range of regional threats,” but contested that the administration failed to provide ample documentation or justification.
Trump has taken a series of measures to strengthen Israel’s military potentials. In January, he elevated a halt on sending 2,000-pound bombs to Israel, which had been stopped under Biden due to concerns over civilian casualties. Trump guarded the decision, stating, “because they bought them.”
This latest arms transfer is foreseen to move ahead without major hurdles as Congress would require a two-thirds majority in both the House and Senate to block the sale, an doubtful scenario given Republican backing.
Meanwhile, a separate Israeli request to buy 5,000 US-made assault rifles remains under congressional scrutiny, and additional arms sales could be suggested in the coming weeks.
