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Last Updated on January 7, 2021.

WASHINGTON — Win Without War Advocacy Director Erica Fein released the following statement regarding the Senate’s failure to pass joint resolutions of disapproval of portions of the Trump administration’s proposed $23 billion arms sale to the United Arab Emirates:

“The Senate today faced a clear choice: defend human rights and prevent atrocities against civilians, or roll over to Trump and his corporate cronies. Many chose the latter. The decision to stand idly by as Trump rams through a last-minute $23 billion arms sale is shameful.

“Weapons sold to the UAE by the United States have regularly been used to massacre civilians in Yemen and Libya, have repeatedly fallen into the hands of violent non-state actors, and have only served to fuel, rather than mitigate, violent conflict. Despite this catastrophic record, the Trump administration — acting at the behest of weapons manufacturers and the powerful UAE lobby — wants to sell them more fighter jets, more bombs, and more armed drones. With today’s vote, Senate Republicans have paved the way for Trump to make that a reality.

“But this fight’s not over. Three quarters of the U.S. public is opposed to selling weapons to the UAE, and the Senate has already voted to block similar sales three times in the past four years — the era of unchecked arms sales for human rights abusers is coming to an end, with or without those who voted no today. We urge the next administration to heed the changing winds —  to reverse course and stop these sales from moving forward,  meet its campaign promise of ending U.S. complicity in the war in Yemen, reset U.S. relations in the region, and restore U.S. credibility as a partner for peace.”

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Win Without War is a diverse network of activists and national organizations working for progressive foreign policy in the United States.

December 9, 2020