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Kentucky GOP Sen. Rand Paul is expected to offer legislation as soon as Wednesday that would block President Donald Trump’s $110 billion weapons sales to Saudi Arabia.
Paul’s planned bill disapproving of the arms deal, confirmed by a Senate source familiar with the timeline, comes as Trump completes the first leg of an overseas trip that began with a warm welcome from the Saudi royal family in Riyadh. Paul recently joined three Democrats in proposing to make future arms sales contingent on reining in Saudi military involvement in Yemen’s civil war, and he is likely to take advantage of a 1976 law that allows any senator to force a vote on halting overseas arms sales.
Paul partnered with Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut last year in forcing a Senate vote to halt then-President Barack Obama’s plans for a $1.15 billion Saudi arms sale. Their effort was defeated on a 71-27 vote, with Republican Sens. Dean Heller of Nevada and Mike Lee of Utah joining 23 Democrats in voting to block the deal.
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