Sen Franken: Don't Sell US Weapons To Saudi Arabia
Press release from Sen. Al Franken (DFL-MN) office:
This morning, U.S. Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) called on his colleagues in the Senate to block a $1.15 billion sale of U.S. weaponry to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, whose fighters have been blamed for the unjust killing of civilians in Yemen.
Last month, Sen. Franken introduced the bipartisan resolution of disapproval with Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) in an effort to shore up human rights in war-torn Yemen. Sen. Franken has said that the sale of U.S. weaponry to the Saudis is dangerous for the Middle East, for our other allies, and for our nation, and that he urges his colleagues to do the right thing and pass this resolution later today when it comes up for a vote in the Senate.
“The legislation we will be voting on later today is a disapproval resolution regarding a $1.15 billion arms sale. And the very fact that we are voting on it today sends a very important message to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” said Sen. Franken in his remarks as prepared for delivery. “That we are watching your actions closely and that the United States is not going to turn a blind eye to the indiscriminate killing of men, women, and children.”