Last year there were calls to freeze cooperation with Saudi Arabia
Democratic and Republican senators introduced a resolution on Wednesday that could compel President Joe Biden’s administration to prepare a report on Saudi Arabia’s human rights record and possibly lead to a reassessment of U.S. security assistance of the Kingdom. If the resolution is adopted, the administration must submit the report within 30 days, failing which all assistance to the security of the country will be automatically interrupted. Once the report is received, the law states that Congress can pass a joint resolution ending, restricting, or continuing security assistance to that country.
Murphy, who chairs the Middle East subcommittee of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, said this was the first attempt to use the clause. His aides said it was too early to gauge how the resolution would be received, but they hoped it would trigger a broader debate on human rights.
While Washington sees Riyadh as an important partner in the Middle East, many lawmakers are critical of its involvement in the war in Yemen, considered one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters, as well as human rights abuses such as executions of political prisoners.
Last year there were calls to freeze cooperation with Saudi Arabia, including most arms sales, over accusations that Saudi Arabia had helped support Russia’s war against Ukraine after OPEC+ announced it would cut oil production.
The kingdom is a major customer for US aerospace weapons and equipment. Two of its airlines have just agreed to buy 78 Boeing planes (BA.N) and have taken options to buy 43 more. The list price for the 78 planes would be nearly $37 billion.
