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Senate rejects bid to block $2B sale of military planes to Egypt
The vote was a whopping 81-18 against advancing a resolution offered by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) to disapprove the sale of aircraft to Egypt.On the Senate floor, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) dinged President Joe Biden for emphasizing human rights in U.S. foreign policy but continuing to arm Egypt. | Greg Nash/Getty Images)
The Senate on Thursday beat back an effort to cancel a $2 billion deal to sell military cargo planes to Egypt over the country’s human rights record.
The vote was a whopping 81-18 against advancing a resolution offered by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) to disapprove the sale.
Paul’s legislation would have terminated a $2.2 billion sale of a dozen C-130J cargo planes, engines and related equipment.
Menendez and the top Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Jim Risch of Idaho, led the opposition to Paul on the floor.
Chief among their objections is that the Lockheed Martin-built cargo aircraft aren’t offensive weapons systems. Menendez argued that the sale of cargo planes falls “squarely” in the category of non-lethal sales and argued the U.S. can continue to push Egypt to reform while continuing its long-running military relationship.
“These sales that we’re talking about here to Egypt present no direct human rights concerns and should be separated from that conversation,” Risch added.
The senators also voiced procedural concerns with Paul’s resolution, which may have contributed to the overwhelming vote to shelve it.
Menendez and Risch also complained that Paul’s resolution falls outside the 30-day statutory window to reject the sale, though the Senate’s parliamentarian ruled that the measure could still come to the floor. The ruling, they argued, would render the legislation moot and set a negative precedent for future actions on arms sales.
Senate rejects bid to block $2B sale of military planes to Egypt
The vote was a whopping 81-18 against advancing a resolution offered by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) to disapprove the sale of aircraft to Egypt.
www.politico.com
