US Senators Introduce Bill To Ban Drone Sales To Non-Allied Countries - Statement

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 07th August, 2020) A bipartisan group of US Senators have introduced legislation to block the sales of advanced armed drones to countries such as Saudi Arabia that are not close allies to the United States, Senator Chris Murphy's office said in a press release.

"US Senator Chris Murphy, US Senator Mike Lee (R-UT), US Senator Bernie Sanders, US Senator Rand Paul, and US Senator Chris Coons on Thursday introduced legislation to block the sale of advanced armed drones to countries not closely allied to the United States," the release said on Thursday.

The bill prohibits the sales of advanced drones with a range greater than 300 kilometer or a payload greater than 500 kilograms, but an exception will be made for NATO member countries and Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Japan and Israel, the release said.

The lawmakers are countering efforts by the Trump administration to bypass a review process at the Defense Department and State Department of advanced weapons sales.

Murphy said one of the main intentions of the ban is to prevent the Trump administration from "giving a blank check" to countries like Saudi Arabia.

In the same release, Senator Mike Lee, a Republican, also expressed concerns about arms to Gulf states.

"I am concerned that making it easier for the United States to export weapon-capable UAS systems to Saudi Arabia and the UAE further entrenches the US role in the war in Yemen and perpetuates an incentive structure for keeping rather than drawing down US presence in the middle East," Lee said.

In May 2019, Trump declared a national emergency to bypass Congress after opposition from lawmakers of both parties blocked an $8 billion arms sale to Saudi Arabia and the UAE.