US Senate passes bill to block Saudi arms sales

By Umar Farooq

WASHINGTON (AA) - The Senate on Thursday passed a resolution that would block the sale of arms to Saudi Arabia, offering a rebuke to U.S. President Donald Trump.

The bipartisan bill passed with a 53-45 vote, and is the first of 22 resolutions that are aimed at blocking the military sales to the Middle East.

The vote was the first in a series of three back-to-back votes, and would potentially stop billions of dollars in munitions sales to Riyadh.

Democrats and Republicans have joined forces in their anger at the Trump administration over using its declaration of an emergency over Iran to bypass Congress and approve arms sales to the Kingdom.

There is also bipartisan anger within Congress over the Trump administration's support for Saudi Arabia despite pressure from lawmakers to punish the country over the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.