Motion to Discharge--S.J. Res. 54

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. RISCH. Mr. President, I come to the floor today to oppose the two resolutions we are about to vote on. What they are is they have to do with arms sales to Qatar and UAE.

These flawed resolutions aren't really about arms sales to our allies in Qatar and UAE. If they were, the discussion would be about how Qatar is one of our designated, major non-NATO allies, how it hosts the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East, and how it is our 12th largest foreign military sales customer. It would be about how the UAE has fought alongside the United States in Afghanistan and Iraq, is a participant in the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, and is working against Iran and its terror proxies. The debate would mention that the UAE was the first Arab state to join the Abraham Accords when it normalized relations with Israel in 2020. The discussion would be about how these proposed sales will support the national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of two allies that continue to be important forces for stability in the Middle East. We would talk about how these agreements will lay the foundation for investment, innovation, and good-paying U.S. jobs that will boost our economy.

But, no, these joint resolutions do not conduct oversight or provide congressional disapproval. Instead, they make arms sales to some of our closest allies in the Middle East about partisan politics.

Mr. President, I yield back all time and request to proceed to the vote.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source