The US state department has formally notified Congress that they are proceeding with more than $8 billion in arms sales to Israel, bypassing an informal review process that had been ongoing in the house foreign affairs committee.
The move came just two days after US President Donald Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and discussed plans for Gaza’s future.
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As The New York Times reported, the Pentagon announced on Friday that the arms package includes 3,000 Hellfire air-to-ground missiles worth $660 million, along with bombs and guidance kits valued at $6.75 billion.
The sale also includes artillery shells, but the Pentagon did not issue a public statement regarding that portion of the deal.
The Biden administration had originally proposed the $8 billion arms package in early January and submitted it for an informal congressional review. While top Republican lawmakers and a Democratic senator approved the sale, Representative Gregory Meeks, the ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, held up the process to request additional information.
Despite Meeks’ concerns, the State Department proceeded with the sale after it remained under informal review for over 20 days, the standard period for such considerations.
Meeks sharply criticized the administration, stating that moving ahead without addressing lawmakers’ questions showed a “blatant disregard of long-standing congressional prerogative.”
As per the New York Times, he added, “I continue to support Israel’s critical military needs as it faces a range of regional threats,” but argued that the administration failed to provide adequate documentation or justification.
Trump has taken a series of steps to bolster Israel’s military capabilities. In late January, he lifted a hold on sending 2,000-pound bombs to Israel, which had been paused under Biden due to concerns over civilian casualties. Trump defended the decision, stating, “because they bought them.”
This latest arms transfer is expected to proceed without significant obstacles, as Congress would need a two-thirds majority in both the House and Senate to block the sale, an unlikely scenario given Republican backing.
Meanwhile, a separate Israeli request to purchase 5,000 US-made assault rifles remains under congressional review, and additional arms sales could be proposed in the coming weeks.
