Congress puts hold on Trump's $1 billion arms sale to Israel

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The four top lawmakers on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee have the power to individually block arms sales orders when over a certain dollar amount.

Netanyahu is the first foreign leader to visit Trump since he returned to the White House, generally a recognition of the importance of the relationship. A hold on arms sales to Israel signals a major flouting of convention, where U.S. military support for Israel is viewed as an investment in American national security.

The Wall Street Journal, citing U.S. officials, reported that the $1 billion arms sale package includes 4,700 1,000-pound bombs, worth more than $700 million, as well as armored bulldozers built by Caterpillar, worth more than $300 million.

The hold comes as Democrats have seethed over Trump’s actions a little over two weeks into his presidency. They pushed back on an initial federal aid freeze; are condemning a halt on U.S. foreign assistance; raising alarm over the dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID); and opposing the president’s threats of tariffs on America’s neighbors Mexico and Canada, to name a few of the high-profile conflicts.

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https://thehill.com/policy/international/5126369-congress-israel-arms-sale-hold/