Sen. Rand Paul (R – KY) intends to force a vote in the Senate on the record US arms sales to Saudi Arabia, a deal which the Trump Administration has estimated will be worth some $350 billion over the decade. Paul is expected to introduce the bill on Wednesday.
The Arms Export Control Act gives senators 10 days to bring up opposition to arms sales, and Paul will have to act particularly fast this time because the Senate is leaving Friday for the Memorial Day holiday, during which they take an entire week off.
Sen. Paul argued that increasing US armament of the Saudis would mean deeper US involvement in the Saudi invasion of Yemen. That of course is something many in the Trump Administration want at any rate, so for them that is seen as a bonus, if anything.
Sen. Paul has been supported in the past in trying to rein in Saudi arms sales by some Democrats, particularly Sen. Chris Murphy (D – CT). It is unclear at this point if he has much support, though the arms industry’s eagerness to secure this lucrative deal s likely to have them lobbying he
How lucky that candidate Trump promised to avoid interference in conflicts in other countries while he made America Great Again. His seeming interest in avoiding WW3 with Russia was the only policy the “US Congress” did not like.
Sometimes, to remain a moral man, one must do utterly futile things.
I support Rand’s endeavor; however, he’s in an uphill battle against
the war profiteers who already have the USG Congress on their payroll.
Trump has likewise collected his 30 Pieces of Silver and has become
just another pawn for the MIC.
The pro-war corporate MSM is cashing in on the atrocity committed
in Manchester, by hyping up the need for even more wasteful military
spending to protect ‘us’ masses from their evil boogeyman ‘terrorists’.
I agree 100%. I, too, support Sen. Rand’s endeavor .. He’s becoming more like his dad regarding world peace. I wish him well in this endeavor, but he’s in an uphill battle against war profiteers who already have both Houses of Congress on their payroll.
Trump, likewise, collected his 30 pieces of silver and has become just another pawn for the MIC. So sad .. He had so much potential and he tossed it all away.
In addition, the pro-war corporate MSM’s cashing in on the atrocity committed in Manchester, by hyping up the need for even more wasteful military spending to protect “us” masses from their evil bogeyman “terrorists”. Russian President Vladimir Putin referred to the US media as “Pravda”.
Rand you get one of my rare kudos for this and it is a big one. Very courageous.
This is great. It will prove that congress is behind all of our belligerence. We’d be in the same amount of conflicts all over the world if it were up to congress also. I always laugh when we think there’d be less war if only congress would do it’s job.
What Rand Paul is doing really is great. Even if the outcome can be assumed, arming the Saudi regime should be debated in congress, and that may chip away at support for these kinds of things in the future, within congress and for the public. Revolutionary change doesn’t happen instantly, it’s built with the pressure of countless individual acts of courage.
The reaction of Wall Street to the arms deal shows the potential economic danger of peace. Peace does not require huge arms production. Too much and too sudden peace might cause the stock market to tumble like it did on Black Tuesday in 1928.
How does Senator Paul and how does antiwar.com propose to minimize the hold which the MSM has on our national budget without causing gigantic problems for the middle class?
It is true that the MSM accounts for only a relatively small fraction of our GNP. Yet the “housing bubble” which caused the onset of the 2008 depression was also only a relatively small fraction of our GNP. It is the ripping out of a significant but only small thread of the spider-web of the economy which can apparently cause a huge economic crash.
Where the f**k were this guys colossal f**king balls when he was running for president? Rand the candidate (Randidate?) was a wet noodle. Rand the senator is my f**king hero. Keep it up.
Yeah. I feel the same way. During the primary (farce), neo-cons buzzed around Rand Paul. He tried to appease many such types. Lost credit. His father never did. Rand had a better chance by sticking to principle. Perhaps he has found his way again?