Trump invokes AECA emergency to approve $8 billion in arms to Saudi Arabia and UAE, bypassing congressional review

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo invokes the Arms Export Control Act's emergency provision on May 24, 2019, certifying an emergency to approve roughly $8 billion in arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates without the standard 30-day congressional review period. The package includes precision-guided munitions, aircraft support, and other weapons that members of Congress had blocked in committee over concerns about civilian casualties in Yemen. Pompeo certifies that Iran's "malign activity" across the region constitutes an emergency under Section 36(c). Senators Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Rand Paul (R-KY) lead bipartisan opposition and introduce resolutions of disapproval, framing the bypass as an unconstitutional transfer of war-making authority from Congress to the executive.