US Senators block bills on military deals with Qatar, UAE

WASHINGTON

US Senate lawmakers blocked a pair of bills Wednesday, one of which took aim at President Donald Trump’s deal with Qatar to accept a luxury jet as a gift to serve as the next Air Force One.

Senators Chris Murphy, Chris Van Hollen, Brian Schatz, Tim Kaine, Bernie Sanders, Mazie Hirono and Jeff Merkley forced a vote in the Senate to block a $1.9 billion sale of MQ-9 Reaper drones to Qatar and a $1.3 billion Chinook helicopter sale to the United Arab Emirates.

Both resolutions failed 39-56.

Addressing his colleagues ahead of the votes, Murphy said these countries are important partners of the US in the region.

"What we need to say here is not that we are going to permanently pause our military relationships with these countries, but for the time being while these two nations are willing to pay the president tribute, we cannot endorse or condone business as usual," he said on the Senate floor.

During his visit to the Middle East in May, Trump noted that he would accept the lavish Boeing 747-8 from Qatar, saying: "Only a FOOL would not accept this gift on behalf of our Country."

The gift of a plane estimated to cost around $400 million has raised questions of ethics and legality from Republicans and Democrats alike.