A top Republican lawmaker Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on 26th June threatened to block US arms sales to members of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council including Saudi Arabia until their escalating rift with Qatar is resolved.
His action could increase pressure on members of the Gulf Cooperation Council to settle the crisis. The GCC comprises Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman.
Said in a letter to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson "For these reasons, before we provide any further clearances during the informal review period on sales of lethal military equipment to the GCC states, we need a better understanding of the path to resolve the current dispute and reunify the GCC."
US law requires the State Department to notify Congress 30 days before it sells major military equipment. Congress in turn has the power to vote to block the sale.
In addition, the chairs and vice chairs of the Senate and House committees on foreign relations must give their "preliminary approval,"
Trump has allied Washington more closely to Saudi Arabia since taking office in January, as a way to boost the fight against the Islamic State extremist group. But earlier this month in a bid to reassure Qatar, the United States agreed to a $12-billion sale of F-15 war planes to the emirate.
Qatar houses the largest US airbase in the Middle East and the command headquarters for US military operations in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, and Tillerson has been engaged in seeking to resolve the row.
During Trump's recent visit to Saudi Arabia, Washington inked a massive, $110-billion arms deal with the kingdom.
Last Friday, Saudi Arabia and her allies published a list of 13 demands Qatar must meet in order to end the embargo against it and resolve the most significant regional crisis since the Second Gulf War.
United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
The United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations is a standing committee of the United States Senate. It is charged with leading foreign-policy legislation and debate in the Senate. The Foreign Relations Committee is generally responsible for overseeing (but not administering) and funding foreign aid programs as well as funding arms sales and training for national allies. The committee is also responsible for holding confirmation hearings for high-level positions in the Department of State. The committee has considered, debated, and reported important treaties and legislation, ranging from the Alaska purchase in 1867 to the establishment of the United Nations in 1945. It also holds jurisdiction over all diplomatic nominations. Along with the Finance and Judiciary Committees, the Foreign Relations Committee is one of the oldest in the Senate, going back to the initial creation of committees in 1816. Its sister committee in the House of Representatives is the Committee on Foreign Affairs (renamed from International Relations by the 110th Congress in January 2007).
United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs
The United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs of the United States House of Representatives, also known as the House Foreign Affairs Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives, which has jurisdiction over bills and investigations related to the foreign affairs of the United States.
U.S. Representative Ed Royce of California is the Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and has been so since January 2013. From 1975 to 1978 and from 1995 to 2007, it was renamed the Committee on International Relations. In January 2007 (and January 1979), it changed back to its original name. Its jurisdiction is and was the same under both names.