Arms sale to Israel approved with support from two Democratic legislators with veto power

Democratic Congressmen Gregory Meeks (Representative from New York) and Ben Cardin (Senator from Maryland) supported a new $18 million weapons package to Israel, which includes sending 50 F-15s and various ammunition. Both have the power to veto any such operation as ranking members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, respectively.

As reported by the Washington Post, the transaction is valued at more than $18 billion. The legislators ended up signing off on the deal, which was approved by the Republican Party months ago but was rejected by several Democratic congressmen.

"Any issues or concerns Chair Cardin had were addressed through our ongoing consultations with the (Biden) administration, and that’s why he felt it appropriate to allow this case to move forward," said the communications director of the Foreign Relations Committee of the Senate, Eric Harris.

Meeks told the Washington Post that this military package would go into effect "within a few years" while reaffirming his strong support for Israel's right to defend itself against attacks from Hamas or other terrorist groups.

Another source said that before Meeks and Cardin gave the go-ahead, the transaction went through "regular review processes."