WASHINGTON — A group of Democratic senators is seeking to block sales of billions of dollars worth of military equipment to two Middle Eastern nations as a way of pushing back against recent proposals from the countries they say benefit President Donald Trump as he wraps up a whirlwind four-day tour of the region. 

What You Need To Know

  • A group of Democratic senators is seeking to block sales of billions of dollars worth of military equipment to two Middle Eastern nations as a way of pushing back against recent proposals from the countries they say benefit President Donald Trump as he wraps up a whirlwind four-day tour of the region

  • One joint resolution of disapproval, filed by Sens. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, Brian Schatz of Hawaii, Tim Kaine of Virginia and and Bernie Sanders of Vermont, looks to halt a $1.9 billion arms sale to Qatar in response to Trump saying he would accept a multimillion jet from the country to be used as Air Force One
  • Three separate resolutions filed by the same cohort of Senators would target more than $1.5 billion in arms set to go to the United Arab Emirates after an investment firm backed by the the Gulf nation announced a $2 billion investment that some say would directly financially benefit the Trump family via their own cryptocurrency venture
  • Filing the measures as joint resolutions of disapproval  means the Democratic senators can force a floor vote, potentially putting Republicans on the record about an issue, in the case of the plane from Qatar, on which some in the party have broken with Trump to express skepticism

One joint resolution of disapproval, filed by Sens. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, Brian Schatz of Hawaii, Tim Kaine of Virginia and and Bernie Sanders of Vermont, looks to halt a $1.9 billion arms sale to Qatar in response to Trump saying he would accept a multimillion jet from the country to be used as Air Force One. 

All of those senators are Democrarts with the exception of Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats.

Meanwhile, three separate resolutions filed by the same cohort of Senators would target more than $1.5 billion in arms set to go to the United Arab Emirates after an investment firm backed by the the Gulf nation announced a $2 billion investment that some say would directly financially benefit the Trump family via their own cryptocurrency venture. 

The arms the senators are aiming to block include eight MQ-9B armed drones and related equipment to Qatar as well as six Chinook helicopters, F-16 aircraft equipment and other Apache, Black Hawk and Chinook aircraft parts to the UAE. 

In a statement, Murphy — who, along with Van Hollen, Schatz and Kaine, are members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee — referred to the moves by the two nations as an “illegal bribe” and pledged to pursue a block of the arms sale to Qatar until Trump rejects or the country rescinds the offer for what he called a “palace in the sky.” 

“There’s nothing Donald Trump loves more than being treated like a king, and that’s exactly why foreign governments are trying to buy his favor with a luxury jumbo jet and investments in Trump’s crypto scams,” Murphy said. 

Filing the measures as joint resolutions of disapproval  means the Democratic senators can force a floor vote, potentially putting Republicans on the record about an issue, in the case of the plane from Qatar, on which some in the party have broken with Trump to express skepticism.  

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, for instance, was quick to speak out in the wake of Trump confirming he was considering accepting the plane, which Trump said would go to his presidential library when his term ends. Cruz told CNBC that such a gift “poses significant espionage and surveillance problems.” 

While some in the party have expressed support for the idea, additional skepticism from Republicans has trickled out this week, including from Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker, R-Miss., who told Politico that accepting the jet “would be like the United States moving into the Qatari Embassy.”

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., meanwhile, stressed that he would like to see a “big beautiful jet that’s built in the United States of America.” 

“I think maybe the thing to do is to say, ‘Hey, we appreciate it, but there is a lot of other things you can help us out with,’” Hawley told reporters. 

Trump has cited the delay in the replacement Air Force One planes being built by Boeing as a reason for accepting the Qatari offer. 

Democrats have expressed outrage over the move, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., announcing he will hold up all political nominees for the Justice Department in response. 

Trump this week has continued to double down on his insistence on accepting the plane while visiting the Middle East and Qatar specifically. 

In a post on Truth Social on Tuesday, Trump insisted the jet would be given to the Defense Department rather than him personally, adding that only “a FOOL would not accept this gift on behalf of our Country.”

“Why should our military, and therefore our taxpayers, be forced to pay hundreds of millions of Dollars when they can get it for FREE from a  country that wants to reward us for a job well done,” the president wrote. 

Leaving the UAE on Friday to head back to Washington, Trump lamented that he had to fly on “a 42-year-old Boeing,” referring to the current Air Force One. 

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani, meanwhile, called the potential deal a “very simple government-to-government dealing” in an interview with CNN this week, adding it is still under review.