Senator Coons Statement on Joint Resolution of Disapproval Vote

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) issued the following statement after voting against two Joint Resolutions of Disapproval over U.S. arms sales to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates:

"In just a few months, Donald Trump has shown that his second term will be the most corrupt in American history. He needs to be held accountable for this corruption by the courts and by Congress, and I have repeatedly worked to do so over the past several months. I appreciate my colleagues' efforts to shine a light on this stunning level of corruption by exploring new avenues to do so while we are in the minority.

"Unfortunately, these resolutions don't hold President Trump accountable. Instead, they target other countries for the actions of our president, countries that host more than 10,000 U.S. troops on strategically important bases and are our partners. President Trump himself will feel no consequences."

"President Trump and his administration are both creating a more dangerous world and driving wedges between our nation and nearly every one of our partners and allies. Canceling these long-planned sales won't just weaken two nations the world relies on for stability in a region made more volatile by President Trump's actions, they will also distance us from key partners at a time we cannot afford to do so.

"The United States negotiated contracts for these arms sales years ago. Many nations already know they cannot count on our president to keep his word. I am concerned that passing these resolutions would send a message that they can't count on Congress to do so, either."

Senator Coons is Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.