Senate bows to Trump vetoes, allows Saudi arms sales

Stopping the sales would send a signal that the United States doesn't stand by its partners and allies, said the White House. (AFP)

• A vote Monday to override Trump's veto failed, 45-40. A two-thirds vote was needed.

The US Senate has failed to override a series of vetoes issued by President Donald Trump over his administration's plans to sell billions of dollars of weapons to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Trump's decision to sell the weapons in a way that would have bypassed congressional review infuriated lawmakers. In a bipartisan pushback, Democrats and Republicans banded together to pass resolutions blocking the $8.1 billion weapons sales to the US allies in the Arabian Gulf.
A vote Monday to override Trump's veto failed, 45-40. A two-thirds vote was needed.
The White House said stopping the sales would send a signal that the United States doesn't stand by its partners and allies, particularly at a time when threats from hostile countries such as Iran are increasing.