Two top-ranking congressional Democrats have signed off on a major weapons sale, including $18 billion worth of F-15 fighter jets, the Biden administration has made with Israel after several months of delaying the deal.
Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee who previously opposed the deal because of Israel's tactics during its war against Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists, released a statement that he lifted his hold on the sale, noting that it would not be completed for several years, The New York Times reported Monday.
"I have been in close touch with the White House and National Security Council about this and other arms cases for Israel and have repeatedly urged the administration to continue pushing Israel to make significant and concrete improvements on all fronts when it comes to humanitarian efforts and limiting civilian casualties," Meeks said.
In April, Meeks told CNN: "I don't want the kinds of weapons that Israel has to be utilized to have more death. I want to make sure that humanitarian aid gets in. I don't want people starving to death and I want Hamas to release the hostages."
The Times also reported that Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Ben Cardin, D-Md., who also delayed approving the deal, has signed off on the agreement, as well.
"Any issues or concerns Chair Cardin had were addressed through our ongoing consultations with the administration, and that's why he felt it appropriate to allow this case to move forward," Eric Harris, the communications director for the Senate Foreign Relations panel, said in a statement to The Washington Post.
Meeks and Cardin are two of four lawmakers who can effectively veto a foreign military sale, the Post reported. The two top Republicans on the committees — Sen. James E. Risch of Idaho and Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas — signed off on the sale months ago.
Besides the F-15s, which are not scheduled to arrive in Israel for years, the weapons deal includes air-to-air missiles and Joint Direct Attack Munition kits, which retrofit unguided bombs with precision guidance, the Post reported.
A spokesperson for the State Department told CNN: "As a matter of policy, we do not confirm or comment on proposed cases until they have been formally notified to Congress."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.