Trump Admin Uses Wartime Powers to Sidestep Congress and Push $23B in Arms Sales to Gulf States

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Yahoo! News/MEDIAite

Fri, March 20, 2026 at 5:10 PM EDT


The Trump administration moved Friday to force through more than $23 billion in weapons sales to key Middle Eastern allies by invoking emergency powers to bypass Congress and fast-track deals that lawmakers had yet to approve.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared that “an emergency exists requiring the immediate approval of critical arms transfers for Middle East partners currently under attack by Iran,” according to a State Department statement.

The use of emergency authority to override Congress is legal under the Arms Export Control Act.

The sales to the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Jordan include 11 separate arms packages. Some of the deals had been under review on Capitol Hill, while others had not even been formally submitted to Congress. The emergency declaration allows the administration to sidestep the long-standing congressional oversight process governing foreign arms transfers, a mechanism designed to give senior lawmakers time to scrutinize deals worth billions.

Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/trump-admin-uses-wartime-powers-211036960.html

[Buddyzbuddy]

1. This Administration wants our money but not our authorization

via Congressional scrutiny and authorization. Don't forget to thank him after you're done servicing him, Republican Congress. Especially you, L.Grahm.

[underpants]

27. That's a lot of money. I hope it gets everywhere and to everyone it's supposed to

Just saying.

[popsdenver]

28. Yet another giant, wet, slobbery kiss from Trump

to the monstrously huge Military Industrial Corporations.......wonder what Trump expects in Donations in Return......

[underpants]

29. Depending on how the sale is done, it could GO to the foreign entity

to make the purchase or it could be us paying the MIC contractors for shipment to the foreign entity.
I am not sure how that works.

If it’s the former, to let’s say Qatar ….gee 🤔 didn’t they gift a $400M plane to Trump? What’s their relationship with Jared? Witkoff?

[Harker]

2. Are there special "excursion" powers?

[Attilatheblond]

31. Yep, AKA start a fire, pour on gasoline powers

[Deminpenn]

3. This is just competition for supplies and equipment the US needs too.

Foreign governments might get direct delivery of the weapon system or weapon, but they use the same DoD supply system for maintenance and repair as the services. The foreign countries can order needed parts directly, but then they are in the same lead time pipeline as military contracts with the same contractors.

[SSJVegeta]

4. Cant use wartime powers without congress declaring war

Hopefully somebody sues to reverse this?

[barbtries]

5. but it's just an excursion!

sigh. cry. WHY

[OldBaldy1701E]

6. If what he says is so, then he just admitted that this is a 'war'...

And, he broke the law by starting one without congressional approval.

But, as usual, none of it matters because no one who could do anything about it will, so...

[Botany]

7. How can the Trump administration use the Wartime Powers Act when war has not been declared?

Laws, Constitutional Guidelines, and the powers that expressly given to Congress mean nothing
to Trump and his crew.

Btw what are the goals of this war on Iran* and how do we get out of it?

* outside of trying divert attention from Jeffery Epstein?

[IronLionZion]

8. How can he use wartime powers if we're not at war?

Qatar gifted him a free jet but then lost billions when their gas fields were attacked. Bribing TSF is the worst investment.

[travelingthrulife]

9. So it IS a war . Which means he must go through Congress.

There is no declared war.

[kimbutgar]

10. Mike Johnson is ok to give away his constitutional powers for his dear leader !

And in the Senate John Thune also is weak and will stand by and say nothing to deter the 😡🐖💩 dictator.

There is nothing reining in this manic in the White House now. Checks and balances a thing of the past.

[BattleRow]

19. No way to balance THAT checkbook!

[City Lights]

11. But they claim we are "not at war."

We can't be "at war" when it's convenient and "not at war" when it's not.

[FakeNoose]

26. Only Congress can declare wars - and they haven't done it

... They haven't even been asked. So this incursion in Iran isn't a "war." What the hell is it?

[Picaro]

12. Thought this was just an "excursion"

Why does he have “war time” power if this is just an excursion, a little jaunt? But not a war…

[watertiger]

13. I didn't realize we still had a Congress

[Volaris]

18. We dont, or they would deal with this. That said,

The clocks ticking, Donnie...

[BattleRow]

20. We have a concept of a Congress..a concept of a Constitution..

A concept of a Commander in Chief..etc...etc..

[Bluetus]

14. But nothing for Ukraine ?

[Evolve Dammit]

15. war is so lucrative for the military industril complex and it's politician enablers

[purr-rat beauty]

16. If the press doesn't say anything about the word "WAR" then this is all bullshit

well, it was bullshit from the start

[Bayard]

17. trump & co. were screaming we were running out of munitions for his war,

But now, we have enough to sell to countries he unleashed hell on. The war profiteers love this guy.

[Sam I Yam]

21. What, no money for Russia?

Tsk-tsk. Bad puppet. Very bad little puppet indeed!

[MissouriDem47]

22. I Thought

I thought the war was already over, what happened?

[Attilatheblond]

24. The war progress depends on the hour and who he spoke with last

And, of course, his Depends and the condition of said garment.

[Attilatheblond]

23. Trying to make sense of ANYTHING he does, brings me back to a comment he made to a ballroom full of donors

at Mar A Largo during the '24 campaign:

"You're gonna be SO RICH!"

[ChicagoTeamster]

25. Oh great. Escalation. It used to be US policy was constraint and de-escalation to avoid human death and suffering

and infrastructure damage that would hurt the global economy, Trump must have received huge campaign donations from the arms industry along with the oil industry and all his friends in the gulf oil states.

[Beartracks]

30. Oh, is it a "war" now? I don't recall Congress authorizing one. So it can't be "wartime."