US uses emergency authority to approve $650M weapons sale to Israel
(VOVWORLD) - President Donald Trump’s administration has bypassed the US Congress using an emergency authority to expedite the sale of more than 20,000 bombs to Israel worth around 650 million USD.
 US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to reporters in Washington, DC, US, March 3, 2026. (Photo: REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz) |
The State Department said late Saturday that Secretary Marco Rubio determined that an emergency existed that required an immediate sale to Israel and waived the congressional review requirements.
The weapons package includes 12,000 BLU-110A/B general-purpose bombs requested by Israel. The deal comes just one week after the United States and Israel launched a joint air campaign against Iran which is Washington’s largest military operation since the Iraq war in 2003.
The Department of Defense said the sale “will support US foreign policy and national security objectives.” The main contractor for the deal is Repkon USA in Texas. Israel will purchase an extra 298 million USD worth of critical munitions via direct commercial sales. The decision to use the emergency authority has drawn criticism from several lawmakers.