Press Releases

WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman James P. McGovern, Ranking Member of the House Rules Committee and Co-Chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, together with a bipartisan group of 20 lawmakers, introduced new legislation to immediately stop all military sales and aid to the government of Saudi Arabia.

The full text of the bill can be found here.

This new bill is stronger than the one Congressman McGovern introduced last week, which would have tied arms sales to a U.S. determination of the Saudi Government’s role in Jamal Khashoggi’s murder.

“It is now clear that Jamal Khashoggi was murdered in the Saudi Consulate. The use of a diplomatic post as a torture chamber is an affront not only to international norms, but to basic human decency. And the inconsistent and implausible explanations put forth by the Saudi Government make absolutely no sense and defy credibility,” said Congressman McGovern. “Under both Democratic and Republican Administrations, I’ve called for a serious review of our arms sales to the Saudi government. With the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, it’s time for the United States to halt all weapons sales and military aid to Saudi Arabia. Our democratic values are on the line here – and we need to step up as a country and do the right thing.”

Representatives Debbie Dingell (D-MI), Thomas Massie (R-KY), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Peter Welch (D-VT), Jared Huffman (D-CA), Walter Jones (R-NC), John Lewis (D-GA), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA), Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Rick Nolan (D-MN), Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Ro Khanna (D-CA), Jackie Speier (D-CA), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ), Justin Amash (R-MI), Nydia Velázquez (D-NY), and Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) joined McGovern as original cosponsors of the bill.