[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 125 (Wednesday, July 24, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5058-S5059]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          PRESIDENTIAL MESSAGE

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 REPORT OF THE VETO OF S.J. RES. 36, A JOINT RESOLUTION PROVIDING FOR 
 CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL OF THE PROPOSED TRANSFER TO THE KINGDOM OF 
SAUDI ARABIA, THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND, 
   THE KINGDOM OF SPAIN, AND THE ITALIAN REPUBLIC OF CERTAIN DEFENSE 
                      ARTICLES AND SERVICES--PM 23

  The PRESIDING OFFICER laid before the Senate the following message 
from the President of the United States, together with an accompanying 
report; which was ordered to be printed in the Record, spread in full 
upon the Journal, and held at the desk:

To the Senate of the United States:
  I am returning herewith without my approval S.J. Res. 36, a joint 
resolution that would prohibit the issuance of certain licenses with 
respect to several proposed agreements or transfers to the Kingdom of 
Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 
the Kingdom of Spain, and the Italian Republic. This resolution would 
weaken America's global competitiveness and damage the important 
relationships we share with our allies and partners.
  In particular, S.J. Res. 36 would prohibit licensing for 
manufacturing in Saudi Arabia of Guidance Electronics Detector 
Assemblies, Computer Control Groups, Airfoil Groups, Aircraft Umbilical 
Interconnect Systems, Fuses, and other components to support the 
production of Paveway II, Enhanced Paveway II, and Paveway IV 
munitions. The misguided licensing prohibitions in the joint resolution 
directly conflict with the foreign policy and national security 
objectives of the United States, which include strengthening defense 
alliances with friendly countries throughout the world, deepening 
partnerships that preserve and extend our global influence, and 
enhancing our competitiveness in key markets. Apart from negatively 
affecting our bilateral relationships with Saudi Arabia, the United 
Kingdom, Spain, and Italy, the joint resolution would hamper the 
ability of the United States to sustain and shape critical security 
cooperation activities. S.J. Res. 36 would also damage the credibility 
of the United States as a reliable partner by signaling that we are 
willing to abandon our partners and allies at the very moment when 
threats to them are increasing.
  The United States is providing the licenses that the joint resolution 
seeks to prohibit for many reasons. First and foremost, it is our 
solemn duty to protect the safety of the more than 80,000

[[Page S5059]]

United States citizens who reside in Saudi Arabia and who are imperiled 
by Houthi attacks from Yemen. The Houthis, supported by Iran, have 
attacked civilian and military facilities using missiles, armed drones, 
and explosive boats, including in areas frequented by United States 
citizens, such as the airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Second, the 
joint resolution would degrade Saudi Arabia's military preparedness and 
ability to protect its sovereignty, directly affecting its ability to 
defend United States military personnel hosted there. Third, Saudi 
Arabia is a bulwark against the malign activities of Iran and its 
proxies in the region, and the licenses the joint resolution would 
prohibit enhance Saudi Arabia's ability to deter and defend against 
these threats.
  In addition, S.J. Res. 36 would negatively affect our NATO Allies and 
the transatlantic defense industry. It could, for example, produce 
unintended consequences for defense procurement and interoperability 
with and between our partners. It could also create diplomatic and 
security opportunities for our adversaries to exploit.
  Finally, by restricting the ability of our partners to produce and 
purchase precision-guided munitions, S.J. Res. 36 would likely prolong 
the conflict in Yemen and deepen the suffering it causes. By 
undermining bilateral relationships of the United States and immpeding 
our ability to support key partners at a critical time, the joint 
resolution would harm--not help--efforts to end the conflict in Yemen. 
And without precision-guided munitions, more--not fewer--civilians are 
likely to become casualties of the conflict. While I share concerns 
that certain Members of Congress have expressed about civilian 
casualties of this conflict, the United States has taken and will 
continue to take action to minimize such casualties, including training 
and advising Saudi-led Coalition forces to improve their targeting 
processes.
  The United States is very concerned about the conflict's toll on 
innocent civilians and is working to bring the conflict in Yemen to an 
end. But we cannot end it through ill-conceived and time-consuming 
resolutions that fail to address its root causes. Rather than expend 
time and resources on such resolutions, I encourage the Congress to 
direct its efforts toward supporting our work to achieve peace through 
a negotiated settlement to the conflict in Yemen.
  For these reasons, it is my duty to return S.J. Res. 36 to the Senate 
without my approval.
                                                     Donald J. Trump.  
The White House, July 24, 2019.

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