Democratic duo proposes banning arms to Saudi Arabia over OPEC cuts

A pair of Democratic lawmakers is proposing the U.S. halt arms sales to Saudi Arabia in response to oil production cuts from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) penned an op-ed in Politico Sunday calling on Congress to cut off arms sales to the leading OPEC country until it reverses its “embrace” of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“Members of Congress are already talking about how best to respond. Some propose extending domestic antitrust laws to international commerce. Others propose reviving a GOP initiative to withdraw U.S. troops from Saudi Arabia. But that idea has failed previously given that the U.S. would rather have its own troops there than Russian or Chinese troops,” the lawmakers wrote.

“A simpler, far more urgent move to fortify U.S. national security would be to pause all U.S. military supplies, sales and other weapons aid to Saudi Arabia.”

Democrats excoriated Saudi Arabia over the OPEC decision, coming less than three months after President Biden visited Saudi Arabia, where he asked the country’s leaders to increase oil production to help counter the impact of Russia’s war in Ukraine.

“We give Saudi Arabia 70% of their weapons,” Khanna said on Twitter Friday. “For them to drive up energy prices for the American people is outrageous. It’s simple. If the Saudi-led OPEC+ doesn’t reverse their decision, the US should stop sending them weapons.”

The OPEC+ coalition of 13 member nations and 11 non-members, including Russia, announced last week that it would bring down production by 2 million barrels, raising concerns about the move pushing up prices at the pump in the U.S. 

Blumenthal told Politico earlier this week that there remains “an opportunity to persuade the Saudis that you’re making a gigantic mistake here,” adding that he hopes the Biden administration will “be aggressive” in using U.S. leverage.

President Biden said on Wednesday he was “disappointed” by the OPEC+ move, while the White House accused Riyadh of “aligning with Russia” with the move.

The Biden administration has said it is reviewing its options to respond, while renewing calls for oil companies to reduce prices.

Khanna and Blumenthal argued that Saudi Arabia could not easily find new weapons suppliers, giving the US significant leverage.

“Maybe it is worth considering some ancient Russian wisdom ourselves. Over a century ago, Russian playwright Anton Chekhov warned, ‘Knowledge is of no value unless you put it into practice.’ Perhaps the same is true about leverage. It is of no value unless used,” they wrote.

The Hill has reached out to the White House and to the offices of Khanna and Blumenthal for comment.