(The Hill) – Human rights groups applauded Wednesday’s vote in the Senate on blocking an arms sale to Saudi Arabia, saying it made an important statement even though the resolution was easily defeated. “Today, for the first time since the war in Yemen began, 27 senators voiced the first cries of dissent against our government’s unconditional and unlimited support for the Saudi-led coalition,” Oxfam America President Ray Offenheiser said in a written statement. “Concern in Congress regarding the situation in Yemen and the U.S.’s heartless and disjointed approach to it will only grow stronger.” The Senate voted 71-27 against a bipartisan resolution that would have blocked a planned $1.15 billion sale of tanks and other equipment to Saudi Arabia. The vote effectively killed the resolution.
