Scoop: Weapons sales to NATO allies stalled by government shutdown
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio attends a meeting. Photo: Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images
More than $5 billion worth of U.S. weapon exports to support NATO allies and Ukraine have been delayed by the government shutdown, according to a State Department estimate shared with Axios.
Why it matters: It's another example of the repercussions from furloughs, program pauses and slowed activity across federal branches as the shutdown drags into day 40.
- "This is actually really harming both our allies and partners and US industry to actually deliver a lot of these critical capabilities overseas," a senior State Department official told Axios.
Zoom in: The delivery of weapons — including AMRAAM missiles, Aegis combat systems and HIMARS — for allies such as Denmark, Croatia and Poland have been affected, according to the official.
- The ultimate destination of the exports is not clear, but arms sales to NATO allies are often transferred to assist Ukraine.
- The pending transactions include both weapon sales directly from the U.S. government to NATO allies, as well as licensing for private U.S. defense companies to export weapons, the official said.
- The process for these particular sales would ordinarily be straightforward and uncontroversial.
Between the lines: The Arms Export Control Act requires Congress to review weapon sale proposals.
- Many State Department staffers whose job is to brief congressional committee staff — and ensure the process is completed — have been furloughed, causing the slowdown.
- State's Bureau of Political-Military Affairs was at about a quarter of its normal staffing to support arms sales last month, a senior official told Axios.
What they're saying: "Democrats are holding up critical weapons sales, including to our NATO allies, which harms the U.S. industrial base and puts our and our partners' security at risk," State spokesperson Tommy Pigott told Axios in a statement.
- "China and Russia aren't shut down, their efforts to undermine the U.S. and our partners and allies get easier, while our industrial base suffers and our allies' needs go unmet," Senate Foreign Relations Chair James Risch (R-Idaho) told Axios in a statement.
