House Foreign Affairs Committee Advances Three Arms Sale Bills

The House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday cleared three bills that would speed up the process for countries seeking to buy U.S. weaponry. The committee voted down one additional measure that would have loosened restrictions on Foreign Military Financing dollars.

That bill would have allowed any country to use Foreign Military Financing to buy U.S. weaponry through direct commercial sales rather than the Foreign Military Sales process. It failed on a 23-23 vote after two Republicans sided with Democrats. Foreign Military Financing consists of grants provided to foreign countries with the requirement that the funds be spent only on U.S.-made weapons.

The dollars are allocated as part of the annual budget process. For fiscal 2027, the State Department is requesting $5.25 billion in Foreign Military Financing funding. The rejected bill's sponsor said the change would allow key partners such as Ukraine and Taiwan to acquire U.S. equipment more quickly.

During the debate, Democrats raised questions about potential corruption risks if the State Department oversight of the Foreign Military Sales program were reduced. One lawmaker argued that without such oversight, the funds could become vulnerable to bribery or other misuse.

A substitute amendment offered by the ranking Democrat would have required the State Department to submit a detailed strategy for reviewing direct commercial sales funded by Foreign Military Financing. It would also have required a plan to ensure no sales are made by firms owned or controlled by the Trump family or U.S. government officials.