Top Dems Pivot Against Weapons Sales to Saudi Arabia After Oil Production Cut

Top-ranking Democratic Senators Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) call for a fundamental change to the relationship between Washinton and Riyadh after Kingdon announced it would cut its oil production. For years, some Senators, such as Rand Paul (R-KY) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT), have demanded the US end weapon sales to Saudi Arabia over Riyadh’s war in Yemen, internal human rights abuses, and the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. 

In a statement on Monday, Menendez said “enough is enough” regarding US support for Saudi Arabia. The Senator issued the message to Politico in response to OPEC+ announcing a significant oil production cut. 

Ahead of next month’s midterm elections, the reduction in energy output is expected to increase US gas prices. Last week, three Democrats in the House issued a statement calling the oil production cut a “hostile act” by Saudi Arabia and the UAE. 

The members of OPEC+ agreed to cut oil production by an unexpected 2 million barrels per day. The Representatives, Pennsylvania Rep. Susan Wild, Illinois Rep. Sean Casten, and New Jersey Rep. Tom Malinowski called the decision a “turning point” and introduced a bill that would end US military support for Riyadh and Abu Dhabi.

Senators Menendez and Murphy echoed their colleagues’ demand to end arms sales this week. Menendez, who chairs the influential Senate Foreign Relations Committee, linked the oil production cut to aiding Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine. I will not green light any cooperation with Riyadh until the Kingdom reassesses its position with respect to the war in Ukraine.” He added, “enough is enough.”

Menendez called for “the United States must immediately freeze all aspects of our cooperation with Saudi Arabia, including any arms sales and security cooperation beyond what is absolutely necessary to defend US personnel and interests.”

Since 2015, Saudi Arabia has waged an air war in Yemen that has devastated the country’s food production and distribution systems. After years of Riyadh using American-made bombs to destroy Yemen, the UN labeled the country’s humanitarian situation the worst in the world. 

Appearing on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Murphy also argued that because the OPEC+ decision benefits Moscow, the US must change its relationship with Saudi Arabia. “There’s got to be consequences for that. Whether it’s lifting the cartel’s immunity or whether it’s rethinking our troop presence there.” He added, “[f]or years we have looked the other way as Saudi Arabia has chopped up journalists, has engaged in massive political repression, for one reason: we wanted to know that when the chips were down, when there was a global crisis, that the Saudis would choose us instead of Russia,” the Senator said. “Well, they didn’t. They chose Russia.”

Murphy’s remarks express Washington’s great-power-focused foreign policy. While the White House denounced an end to state violence in Iran, it turned a blind eye to a far more aggressive government in Riyadh believing Saudi’s influence over oil prices could be used to hurt Moscow. 

Several Senators, including Paul, Sanders, Murphy and Mike Lee (R-UT) have cited the brutal bombing campaign of Yemen when introducing legislation to end US support for the Saudi air war. The UN estimates Riyadh’s air war and total blockade on the Middle East’s poorest country has killed at least 377,000 people; more than half of the dead are children less than five years old. The war has been entirely underwritten by more than seven years of bipartisan US support.

In a poll that was conducted prior to the OPEC+ production cut, Americans already demanded an end to weapon sales to the Gulf kingdom. Eurasia Group Foundation found nearly 70% of US citizens want to end arms sales to Saudi Arabia. Unlike their representatives, Americans believe the war in Yemen and human rights abuses warranted an end to arms sales.