A recent investigation by The Intercept uncovered that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has failed to pay the Defense Department for its support of a Saudi-led war in Yemen, resulting in hundreds of thousands of deaths and a humanitarian crisis. Despite repeated attempts to obtain a comment from the Pentagon, they have not responded.
Senator Rand Paul, in response to these findings, criticized Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and the Pentagon for their actions.
“Yemen’s children will remember the brutal war enabled by American support. The billionaire crown prince seems unwilling to reimburse American taxpayers for the war effort,” Paul stated. “This delinquency, along with the lack of transparency, highlights America’s shameful subservience to this autocratic regime.”
Senator Paul has been a vocal critic of U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia due to their human rights record. He has called for an end to U.S. support for the war in Yemen and attempted to block weapon sales to Saudi Arabia in the past.
Despite an unpaid debt of $15 million for aerial refueling, the Biden administration has lifted the ban on selling offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia. This decision comes amidst renewed questions about Saudi Arabia’s role in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
The war in Yemen has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people, with millions still in need of humanitarian aid. The United Nations has reported thousands of civilian casualties from coalition airstrikes.
The Government Accountability Office found that U.S.-provided military support played a role in causing casualties in Yemen, but investigations by the Pentagon and State Department have been lacking.
Despite these findings, the Biden administration has resumed weapons transfers to Saudi Arabia on a case-by-case basis.
The Intercept has repeatedly reached out to the Pentagon and State Department for comments on Saudi Arabia’s unpaid bill and the resumption of weapons transfers, but has not received responses.
On August 10, the State Department acknowledged receipt of questions from The Intercept but did not provide further information. Attempts to interview the Saudi embassy in Washington, D.C., also went unanswered.
