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[Senate Document 116-7]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]

116th Congress, 1st Session - - - - - - - - - - Senate Document 116-7
 
                           VETO--S.J. RES. 36

                                (PM 23)

                               __________

                                MESSAGE

                                  from

                     THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

                               returning

  WITHOUT MY APPROVAL S.J. RES. 36, A JOINT RESOLUTION PROVIDING FOR 
 CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL OF THE PROPOSED TRANSFER TO THE KINGDOM OF 
SAUDI ARABIA, THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND, 
   THE KINGDOM OF SPAIN, AND THE ITALIAN REPUBLIC OF CERTAIN DEFENSE 
                         ARTICLES AND SERVICES

[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

                 July 24, 2019.--Ordered to be printed
                                   ______
		 
                     U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE 
		 
37-197                    WASHINGTON : 2019                 

To the Senate of the United States:
    I am returning herewith without my approval S.J. Res. 36, a 
joint resolution that would prohibit the issuance of certain 
licenses with respect to several proposed agreements or 
transfers to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom of 
Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Kingdom of Spain, and 
the Italian Republic. This resolution would weaken America's 
global competitiveness and damage the important relationships 
we share with our allies and partners.
    In particular, S.J. Res. 36 would prohibit licensing for 
manufacturing in Saudi Arabia of Guidance Electronics Detector 
Assemblies, Computer Control Groups, Airfoil Groups, Aircraft 
Umbilical Interconnect Systems, Fuses, and other components to 
support the production of Paveway II, Enhanced Paveway II, and 
Paveway IV munitions. The misguided licensing prohibitions in 
the joint resolution directly conflict with the foreign policy 
and national security objectives of the United States, which 
include strengthening defense alliances with friendly countries 
throughout the world, deepening partnerships that preserve and 
extend our global influence, and enhancing our competitiveness 
in key markets. Apart from negatively affecting our bilateral 
relationships with Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, Spain, and 
Italy, the joint resolution would hamper the ability of the 
United States to sustain and shape critical security 
cooperation activities. S.J. Res. 36 would also damage the 
credibility of the United States as a reliable partner by 
signaling that we are willing to abandon our partners and 
allies at the very moment when threats to them are increasing.
    The United States is providing the licenses that the joint 
resolution seeks to prohibit for many reasons. First and 
foremost, it is our solemn duty to protect the safety of the 
more than 80,000 United States citizens who reside in Saudi 
Arabia and who are imperiled by Houthi attacks from Yemen. The 
Houthis, supported by Iran, have attacked civilian and military 
facilities using missiles, armed drones, and explosive boats, 
including in areas frequented by United States citizens, such 
as the airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Second, the joint 
resolution would degrade Saudi Arabia's military preparedness 
and ability to protect its sovereignty, directly affecting its 
ability to defend United States military personnel hosted 
there. Third, Saudi Arabia is a bulwark against the malign 
activities of Iran and its proxies in the region, and the 
licenses the joint resolution would prohibit enhance Saudi 
Arabia's ability to deter and defend against these threats.
    In addition, S.J. Res. 36 would negatively affect our NATO 
Allies and the transatlantic defense industry. It could, for 
example, produce unintended consequences for defense 
procurement and interoperability with and between our partners. 
It could also create diplomatic and security opportunities for 
our adversaries to exploit.
    Finally, by restricting the ability of our partners to 
produce and purchase precision-guided munitions, S.J. Res. 36 
would likely prolong the conflict in Yemen and deepen the 
suffering it causes. By undermining bilateral relationships of 
the United States and impeding our ability to support key 
partners at a critical time, the joint resolution would harm--
not help--efforts to end the conflict in Yemen. And without 
precision-guided munitions, more--not fewer--civilians are 
likely to become casualties of the conflict. While I share 
concerns that certain Members of Congress have expressed about 
civilian casualties of this conflict, the United States has 
taken and will continue to take action to minimize such 
casualties, including training and advising Saudi-led Coalition 
forces to improve their targeting processes.
    The United States is very concerned about the conflict's 
toll on innocent civilians, and is working to bring the 
conflict in Yemen to an end. But we cannot end it through ill-
conceived and time-consuming resolutions that fail to address 
its root causes. Rather than expend time and resources on such 
resolutions, I encourage the Congress to direct its efforts 
toward supporting our work to achieve peace through a 
negotiated settlement to the conflict in Yemen.
    For these reasons, it is my duty to return S.J. Res. 36 to 
the Senate without my approval.

                                                   Donald J. Trump.
    The White House, July 24, 2019.

                                  [all]
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