US Lawmakers Vote to Ban Aid to Saudi Arabia
by VOA News
The ban is contained in an amendment slipped into a foreign aid funding bill for next year that has not yet been debated in the Senate. Congress has passed bills in the past to stop the relatively small amount of U.S. aid to Saudi Arabia. But the Bush administration has found a way around the restrictions. The main backer of the amendment, Democratic Party representative Anthony Weiner from New York State, says cutting off aid sends "a clear message to the Saudi Arabian government that they must be a true ally in advancing peace in the Middle East."