December, 09 2020, 11:00pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com
CAIR Condemns Senate's Failure to Block 'Corrupt and Dangerous' UAE Arms Deal, Calls on President-Elect Biden to Block Sale
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today condemned the U.S. Senate's decision to permit the Trump administration's "corrupt and dangerous" 23-billion-dollar arms sale to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and called on the incoming Biden administration to cancel the sale upon taking office.
WASHINGTON
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today condemned the U.S. Senate's decision to permit the Trump administration's "corrupt and dangerous" 23-billion-dollar arms sale to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and called on the incoming Biden administration to cancel the sale upon taking office.
Last night, the Senate blocked two separate procedural bipartisan attempts to stop President Trump's arms sale to the UAE, failing to win a simple majority, 46-50 and 47-49 votes, respectively. The first resolution would have banned drones and munitions sales, while the second would have prevented the sale of F-35 fighter jets. The opposing pair of resolutions to the arms sale were introduced by Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Rand Paul (R-KY).
The arms sale is part of the larger National Defense Authorization Act, which was approved by the House of Representatives on Tuesday. Senate leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has said he expects the bill will pass the Senate before the end of the year.
The Hill: Senate rejects attempt to block Trump's UAE arms sale
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/529553-senate-rejects-attempt-to-block-trumps-uae-arms-sale
NBC News: Senate bid to block UAE arms sales falls short
In a statement, CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said:
"Our government should not sell a single bullet to the UAE, much less billions of dollars in deadly military equipment. The UAE has committed war crimes in Yemen, bolstered dictators and suppressed democracy in the broader Arab world, and smeared Americans who dare to speak up against such human rights abuses.
"Now that the Senate has failed to block the Trump administration's corrupt and dangerous arms deal, the incoming Biden administration should support peace, democracy and human rights overseas by cancelling the sale upon taking office."
CAIR has previously called on the government to stop supporting other foreign governments that use American military to violate human rights, including Burma, Egypt, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and India.
SEE: CAIR Says Obama Must Act Against Massacre of Pro-Democracy Protesters in Egypt
SEE: CAIR Welcomes Passage of Senate Bill Ending U.S. Military Involvement in Yemen
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is a grassroots civil rights and advocacy group. CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
(202) 488-8787LATEST NEWS
Chamber of Commerce Sues to Block FTC Ban on Anti-Worker Noncompete Agreements
"Why does the U.S. Chamber of Commerce hate dynamism in the American economy, where workers are free to move to the best opportunities, and companies are free to recruit the best talent?" asked one economist.
Apr 24, 2024
The powerful U.S. Chamber of Commerce sued the Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday in an effort to block the agency's widely celebrated new rule banning most noncompete clauses, pervasive contract agreements that restrict employees' ability to work for or start a competing business.
The Chamber filed its lawsuit alongside the Business Roundtable and other corporate lobbying groups in a federal court in Texas. The suit came shortly after Ryan LLC, a tax service firm, filed the first legal challenge to the FTC's rule in a separate Texas venue.
"The commission's categorical ban on virtually all non-competes amounts to a vast overhaul of the national economy," reads the Chamber's complaint against the rule, which the FTC finalized in a 3-2 vote on Tuesday.
The agency, led by Biden-appointed Commissioner Lina Khan, estimates that roughly 30 million U.S. workers are subject to a noncompete agreement, limiting their ability to start their own companies or switch jobs in pursuit of better wages and benefits.
"Noncompete clauses keep wages low, suppress new ideas, and rob the American economy of dynamism, including from the more than 8,500 new startups that would be created a year once noncompetes are banned," Khan said in a statement Tuesday. "The FTC's final rule to ban noncompetes will ensure Americans have the freedom to pursue a new job, start a new business, or bring a new idea to market."
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The Chamber, the largest corporate lobbying organization in the United States, signaled its intent to sue the FTC immediately after the agency finalized its new rule on Tuesday.
"The Federal Trade Commission's decision to ban employer noncompete agreements across the economy is not only unlawful but also a blatant power grab that will undermine American businesses’ ability to remain competitive," Chamber president and CEO Suzanne Clark said in a statement following the FTC's vote.
While the organization claims to fight for the interests of businesses small and large, a Public Citizen report published earlier this year found that the majority of the Chamber's legal work supports big corporations.
The Chamber acknowledged in response to questioning from a pair of Democratic senators last year that its corporate members use noncompete clauses—though the group did not specify which members.
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"No one is free until everyone is free," read the banner. "Jews say stop arming Israel."
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Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) were the only members of the Democratic caucus who voted against the funding bill. Fifteen Republicans also opposed the bill over its inclusion of Ukraine aid.
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One organizer, Calvin Harrison, told The New York Times that he attended the Brooklyn protest Tuesday night "because I'm a Jew and I was raised to believe that Judaism is about justice."
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Sen. Bernie Sanders, one of just three Senate Democratic caucus members to oppose the bill, said that "U.S. taxpayers should not be providing billions more to the extremist Netanyahu government."
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Sanders called Tuesday "a dark day for democracy," condemning the upper chamber's refusal to even allow a vote on his proposed amendment to cut offensive military aid to Israel from the legislation.
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The 79 senators who voted to pass Biden's foreign aid bill/expand Israel's genocide in Gaza: pic.twitter.com/bVQisvOndd
— Stephen Semler (@stephensemler) April 24, 2024
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