Biden circumvents Congress, approves $106M 'emergency' arms sale to Israel | 9 Dec 2023 | The State Department announced on Saturday [a slower news day, of course] that the U.S. government has approved a military sale to Israel worth around $106.5 million, as the Israeli military continues fighting Hamas militants. In a press release, the State Department said that on Friday, officials "determined and provided detailed justification to Congress that an emergency exists," thereby bypassing a Congressional vote on the matter. "The Secretary of State has approved a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Israel of 120mm M830A1 High Explosive Anti-Tank Multi-Purpose with Tracer (MPAT) tank cartridges and related equipment for an estimated cost of $106.5 million," the press release read. "The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale on December 8, 2023." The State Department explained that the Israeli government requested to buy exactly 13,981 tank cartridges. [How on Earth is this the United States' emergency? --Michael Rectenwald, Ph.D.]