Dear President Biden and Secretary Blinken,

On Thursday, September 16th Reuters reported that the State Department approved a deal up to $500 million with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for maintenance on helicopters. We, the undersigned, demand that this deal be cancelled immediately. 

Helicopters have been vital in Saudi Arabia’s war efforts in Yemen and have been used to commit human rights violations during the war. In September of 2015, Saudi helicopters attacked a village in Yemen killing at least 3o civilians. When the first attack was over, Saudi helicopters circled back and attacked medics trying to help the wounded, killing three of them. Again in 2015, an Apache helicopter assisted attack killed at least 40 fishermen in Yemen. 

President Biden, you stated in February that U.S. offensive involvement in the Yemen war was coming to an end. We welcomed that news, but waited for that statement to become a reality. The U.S. continues to let contractors do repairs for the Saudi Royal Air Force, which allows for the continuation of Saudi airstrikes on civilians in Yemen.

Secretary Blinken, you stated that human rights would be at the forefront of your foreign policy when you came into your position at the State Department. The continual backing, both militarily and politically, of Saudi Arabia signals that the State Department is not doing enough to advance its goals for human rights. Saudi Arabia continues to violate the rights of Yemenis. 

The deal to provide maintenance for Saudi helicopters directly contradicts both of these stated goals by your administration. Half a billion dollars in maintenance to equipment that is regularly used in offensive military operations in Yemen is inexcusable and the deal must be cancelled.

Sincerely,