Politics
The State Department approved more than 35,500 MK-84 and BLU-117 2,000-pound bombs and 4,000 Predator warheads on an emergency basis, bypassing standard congressional review.
NewsOnScale Staff
September 15, 2026
The Trump administration approved a nearly $3 billion arms sale to Israel, the State Department confirmed in notifications sent to Congress. The package includes more than 35,500 MK-84 and BLU-117 bombs — each weighing 2,000 pounds — and 4,000 Predator warheads worth $2.04 billion. An additional $675 million in munitions and $295 million in Caterpillar D9 bulldozers were also approved.
The approval was made on an emergency basis, bypassing the standard congressional review process that gives committee chairs the opportunity to examine arms sales before formal notification.
American taxpayers are funding the transfer through the Foreign Military Financing program, under which Congress appropriates money to the executive branch which transfers the funds to Israel to purchase American-made weapons — in this case from General Dynamics.
What the Bombs Are
The MK-84 is an unguided 2,000-pound bomb capable of ripping through thick concrete and metal with a wide blast radius. The Biden administration had previously paused a shipment of MK-84s over concerns about civilian casualties in densely populated areas. Trump lifted that hold immediately upon taking office.
The BLU-117 is a hardened version of the same 2,000-pound bomb designed to penetrate reinforced structures before detonating.
How It Was Approved
The State Department sent the notifications to Congress on an emergency basis, a mechanism that sidesteps the long-standing practice of giving the chairs and ranking members of the House Foreign Affairs and Senate Foreign Relations Committees the opportunity to review and ask questions before formal notification.
This is the second time this month the Trump administration has declared an emergency to quickly approve weapons sales to Israel.
The Broader Picture
Since 1951 the US Treasury has transferred approximately $352 billion to Israel in various forms of military and economic aid. This $2.8 billion package is one of the largest single conventional weapons transfers in recent American history.
The transfer comes as the US is engaged in active military operations against Iran — an undeclared conflict that has spread to Kuwait, the UAE, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. Congress has not declared war on Iran. Congress was not given standard review time for this arms package to Israel.
What Congress Has Not Done
The Foreign Military Sales process normally involves congressional notification and a review period. Emergency bypass procedures exist but their use requires justification that national security cannot wait for normal review timelines.
Whether the emergency designation was appropriate — given that some deliveries are not expected until 2027 and 2028 — is a question the congressional committee members who were bypassed have not publicly answered.
DISCLOSURE: NewsOnScale is an independent media publication operated by AMILLI AI CORP. JJ Johnson is the founder of AMILLI AI CORP and a declared candidate for President of the United States in 2028. All facts in this article are drawn from CBS News, Reuters, Rolling Stone, and Washington Post reporting published September 15 2026.