A Democrat-led effort to stop the Biden administration from transferring cluster munitions to Ukraine is turning into a bipartisan effort, with Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) offering to be the Republican co-sponsor on the effort.
On Friday, July 7, the Biden administration announced plans to begin transferring to Ukraine a type of cluster munition known as the dual-purpose improved conventional munition (DPICM). The plan quickly caught criticism from members of the president’s own party, citing concerns about the weapons, which release a cluster of dozens of submunitions that don’t always immediately explode.
Reps. Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) were among those Democratic lawmakers who opposed the DPICM transfers to Ukraine. On Friday, Ms. Jacobs and Ms. Omar introduced an amendment (pdf) to the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would bar export licensing to transfer cluster munitions from the United States abroad….