The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has approved the sale of $74 billion worth of weapons and military equipment to Israel. This decision was made last Friday although Democratic lawmakers had requested to suspend the sale until further information was obtained.

The U.S. Department of Defense announced that the package includes $67.5 billion worth of ammunition guidance systems and fuses. These items will be supplied by several major American contractors including Boeing.

Additionally the package includes a $6.6 billion sale of Hellfire missiles which will be supplied by Lockheed Martin and other American companies.

This announcement came at a time when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had just completed his visit to Washington. During his trip he met with U.S. President Trump senior administration officials and members of Congress.

New York Democratic Congressman Gregory Meeks criticized the decision stating that the long standing tradition of thorough review in Congress before approving large arms sales had been broken. He condemned the decision.

Earlier in January former President Joe Biden's administration had informed Congress about a plan to sell $8 billion worth of weapons and military equipment to Israel. During that time U.S. Congress and Senate foreign relations committees were given an opportunity to request additional information and review the sale.