U.S. President Donald Trump plans to sign an executive order that will facilitate the export of American military equipment, Reuters reports, citing four sources.
According to the sources, Trump’s order is based on a proposal from his current National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz, who last year, as a member of the House of Representatives, advocated for a similar initiative.
The document proposes amendments to the Arms Export Control Act, raising the financial thresholds for contracts that require congressional approval. For arms sales, the threshold may increase from $14 million to $23 million, while for military equipment sales, upgrades, training, and other services, it may rise from $50 million to $83 million. These changes would enable major U.S. defense contractors, such as Lockheed Martin, RTX Corp, and Boeing Co., to expand their international sales.
Under current regulations, Congress must be notified 15 days in advance for deals involving NATO members and key U.S. allies, including Australia, Israel, Japan, South Korea, and New Zealand. For most other countries, the notification period is 30 days.
During his first presidential term, Trump frequently criticized Congress for blocking arms deals on human rights and other grounds. In 2019, he declared a state of emergency to bypass legislative restrictions and approve $8.1 billion in arms sales to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Jordan, citing threats from Iran as justification.
