In the waning days of 2023, the Biden administration twice invoked a rarely used emergency authority to bypass congressional review of more than $250 million in weapons sales to Israel.

the current security cooperation ecosystem is overwhelmingly subject to the will and preferences of the executive branch, and the ability of lawmakers to shape arms sales decisions or intercede in transfers they oppose is exceptionally circumscribed. President Biden’s use of the AECA’s emergency provision to transfer weapons to Israel despite grave humanitarian and human rights concerns is emblematic of an enterprise that is run by a narrowing set of stakeholders and without sufficient checks and balances that are key to democratic governance.