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WASHINGTON The top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has committed to vote against a U.S.-Saudi deal for precision-guided munitions, a signal Democrats could oppose the deal en masse.

Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., said Wednesday he would vote to block the sale of $510 million in smart bombs to be used in the war in Yemen because the Trump administration has not yet articulated a strategy to end the war through political means.

Instead, this administrations approach appears to be more weapons sales, Cardin said in a measured statement Wednesday that expressed some support for Riyadh. The administrations decision to proceed with the sale of precision-guided munitions, absent leadership to push all parties toward a political process for a negotiated settlement, including Saudi Arabia, sends the absolutely wrong signal to our partners and our adversaries.

The vote could come as soon as Thursday, when the big news is expected to be former FBI Director's James Comey testifying before the Senate on his interactions with President Trump over Russian meddling in U.S. elections.

"I know Comey hearing is the thing, but don't sleep on a possible Senate vote tomor[row] on Saudi arms sale," Murphy said in a tweet on Wednesday evening. "I'm hustling for votes as we speak..."

The resolution would halt three planned deals. It targets packages of Joint Direct Attack Munitions off the Royal Saudi Air Forces western-made F-15 fighter aircraft; Paveway laser-guided bombs for Saudi Tornado and Typhoon aircraft, and the integration of the FMU-152A/B Joint Programmable Fuze into the MK-80, BLU-109, and BLU-100 munitions.

On Tuesday, Paul said he has gotten little traction with Republicans to block the arms deal and was not sure it would win the simple majority it would need to pass. The best hope was to send a message asserting Congress's war-making authority.

Whichever way it turns out, I think its an important issue because its a proxy debate for should we be at war in Yemen which we are in, in a way, already, Paul said. That should be voted on in Congress and shouldnt be glossed over. When the Obama administration finally pulled back, I think they were influenced by our debate [in the Senate].

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain, R-Ariz., dismissed the vote as crazy.

I think we need the Saudis right now, and Ive put pressure on them for years and years and years, and theyve made some improvements but they have a long way to go, McCain said. Theyre not a democracy, theyre not the United States of America.

The White House has also been on the defensive over an announced $110 billion arms sale to Riyadh that may be less than advertised. The State Department has to sign off on much of the sales, and about $24 billion were discussed with the Obama administration and were well underway.

There are several reasons for Democrats to oppose the Saudi deal, said one Democratic aide. The vote could serve to show Congresss's concern for the humanitarian crisis amid the administrations apparent ambivalence on humanitarian issues in the Middle East.

Democrats have been vocal on this issue before. Murphy, Paul, Franken and Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., introduced a bill in April to suspend certain air-to-ground munition deliveries until the U.S. president certifies that the Saudis show a commitment to fighting terrorism, facilitating the flow of humanitarian and commercial goods, and to protecting civilians in Yemen. A similar resolution was introduced in the House on May 25 with six co-sponsors.

But Murphy said lawmakers then had legitimate concerns the tank sale was not directly connected to the Yemen war, while this munition sales clear connection and history of disapproval by the Obama administration should earn it more opposition.

I think this vote will be very different, Murphy said Tuesday.

As of Wednesday afternoon, some Democrats were still undecided. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said of the munitions sale: Im looking at it. I think Senator Murphy and Senator Paul are making some important points.

I think both parties have always seen arms sales as a means to extract human rights concessions from Middle Eastern governments, and the lack of human rights conditions on this arms sale is worrying to both Republicans and Democrats, Murphy said.

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US Senate Democrats rallying votes against Saudi arms sale - DefenseNews.com