Irina Nesterova15:31, 09.11.25

The State Department says this is very harmful to both allies and American industry.

The United States has suspended arms exports worth over $5 billion to NATO allies and Ukraine due to the shutdown, Axios reports , citing the US State Department.

“This is actually very harmful to both our allies and partners and to American industry,” a senior State Department official told the publication.

He clarified that this concerns the supply of weapons such as AMRAAM missiles, Aegis combat systems, and HIMARS to Denmark, Croatia, and Poland. The article notes that the final destination of the exports is unknown, but “arms sales to NATO allies are often transferred to aid Ukraine.”

The official said the pending deals include both direct U.S. government arms sales to allies and licensing of private U.S. defense companies for export.Read also:

The publication writes that the Arms Export Control Act requires Congress to review arms sales proposals, but many State Department employees whose job it is to brief congressional committee staff are on leave due to the shutdown, which has caused the problem.

Last month, the Political-Military Affairs Bureau had only about a quarter of its usual staff working to support arms sales, a senior official said.

“Democrats are blocking critical weapons sales, particularly to our NATO allies, which is damaging the U.S. industrial base and jeopardizing our security and the security of our partners,” said Bureau spokesman Tommy Pigott.

Shutdown in the USA

As UNIAN reported, the United States plunged into a government shutdown for the first time in seven years back in early October . This was because Congress failed to pass a government funding bill by the start of the new fiscal year. Negotiations between Republicans and Democrats stalled over health insurance subsidies.

Media outlets reported that the White House is preparing mass layoffs at several agencies as part of the shutdown. After meeting with Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought, US President Donald Trump announced on his social media account, Truth Social, that they are reviewing “which of the many pro-democracy agencies” should be cut and whether these measures will be temporary or permanent.

It was also noted that in the US, support for Democrats is sharply increasing due to the prolonged shutdown . According to NBC News, which conducted its own poll, a growing number of voters believe President Donald Trump has failed to meet their expectations on several key issues that helped him return to the White House in 2024.

(c)UNIAN 2025