Senate to vote Thursday on whether to block Trump Saudi arms sale plan

Kelly Craft testifies before a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on her nomination to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in Washington

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate will vote on Thursday on legislation seeking to block President Donald Trump's plan to sidestep congressional review and go ahead with more than $8 billion in arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced an agreement to hold the vote on Wednesday, after a group of lawmakers, including some of Trump's fellow Republicans, filed 22 separate resolutions of disapproval objecting to the deals.

Lawmakers objected to Trump's decision to declare an emergency tied to threats from Iran in order to go ahead with the military sales despite congressional objections.

(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)