The United States could deny visas to members of Saudi Arabia's royal family for their human rights record

The committee plans to vote on this bill this month, as well as on a bill by Democrat Committee Chairman Bob Menendez, banning certain arms sales to Saudi Arabia and imposing sanctions for The Assassination of columnist Jamal Khashoggi.

Senate Republicans seeking a way to punish Saudi Arabia for its human rights record without provoking a veto by President Donald Trump are attempting a new strategy: denying visas to members of the kingdom's royal family.

Senate Foreign Relations Speaker Jim Risch, a Republican from Idaho, today unveiled a bill banning members of the royal family who work for the Saudi government from entering the United States. Hundreds of people could be restricted by this law.

"This legislation is an effort to move US / Saudi relations in a different direction and I hope to have the support of my colleagues to do so," said Risch in a statement. "We all agree that we need to see a change in Saudi Arabia's behaviour, and this bill would have a real impact on that outcome."

The bill, S. 2066, has two Democratic co-sponsors: Sens. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Chris Coons of Delaware. The committee plans to vote on this bill this month, as well as on a bill by Democrat Committee Chairman Bob Menendez, banning certain arms sales to Saudi Arabia and imposing sanctions for The Assassination of columnist Jamal Khashoggi. This measure is co-sponsored by Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina and an ally of Trump, who urged the government to take a tougher stance on the Saudis.

The travel restrictions in the Risch bill would remain in force until the kingdom shows progress on human rights. According to a person familiar with the legislation, demonstrable progress, assessed by a team of U.S. government agencies led by the State Department, could include the release of dozens of imprisoned dissidents.

The measure is designed to put pressure on Crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman, even though he would be personally denied a visa, with the heads of state and the Saudi ambassador exempted.

Risch has been trying for months to draft legislation that could be enacted by Trump. The bill enjoys the tacit support of the White House, with members of the senator's staff having had discussions with officials in the administration, the official said.

The Saudi Embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comments on this measure.

Risch generally supports the Trump government on foreign policy, and he did not join the handful of Republicans who voted with Democrats last month to disapprove of the government's decision to force the sale of $ 2 billion worth of weapons to Saudi Arabia against Menendez's opposition.

This resolution was passed in the Senate but did not exceed the margin necessary to overrule a presidential veto. The Democrat-led House is expected to vote on the measure this month.

The Trump administration used Iranian threats to justify denying Congress ' concerns and invoking emergency powers to sell arms to the Saudis. Assistant secretary of State for politico-Military Affairs, R. Clarke Cooper, told the Senate Foreign relations Committee on Wednesday that supplying arms to Saudi Arabia is "not only a deterrent to Iran and a comfort to our partners, but also a waste to our country. competitor. "

Both Houses of Congress voted to withdraw U.S. support for the Saudi government's military campaign in Yemen due to concerns over civilian casualties. Trump vetoed this legislation.

Senators at the hearing with Cooper expressed skepticism about the long-term benefits of pursuing a relationship with Saudi Arabia without some sort of recalibration.

"These days, it seems to us that the United States is the junior partner in this relationship", said senator Chris Murphy, D-Conn., Who questioned the Trump administration's continued defense of the Saudi royal family.

"The idea that we transferred Saudi nuclear technology literally a few days after the dismemberment of a journalist under US protection came up, makes us wonder if this is all a big scam," said Murphy.

Other senators, including Republican Ted Cruz of Texas, criticized Cooper for taking the decision to use a declaration of emergency to impose arms sales to the kingdom.