*

Lawmaker had asked Trump administration for information on

sale

*

Formal notification to Congress breaks with long-held

precedent

*

Military sale announcement comes as Netanyahu visits

Washington

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Trump faces court cases, complaints of disregarding

Congress

(Recasts with complaint from Meeks)

By Patricia Zengerle

Feb 7 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's

administration announced on Friday that it had approved military

sales to Israel worth some $7.4 billion, despite a Democratic

lawmakers' request that the sale be paused until he received

more information.

The Department of Defense announced that the State

Department had approved a package for Israel worth an estimated

$6.75 billion that included munitions, guidance kits and fuses

with Boeing Co ( BA ) among the principal contractors.

It also detailed a deal estimated at $660 million to sell

Hellfire Missiles to Israel in which Lockheed Martin ( LMT )

would be the principal contractor.

The announcement came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin

Netanyahu visited Washington for meetings with Trump,

administration officials and members of Congress.

Representative Gregory Meeks, ranking Democrat on the House

of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, denounced what he

termed a decision to break with a long-standing precedent for

congressional review of major weapons sales.

He said he had been discussing his concerns about the sale

with the administration, which had failed to provide significant

documentation or justification.

"I continue to support Israel's critical military needs as

it faces a range of regional threats and was engaged in close

consultation with the Administration on a range of questions and

concerns," Meeks said in a statement.

He said the decision showed a lack of respect for Congress

as a co-equal branch of government. "In the United States we do

not have kings - we are a democracy rooted in the Constitution,

governed by laws," Meeks said.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for

comment.

Former President Joe Biden's administration had notified

Congress of a proposed $8 billion arms sale to Israel in

January, two U.S. officials said at the time. That aligned with

a long-standing practice of giving the chairs and ranking

members of the House Foreign Affairs and Senate Foreign

Relations Committees the opportunity to review a sale and ask

for more information before making a formal notification to

Congress.

Trump began his second term on January 20.

LATEST PUSHBACK ON CONGRESS

Trump has forged close ties to Netanyahu, pledging to back

Israel strongly in its war against Hamas in the Gaza strip. He

shocked the world this week by saying he expected Gaza to be

taken over by the United States.

Trump has faced court challenges in the first two weeks of

his second term over actions that opponents say run afoul of

Congress, such as taking steps to dismantle the U.S. Agency for

International Development (USAID).

Trump has bypassed the weapons review process before. During

his first term, he angered both Democrats and Republicans in

2019 by declaring a national emergency to sweep aside human

rights-related objections to the sale of over $8 billion worth

of weapons to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.

The civilian toll of the war in Gaza has raised human rights

concerns from some U.S. lawmakers.

Hamas-led gunmen attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing

some 1,200 people and seizing more than 250 as hostages.

In response, Israel launched a war in Gaza that has killed

more than 47,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health

authorities, and devastated the enclave.