Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) criticized the State Department’s circumvention of Congress in approving a $147.5 million arms sale to Israel. Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, demanded a “public explanation of the rationale behind this decision — the second such decision this month.” In a Friday announcement, the State Department said the proposed sale of 155-millimeter artillery shells and related equipment is consistent with the U.S. commitment to Israel’s security and efforts to help it “develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defense capability.”