US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Rich submitted a bill calling for a comprehensive review of US-Saudi relations in the light of what he said were human rights abuses by Saudi authorities.
The draft law criticizes Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and demands pressure on Riyadh for human rights.
The project is the latest in congressional efforts to hold Saudi Arabia responsible for human rights abuses, including the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in his consulate in Istanbul, as well as the humanitarian disaster in Yemen, where Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are fighting Iranian-backed Houthi forces.
The draft law did not address arms sales to Saudi Arabia, although some members of Congress criticized President Donald Trump's administration "twisting" the recent congressional resolution on halting arms sales to Saudi Arabia over the Yemen war.
The draft resolution calls for Trump to reject or revoke all US visas granted to Saudi individuals related to human rights violations.
Many members of Congress criticized the administration's relations with the Saudi authorities, describing them as unbalanced, and accused the Trump administration of turning a blind eye to human rights abuses by Saudi authorities in more than one file.
"Our relationship with Saudi Arabia is threatening our values," US Senator Chris Cones said, stressing that the Yemen war must be brought to an end.
Sen. Chris Murphy pointed out that there was a significant increase in the number of civilians killed in Yemen by the bombing of the Saudi-led coalition.
For his part, Senator Bob Menendez said that the Trump administration has motives other than the Iranian threat of selling arms to Saudi Arabia.