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A2 UP FRONT
Friday 5 april 2019
Congress invokes powers to challenge Trump on war in Yemen

Continued from Front caused immense human istration, with intelligence cut UN-led peace negotia- tion agreements with more
suffering.” sharing, logistical support tions at a critical point, and than 100 countries.”
The conflict has been a While the U.S. has trained and inflight refueling. The embolden Iran to increase Debate over U.S. support
bloody stalemate for years. to the military campaign
Thousands have been flared late last year after
killed in Saudi airstrikes on the killing of U.S.-based
civilian infrastructure, and journalist Jamal Khashoggi
millions are on the brink of by agents of the kingdom.
starvation. Lawmakers from both par-
The war has devastated ties said Trump had not
the economy of Yemen, condemned Saudi Arabia
the Arab world’s poorest strongly enough, citing the
country. The vast majority president’s apparent dis-
of the population cannot missal of assessments from
afford food to eat. U.S. intelligence agencies
Two lawmakers who have that the Saudi Crown Prince
led the charge for the war Mohammed bin Salman or-
powers resolution, Sens. dered the killing.
Chris Murphy, D-Conn., A resolution to withdraw
and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., U.S. support from the war
have displayed photos of passed the Senate in De-
emaciated Yemeni chil- cember, and was revived
dren when they have giv- this year after Democrats
en speeches on the Senate took the House majority.
floor. Final passage Thursday
“This is a moral stain on this came despite a proce-
nation, every day that we dural gambit from House
continue to take part in In this Feb. 13, 2019 file photo, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Eliot Engel D-N.Y., Republicans related to sup-
this war,” Murphy said after left, speaks with Ranking member Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas during the House Foreign Affairs port for Israel, an issue that
Thursday’s vote. subcommittee hearing in Washington. has been a point of tension
Utah Sen. Mike Lee, a Re- Associated Press for Democrats in recent
publican who champi- months.
oned the measure, said it Saudi soldiers and sold the Pentagon ordered an end its support to the Houthis GOP leaders proposed
“is long past time that we kingdom arms for decades, to inflight refueling last No- which raises the risk for re- adding language con-
end U.S. involvement in this direct support to the Saudi vember. gional conflict,” Rebarich demning the international
unauthorized, unjustified, coalition began in 2015, Support for the coalition said. “We need to continue boycott movement against
and immoral war that has during the Obama admin- carried over into the Trump to work with our partners Israel and efforts to delegiti-
administration, which has to minimize civilian casual- mize the country.
made Saudi Arabia a cen- ties and expand urgent hu- Democrats called the
tral ally in efforts to disen- manitarian efforts through- amendment a ploy to kill
gage from the Middle East out Yemen. the Yemen resolution and
and take a hard line on The White House state- rallied against it.
Iran. ment threatening a veto “This is about politics, this
On his first international trip said the bill raises “serious is about trying to drive a
as president, Trump visited constitutional concerns.” It wedge into this caucus
Riyadh, where he empha- also argued U.S. support for where it does not belong,”
sized business ties between the Saudis coalition does said Rep. Ted Deutch,
the two countries. Home not constitute engaging in D-Fla., to applause from
to key American military “hostilities,” meaning the Democrats.
bases, Saudi Arabia also re- War Powers Act doesn’t As the resolution headed to
mains one of the top buy- apply. the White House, support-
ers of American arms and Those arguments were ers in both parties made a
Trump has made it a priority echoed by House Republi- final plea for Trump to sign
to loosen weapons export cans. it. A letter signed by Lee,
controls. Rep. Michael McCaul of Sanders, Sen. Rand Paul,
As it has done in the past, Texas, the top Republican R-Ky., and members of the
his administration on Thurs- on the House Foreign Af- House cited Trump’s desire
day defended the alliance fairs Committee, said the to avoid “costly and never-
with Saudi Arabia as a for- measure “does nothing to ending conflicts across the
eign policy imperative. address the humanitarian globe.”
Navy Cmdr. Rebecca Re- crisis in Yemen” and ar- By signing the resolution,
barich, a Pentagon spokes- gued the lawmakers were the lawmakers wrote, the
woman, warned that cur- abusing the authority un- president could “set a new
tailing U.S. military support der the War Powers Resolu- precedent” and take on
could make the country’s tion, which was enacted in “entrenched opposition to
problems worse. 1973. foreign-policy restraint.”
“New restrictions on the “This radical interpretation Asked about the resolution
limited U.S. military support has implications far be- late Thursday, Trump was
could still increase civilian yond Saudi Arabia,” Mc- noncommittal.
casualties, jeopardize co- Caul said. He warned that “I’ll take a look at it,” he
operation with our partners the measure could “dis- told reporters at the White
on counterterrorism, under- rupt U.S. security coopera- House.q