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U.S. lawmakers seek to force Trump decision on Saudi Yemen war

By Patricia Zengerle

 

FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump pauses as he announces a deal to end the partial government shutdown as while speaking in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, U.S., January 25, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers said on Wednesday they expect Congress will pass a resolution ending U.S. involvement in the Yemen war, which would force President Donald Trump to issue the first veto of his presidency in order to continue supporting the Saudi-led coalition.

 

Republican and Democratic senators and representatives said on Wednesday they were re-introducing a war powers resolution that passed the Senate by 56-41 in December, a rebuke of Trump amid anger at Saudi Arabia not just over civilian deaths in Yemen, but also the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at a Saudi consulate in Turkey.

 

The lawmakers - an alliance of progressive Democrats and Republican constitutional conservatives - deplored the "humanitarian disaster" in Yemen but also said they wanted Congress to reassert its constitutional authority to decide whether the United States should be involved in military conflict.

 

"That decision has never been debated and discussed and voted on and approved by Congress," Republican Senator Mike Lee, one of the measure's sponsors, told a news conference.

 

The United States has supported the Saudi-led air campaign against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen with mid-air refuelling support, intelligence and targeting assistance.

 

Opponents of the resolution are reluctant to risk disrupting the strategic U.S. relationship with Saudi Arabia, seen as an essential counterweight in the Middle East to Iran, arch-enemy of close U.S. ally Israel.

 

The embassy of Yemen in Washington issued a statement opposing the resolution, saying it would "deliver a massive victory to Iran" if Washington were to stop supporting the coalition.

 

December's Senate vote was the first time either chamber of Congress backed a resolution to withdraw U.S. forces from a military engagement under the War Powers Act. That law, passed in 1973, limits the president's ability to commit U.S. forces to potential hostilities without congressional approval.

 

The measure never went further in December because the Republicans who then controlled the House of Representatives did not allow a vote in that chamber before the end of the year.

 

However, the measure's sponsors insisted it had helped lead to a ceasefire in Yemen that began in December. "Sometimes we underestimate how much influence we have," Democratic Representative Ro Khanna said.

 

Democrats now have a House majority, but Trump's fellow Republicans have increased their edge in the Senate by two seats to hold a 53-47 margin.

 

It would take a two-thirds majority in both houses of Congress to overcome a Trump veto. Trump had threatened a veto in December. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether he still intended to do so.

 

"President Trump is going to have to make a decision," said Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats.

 

(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by James Dalgleish)

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-01-31

 

[farcanell]

 I just saw Sarah huckerbee announce that trump was anointed by god (ironically, a central belief of medieval civilization)... so where do you go from that, as an announcement from trumps spokesperson?..... on any topic, not just this.

 

as an atheist, it boggles my mind... but if I’m wrong... god bless America, because y’all are in a crap ton of trouble when this is announced from the presidents mouth piece.... toadally delusional.

[Sir Swagman]

37 minutes ago, farcanell said:

 I just saw Sarah huckerbee announce that trump was anointed by god (ironically, a central belief of medieval civilization)... so where do you go from that, as an announcement from trumps spokesperson?..... on any topic, not just this.

 

as an atheist, it boggles my mind... but if I’m wrong... god bless America, because y’all are in a crap ton of trouble when this is announced from the presidents mouth piece.... toadally delusional.

She was somewhat wrong....he was seemingly voted for by a block of people that believe in imaginary friends (so most likely are gullible enough to believe his nonsense) - I see he is massaging them now, probably to shore up his dropping poll numbers. As if he could be genuine in any shared belief they have.......

 

[Mikeasq60]

President Trump if it's a demorat bill please disregard it! 

[MyFriend You]

Wow, Okay, long drawn out issue..........I know people assigned to the US Embassy when the Houthi's 'invaded' and they had to be evacuated..............before that the Houthi's were running around murdering everyone and everything in sight in the city.  So Saudi Arabia decided to end this senseless massacre...........and got the upper hand, and I mean - no holds barred kick ass warfare.  So now, some idiot's decide it time to end this because the Saudi's were winning................why don't we start minding our own business.  Let the Saudis be like Russia and annex/occupy Yemen, which would be better than what they have.  I remember when Yemen was devided................it wasn't so nice back then either. (circa 1980's)

[bristolboy]

1 hour ago, TunnelRat69 said:

Wow, Okay, long drawn out issue..........I know people assigned to the US Embassy when the Houthi's 'invaded' and they had to be evacuated..............before that the Houthi's were running around murdering everyone and everything in sight in the city.  So Saudi Arabia decided to end this senseless massacre...........and got the upper hand, and I mean - no holds barred kick ass warfare.  So now, some idiot's decide it time to end this because the Saudi's were winning................why don't we start minding our own business.  Let the Saudis be like Russia and annex/occupy Yemen, which would be better than what they have.  I remember when Yemen was devided................it wasn't so nice back then either. (circa 1980's)

 

 

As opposed to the sensible slaughter sponsored by the Saudis and the UAE?

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates Are Starving Yemenis to Death

https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/11/08/saudi-arabia-and-the-united-arab-emirates-are-starving-yemenis-to-death-mbs-khashoggi-famine-yemen-blockade-houthis/

[bristolboy]

1 hour ago, TunnelRat69 said:

Wow, Okay, long drawn out issue..........I know people assigned to the US Embassy when the Houthi's 'invaded' and they had to be evacuated..............before that the Houthi's were running around murdering everyone and everything in sight in the city.  So Saudi Arabia decided to end this senseless massacre...........and got the upper hand, and I mean - no holds barred kick ass warfare.  So now, some idiot's decide it time to end this because the Saudi's were winning................why don't we start minding our own business.  Let the Saudis be like Russia and annex/occupy Yemen, which would be better than what they have.  I remember when Yemen was devided................it wasn't so nice back then either. (circa 1980's)

Always convenient to cite alleged personal experience or the alleged experiences of acquaintance. But not convincing to those of us who have no way of verifying it. There might as well be no standard of evidence as the standard you offer.

[Trouble]

2 hours ago, bristolboy said:

Always convenient to cite alleged personal experience or the alleged experiences of acquaintance. But not convincing to those of us who have no way of verifying it. There might as well be no standard of evidence as the standard you offer.

It's just a perspective on the issue.  Doesn't seem to me that TunnelRat was making a definitive report on the issue.  Like most things, it's more complicated than anyone ever reports. No one will ever get decent reports from the press as they only report the superficial happenings of the day. Seems from what little I have read, in the end, it's either a Iran dominated Yemen or a Saudi dominated Yemen.  As usual the idiots in the US government in both parties think they know what they are doing and in the end Yemen will continue to be a rather dysfunctional country run by waring parties no matter what the Congress does. However it makes those in Congress feel like they are doing something important, which they rarely do.

[IAMHERE]

First off Congress has to form a bill and then pass it; we'll see. I believe that those savages are gonna kill each other for as long as they can. Doesn't matter if Putin/Iran are winning or Crown Prince/Trump are winning, they are always going to be at each others throats. That being said; bring the troops home unless Saudi is footing the bill.

[bristolboy]

12 hours ago, Trouble said:

It's just a perspective on the issue.  Doesn't seem to me that TunnelRat was making a definitive report on the issue.  Like most things, it's more complicated than anyone ever reports. No one will ever get decent reports from the press as they only report the superficial happenings of the day. Seems from what little I have read, in the end, it's either a Iran dominated Yemen or a Saudi dominated Yemen.  As usual the idiots in the US government in both parties think they know what they are doing and in the end Yemen will continue to be a rather dysfunctional country run by waring parties no matter what the Congress does. However it makes those in Congress feel like they are doing something important, which they rarely do.

Another case of automatic thinking along the lines of since the Houthis are Shias they are dominated by Iran.