Congress invokes the War Powers Act to halt American military aid to Saudis in Yemen

[ehrnst]

Ignoring a veto threat, the House on Thursday voted 247-175 to send a resolution to President Donald Trump which would block further U.S. military action to help Saudi Arabia's involvement in the war in Yemen, as 16 Republicans broke ranks to join Democrats in approving a plan to invoke the War Powers Act to halt American military aid.

"This is the first time in the history of this nation that a War Powers Resolution has passed the House and Senate and made it to the President’s desk," said Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), as the House joined the Senate in a foreign policy rebuke to President Trump.

"This resolution represents bipartisan, bicameral consensus that it is our Constitutional duty, as a co-equal branch of government, to intervene when we disapprove of the Administration's foreign policy, particularly when military action is pursued without Congressional consent," said Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL).

Read more: https://www.ajc.com/blog/jamie-dupree/rebuke-trump-congress-votes-end-military-aid-yemen/LGnv9Sfc1k39cgkLCKOWqK/

Thank you to Speaker Pelosi and Minority Leader Schumer and everyone who made this happen. This is historic!

Link to tweet

[ehrnst]

1. CNN coverage:

When the resolution passed the Senate, its supporters made clear their votes were also aimed at expressing their frustrations with Trump's continued support for Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has been implicated in the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/04/politics/house-passes-yemen-war-powers-resolution/index.html

[malaise]

2. Get thee to the greatest page

NOW

[George II]

3. Thank you for making this a reality, Senator Murphy!

https://www.npr.org/2018/09/01/643921967/sen-chris-murphy-on-u-s-involvement-in-the-war-in-yemen

NPR's Scott Simon talks with Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy, member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, about his call to end U.S. support for Saudi Arabia's military campaign in Yemen.

The United Nations calls the destruction in Yemen one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. This comes after a Saudi airstrike in which missiles provided by the United States hit a bus that carried young children. Scores of children and adults were killed. They were not armed. Senator Chris Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut, sits on the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. He's called for the end of U.S. support to Saudi Arabia's ongoing campaign in Yemen against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels. Senator Murphy joins us now. Thanks for being with us.

CHRIS MURPHY: Good morning.

SIMON: Do you believe the U.S. bears some responsibility for this and other attacks in which Human Rights Watch says a thousand civilians have been killed?

MURPHY: I do. I think that there is a U.S. imprint on every civilian death inside Yemen. I believe that because the bombing campaign that has been absolutely catastrophic in the scope of the casualties it's caused is made possible because of the United States. We have sold the Saudi coalition the bombs that end up being dropped inside Yemen. We put planes in the air to refuel their fighter jets. We sit inside their targeting center to help them pick the places that they bomb. And we provide moral authority. We are a member of this coalition.

[brer cat]

4. I'm thankful that our leadership is standing up!

K&R for Chuck and Nancy and all our Dems.

[Me.]

5. Yes, Thank You Nancy & Chuck

Your leadership is bringing us back from the brink and helping to heal America. Also congrats and thanks to all who voted.

[sheshe2]

6. Pelosi and Schumer

Two hard working people that actually get something done.

They don't just talk the talk, they walk the walk.

[ehrnst]

8. Pelosi has the intelligence, years of experience and people skills that Paul Ryan never had.

That's the difference.

[lindysalsagal]

7. Between that and the bi-partisan speech on the nato anniversary

we may have a government.....Now, they have to grow some balls and get the fiend out of my white house altogether.