US lawmakers vote later Tuesday on whether to end American involvement in Yemen's bloody civil war, an extraordinary effort to overrule presidential military authorization just as Saudi Arabia's crown prince visits Washington.
The rare Senate vote addressing American war powers aims to shut down US military involvement in Yemen within a month unless Congress formally authorizes continued involvement.
The measure is unlikely to succeed, as the Senate's Republican leadership and key figures from both parties on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee stand opposed.
But the vote serves to highlight US intervention in an escalating military conflict in the Middle East's poorest country, which the United Nations has described as the world's largest humanitarian disaster.
The US military is currently supporting a Saudi-led coalition fighting Iranian-backed rebels in Yemen.
The vote, which was being forced to the floor by a bipartisan group of senators including liberal Bernie Sanders, could cause diplomatic embarrassment on the day President Donald Trump meets with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is launching a three-week US tour.
Some US lawmakers have long expressed concern about the Yemen conflict, which has seen high levels of civilian casualties and caused a humanitarian crisis.
Since 2015 under president Barack Obama, the Pentagon has provided "non-combat support" to Saudi Arabia, including intelligence sharing and air-to-air refueling for its war planes.
"The current administration has continued Obama's war," Republican Senator Mike Lee said on the Senate floor.
Lee stressed it was important to understand that the resolution in question "would not impede the military's ability to fight terror groups like ISIS (the Islamic State) inside Yemen."
US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis last week asked Congress not to interfere with America's role in the war, warning that restrictions could increase civilian casualties, jeopardize counterterrorism cooperation, and "reduce our influence with the Saudis."
More than 9,200 people have been killed and tens of thousands wounded in Yemen's three-year-old war, which is seen as both a civil conflict and a proxy war between regional titans Saudi Arabia and Iran.
- 'Constitutional responsibility' -
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell opposed the measure, insisting that US forces "are not engaged in exchanges of fire with hostile forces" in Yemen.
He added: "The refueling of aircraft over the Red Sea does not equate to introducing US forces into hostilities, nor does intelligence sharing."
But Sanders disputed suggestions that the US was not engaged in warmaking.
"Tell that to the people of Yemen, whose homes and lives are being destroyed by weapons marked 'Made in the USA,' dropped by planes being refuelled by the US military, on targets chosen with US assistance," Sanders said Tuesday.
The resolution, also sponsored by Senate Democrat Chris Murphy, forces the first-ever vote in the Senate to withdraw US armed forces from what the trio labelled an "unauthorized" war.
"If Congress wants to go to war in Yemen or any place else, vote to go to war," Sanders said Tuesday.
"That is your constitutional responsibility. Stop abdicating that responsibility to a president."
Trump's top military and diplomatic advisors said last October that the administration was not seeking new authority for conducting military operations in the world's hot spots.
Congress first passed an authorization to use military force (AUMF) on September 14, 2001 -- three days after the devastating attacks on New York and Washington by Al-Qaeda hijackers.
Since then, presidents George W. Bush, Obama and now Trump have relied on the order's authority, along with a subsequent AUMF in 2002, as the basis for operations against armed Islamist groups.
US lawmakers vote later Tuesday on whether to end American involvement in Yemen’s bloody civil war, an extraordinary effort to overrule presidential military authorization just as Saudi Arabia’s crown prince visits Washington.
The rare Senate vote addressing American war powers aims to shut down US military involvement in Yemen within a month unless Congress formally authorizes continued involvement.
The measure is unlikely to succeed, as the Senate’s Republican leadership and key figures from both parties on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee stand opposed.
But the vote serves to highlight US intervention in an escalating military conflict in the Middle East’s poorest country, which the United Nations has described as the world’s largest humanitarian disaster.
The US military is currently supporting a Saudi-led coalition fighting Iranian-backed rebels in Yemen.
The vote, which was being forced to the floor by a bipartisan group of senators including liberal Bernie Sanders, could cause diplomatic embarrassment on the day President Donald Trump meets with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is launching a three-week US tour.
Some US lawmakers have long expressed concern about the Yemen conflict, which has seen high levels of civilian casualties and caused a humanitarian crisis.
Since 2015 under president Barack Obama, the Pentagon has provided “non-combat support” to Saudi Arabia, including intelligence sharing and air-to-air refueling for its war planes.
“The current administration has continued Obama’s war,” Republican Senator Mike Lee said on the Senate floor.
Lee stressed it was important to understand that the resolution in question “would not impede the military’s ability to fight terror groups like ISIS (the Islamic State) inside Yemen.”
US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis last week asked Congress not to interfere with America’s role in the war, warning that restrictions could increase civilian casualties, jeopardize counterterrorism cooperation, and “reduce our influence with the Saudis.”
More than 9,200 people have been killed and tens of thousands wounded in Yemen’s three-year-old war, which is seen as both a civil conflict and a proxy war between regional titans Saudi Arabia and Iran.
– ‘Constitutional responsibility’ –
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell opposed the measure, insisting that US forces “are not engaged in exchanges of fire with hostile forces” in Yemen.
He added: “The refueling of aircraft over the Red Sea does not equate to introducing US forces into hostilities, nor does intelligence sharing.”
But Sanders disputed suggestions that the US was not engaged in warmaking.
“Tell that to the people of Yemen, whose homes and lives are being destroyed by weapons marked ‘Made in the USA,’ dropped by planes being refuelled by the US military, on targets chosen with US assistance,” Sanders said Tuesday.
The resolution, also sponsored by Senate Democrat Chris Murphy, forces the first-ever vote in the Senate to withdraw US armed forces from what the trio labelled an “unauthorized” war.
“If Congress wants to go to war in Yemen or any place else, vote to go to war,” Sanders said Tuesday.
“That is your constitutional responsibility. Stop abdicating that responsibility to a president.”
Trump’s top military and diplomatic advisors said last October that the administration was not seeking new authority for conducting military operations in the world’s hot spots.
Congress first passed an authorization to use military force (AUMF) on September 14, 2001 — three days after the devastating attacks on New York and Washington by Al-Qaeda hijackers.
Since then, presidents George W. Bush, Obama and now Trump have relied on the order’s authority, along with a subsequent AUMF in 2002, as the basis for operations against armed Islamist groups.
