TEHRAN, Mar 14 - The Senate has voted to end US support for the Saudi Arabian-led coalition’s war in Yemen, bringing Congress one step closer to an unprecedented rebuke of Donald Trump’s foreign policy.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) - Lawmakers have never before invoked the decades-old War Powers Resolution to stop a foreign conflict, but they are poised to do just that in the bid to cut off US support for a war that has triggered a humanitarian catastrophe, The Guardian reported.
The vote puts Congress on a collision course with Trump, who has already threatened to veto the resolution, which the White House says raises 'serious constitutional concerns'.
The measure was co-sponsored by Senator Bernie Sanders and the Utah Republican Mike Lee. Next, it will move to the Democratic-controlled House, where it is expected to pass.
“The bottom line is that the United States should not be supporting a catastrophic war led by a despotic regime with an irresponsible foreign policy,” Sanders said on Wednesday from the Senate floor. He said a vote in favor of the measure would 'begin the process of reclaiming our constitutional authority by ending United States involvement in a war that has not been authorized by Congress and is unconstitutional'.
In its statement threatening a veto, the White House argued the premise of the resolution was flawed and that it would undermine the fight against extremism. US support for the Saudis did not constitute engaging in 'hostilities', the statement said, and the Yemen resolution 'seeks to override the president’s determination as commander in chief'.
Yemen conflict: Trump faces bipartisan move to end Saudi support
A similar resolution to end support for the Yemen war passed the Senate in December, but it was not taken up by the then Republican-controlled House.
Approaching its fifth year, the war in Yemen has killed thousands and left millions on the brink of starvation, creating what the United Nations called the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
The fourth round of Yemen peace talks kicked off in Stockholm, Sweden on December 6 with the attendance of the UN special envoy Martin Griffith and the government representatives. It agreed to establish a truce in Yemeni ports of Al-Hodeidah, Al-Salif, and Ayn Issa.
Saudi Arabia and its regional allies attacked Yemen in March 2015 to bring back to power the deposed president of Yemen Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi.
Since then, the invaders have committed horrible war crimes against Yemeni civilians.
Source: Iran Press