As the Senate headed toward a crucial vote to end U.S. support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen Wednesday, peace action groups called on Americans to keep up pressure on their representatives, demanding they vote to approve the War Powers Resolution and end the nation’s complicity in the slaughter.
On Tuesday, Win Without War was among the groups pushing for passage of Senate Joint Resolution 7 (S.J. Res. 7) Wednesday, calling the vote a “a historic chance to take a stand” against U.S. support for a war which has, according to some estimates, killed as many as 80,000 civilians..
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) called the war “both a humanitarian and strategic disaster” in a statement Tuesday.
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“As a result of the Saudi-led intervention, Yemen is now experiencing the worst humanitarian disaster in the world,” Sanders said. “Beyond the humanitarian crisis, this war has been a disaster for our national security and the security of the region.”
“Furthermore, U.S. participation in this war has not been authorized by Congress and is therefore unconstitutional,” he added. “For the first time in 45 years, Congress must exercise its power under the War Powers Resolution and remove the U.S. from this war in Yemen.”
Since the war began in 2015, the Saudi-led coalition has struck civilian targets including school buses, wedding parties, and funerals—violating international law. The war has also plunged the impoverished nation into a severe famine, with 14 million people facing starvation and 85,000 children having starved to death.
“For the first time in 45 years, Congress must exercise its power under the War Powers Resolution and remove the U.S. from this war in Yemen.” —Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)The Saudis have waged the destruction with the help of U.S. weapons, tactical support, and fuel.
Last November, peace action groups celebrated after the Trump administration announced that it would no longer provide fueling support for Saudi war planes in Yemen—but called on the U.S. to go further in ending its complicity in the conflict.
Sanders is joined by Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) in sponsoring the resolution as it heads to a floor vote for the second time in three months. The Senate approved the measure, which would require congressional authorization for U.S. backing of the war, in December—weeks before the new Congress convened.
Then-House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) refused to take up the measure in the House at the time.
Advocates are now hoping both houses of Congress will pass the resolution with enough votes to override a potential veto by President Donald Trump—who has demonstrated his refusal to cut ties with the Saudis multiple times, even as U.S. intelligence agencies asserted that Saudi Arabia was behind the killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
“In December, the Senate made history by passing this same resolution. The humanitarian catastrophe has only gotten worse in Yemen, and our intervention there is every bit as unconstitutional as it was then. This time, after passing the Senate, I am confident it will pass in the House,” said Sanders.
As Win Without War, Code Pink, and other anti-war advocates asked Americans to fight for the passage of S.J. Res. 7, Murphy shared on social media a video of Yemeni children making their own pleas for peace.
“Let us be happy,” a young girl named Mona said in the video. “They are bombing us, even during weddings. There is no safety here.”