Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., is determined to use his seat on the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee to stymie the Donald Trump administration as it doubles down on support for Saudi Arabia against Iran. He also wants to send a message to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan about the consequences of Turkey purchasing the S-400 missile defense system from Russia and seeks to reestablish a bipartisan consensus on a two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Van Hollen detailed his plans to stop Trump’s end run around Congress to continue supporting the Saudi-led coalition in its war against Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels. 

During the interview in his office, Van Hollen said he “will be working through the appropriations process” on the Senate foreign aid panel to place new restrictions on US support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen. 

He also vowed to close a loophole that the Trump administration recently used to bypass a congressional hold on arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates by citing an emergency threat posed by Iran. The Maryland Democrat argued that Trump has not provided “good evidence” to justify the claim.