Congress clears key hurdle in ending support for war in Yemen

In an unprecedented move, the Senate has cleared a key procedural hurdle that paves the way to end US support for the Saudi-led coalition’s intervention in Yemen.
Hafidh Abdullah al-Khawlani, who survived a Saudi-led air strike stands with his father on the wreckage of a bus destroyed by the strike in Saada, Yemen September 4, 2018. His brother was killed by the air strike. Picture taken September 4, 2018. REUTERS/Naif Rahma - RC1FB49D40C0
Hafidh Abdullah al-Khawlani, who survived a Saudi-led airstrike, stands with his father on the wreckage of a bus destroyed by the strike in Saada, Yemen, Sept. 4, 2018. - REUTERS/Naif Rahma
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Bryant Harris
@brykharris_ALM

Congress held a rare vote to curtail US military involvement in Yemen today in a direct, bipartisan rebuke of the Trump administration’s refusal to crack down on Saudi Arabia.

Clearing a key procedural hurdle, the Senate voted 63-37 to move ahead with legislation directing President Donald Trump to end US support for the Saudi-led coalition against Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels. Today’s vote marks the first time the Senate has used the 1973 War Powers Act to direct a president to end a foreign military intervention.

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