SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) unveil joint resolution to remove U.S. armed forces from hostilities between the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthis in Yemen, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
'Historic Victory' as Senate Votes to End U.S. Involvement in 'Unauthorized War' in Yemen
"This vote immediately diminishes U.S. political support for the war and puts more pressure on Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to end their brutal tactics and negotiate an end to the war."
Dec 12, 2018
After defeating two last-minute amendments by ultra-hawkish Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) that would have completely gutted the measure, the Senate on Thursday overwhelmingly passed Sen. Bernie Sanders' (I-Vt.) resolution to end U.S. military support for Saudi Arabia's years-long assault on Yemen by a bipartisan vote of 56-41.
The vote--which marks the first time the Senate has passed a War Powers resolution--was applauded by anti-war groups as an important first step toward ending America's complicity in the worst humanitarian crisis in the world.
"Today, the Senate sent the strongest signal yet that America must stop enabling the starvation of children."
--Kate Gould, Friends Committee on National Legislation
"This vote immediately diminishes U.S. political support for the war and puts more pressure on Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to end their brutal tactics and negotiate an end to the war," said Paul Kawika Martin, Peace Action's senior director for policy and political affairs.
Martin added that the passage of Sanders' resolution--which was also sponsored by Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah)--"is a testament to the power of political activism, and a reminder that we must continue the struggle for a just and responsible foreign policy, because that struggle makes a difference."
Despite the fact that--with the help of five Democrats--the GOP succeeded in passing a rule that effectively kills the possibility of a House vote on the Yemen War Powers resolution this year, Sanders nonetheless celebrated the vote as a "historic victory" in the fight to end America's major role in the Saudi-led assault on Yemen.
\u201cHISTORIC VICTORY: The Senate has voted to stop U.S. military support for the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen. This is the first time ever that the Senate has voted to end an unauthorized war. https://t.co/8SLVTA5m2d\u201d— Bernie Sanders (@Bernie Sanders) 1544732878
In a statement, Kate Gould, legislative director for Middle East policy at the Friends Committee on National Legislation, said the incoming House Democratic leadership must "pledge to hold a vote in early January on ending support for this war."
If the measure passes the House next year, it will have to pass the Senate again before reaching President Donald Trump's desk.
"Today, the Senate sent the strongest signal yet that America must stop enabling the starvation of children," Gould concluded.
In a video posted to Twitter after Thursday's vote, Murphy vowed to continue to fight for the resolution's full passage in the next Congress:
\u201cThis is a big deal. The Senate just approved my resolution with @SenSanders & @SenMikeLee to end U.S. involvement in the war in Yemen. Here's why that matters, and what has to happen next.\u201d— Chris Murphy (@Chris Murphy) 1544733382
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
After defeating two last-minute amendments by ultra-hawkish Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) that would have completely gutted the measure, the Senate on Thursday overwhelmingly passed Sen. Bernie Sanders' (I-Vt.) resolution to end U.S. military support for Saudi Arabia's years-long assault on Yemen by a bipartisan vote of 56-41.
The vote--which marks the first time the Senate has passed a War Powers resolution--was applauded by anti-war groups as an important first step toward ending America's complicity in the worst humanitarian crisis in the world.
"Today, the Senate sent the strongest signal yet that America must stop enabling the starvation of children."
--Kate Gould, Friends Committee on National Legislation
"This vote immediately diminishes U.S. political support for the war and puts more pressure on Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to end their brutal tactics and negotiate an end to the war," said Paul Kawika Martin, Peace Action's senior director for policy and political affairs.
Martin added that the passage of Sanders' resolution--which was also sponsored by Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah)--"is a testament to the power of political activism, and a reminder that we must continue the struggle for a just and responsible foreign policy, because that struggle makes a difference."
Despite the fact that--with the help of five Democrats--the GOP succeeded in passing a rule that effectively kills the possibility of a House vote on the Yemen War Powers resolution this year, Sanders nonetheless celebrated the vote as a "historic victory" in the fight to end America's major role in the Saudi-led assault on Yemen.
\u201cHISTORIC VICTORY: The Senate has voted to stop U.S. military support for the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen. This is the first time ever that the Senate has voted to end an unauthorized war. https://t.co/8SLVTA5m2d\u201d— Bernie Sanders (@Bernie Sanders) 1544732878
In a statement, Kate Gould, legislative director for Middle East policy at the Friends Committee on National Legislation, said the incoming House Democratic leadership must "pledge to hold a vote in early January on ending support for this war."
If the measure passes the House next year, it will have to pass the Senate again before reaching President Donald Trump's desk.
"Today, the Senate sent the strongest signal yet that America must stop enabling the starvation of children," Gould concluded.
In a video posted to Twitter after Thursday's vote, Murphy vowed to continue to fight for the resolution's full passage in the next Congress:
\u201cThis is a big deal. The Senate just approved my resolution with @SenSanders & @SenMikeLee to end U.S. involvement in the war in Yemen. Here's why that matters, and what has to happen next.\u201d— Chris Murphy (@Chris Murphy) 1544733382
After defeating two last-minute amendments by ultra-hawkish Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) that would have completely gutted the measure, the Senate on Thursday overwhelmingly passed Sen. Bernie Sanders' (I-Vt.) resolution to end U.S. military support for Saudi Arabia's years-long assault on Yemen by a bipartisan vote of 56-41.
The vote--which marks the first time the Senate has passed a War Powers resolution--was applauded by anti-war groups as an important first step toward ending America's complicity in the worst humanitarian crisis in the world.
"Today, the Senate sent the strongest signal yet that America must stop enabling the starvation of children."
--Kate Gould, Friends Committee on National Legislation
"This vote immediately diminishes U.S. political support for the war and puts more pressure on Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to end their brutal tactics and negotiate an end to the war," said Paul Kawika Martin, Peace Action's senior director for policy and political affairs.
Martin added that the passage of Sanders' resolution--which was also sponsored by Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah)--"is a testament to the power of political activism, and a reminder that we must continue the struggle for a just and responsible foreign policy, because that struggle makes a difference."
Despite the fact that--with the help of five Democrats--the GOP succeeded in passing a rule that effectively kills the possibility of a House vote on the Yemen War Powers resolution this year, Sanders nonetheless celebrated the vote as a "historic victory" in the fight to end America's major role in the Saudi-led assault on Yemen.
\u201cHISTORIC VICTORY: The Senate has voted to stop U.S. military support for the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen. This is the first time ever that the Senate has voted to end an unauthorized war. https://t.co/8SLVTA5m2d\u201d— Bernie Sanders (@Bernie Sanders) 1544732878
In a statement, Kate Gould, legislative director for Middle East policy at the Friends Committee on National Legislation, said the incoming House Democratic leadership must "pledge to hold a vote in early January on ending support for this war."
If the measure passes the House next year, it will have to pass the Senate again before reaching President Donald Trump's desk.
"Today, the Senate sent the strongest signal yet that America must stop enabling the starvation of children," Gould concluded.
In a video posted to Twitter after Thursday's vote, Murphy vowed to continue to fight for the resolution's full passage in the next Congress:
\u201cThis is a big deal. The Senate just approved my resolution with @SenSanders & @SenMikeLee to end U.S. involvement in the war in Yemen. Here's why that matters, and what has to happen next.\u201d— Chris Murphy (@Chris Murphy) 1544733382
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.