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
A Yemeni girl walks on rubble of a building destroyed in an airstrike carried out by the Saudi-led coalition in the Old City of Sana'a on July 7, 2019. (Photo: Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images)
Senate Dems Help Torpedo Resolution That Would Have Blocked $650 Million Arms Sale to Saudi Arabia
"My simple question is, why in the world would the United States reward a regime that has caused such pain in Yemen with more weapons," Sanders asked after the vote. "The answer is we should not."
Dec 07, 2021
The United States Senate on Tuesday evening voted down a joint resolution that would have blocked the proposed sale of $650 million worth of U.S. armaments to Saudi Arabia, weapons critics said will help exacerbate a war in Yemen that is driving one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.
"The war in Yemen has had devastating humanitarian impacts and we must end it as swiftly as possible. Selling more weapons to a key party to the conflict when there's been no progress does the opposite."
In a 67-30 vote, the upper chamber rejected S.J. Res. 31, which was introduced by Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and would have halted the sale of 280 Raytheon AIM-120C-7/C-8 advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles, 596 LAU-128 missile rail launchers, along with spare parts, support, and logistical services to the Saudi monarchy for use in its war against Yemen.
"My simple question is, why in the world would the United States reward a regime that has caused such pain in Yemen with more weapons," Sanders tweeted after the vote. "The answer is we should not."
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), who voted to block the arms sale, tweeted after the vote that "the war in Yemen has had devastating humanitarian impacts and we must end it as swiftly as possible. Selling more weapons to a key party to the conflict when there's been no progress does the opposite.
President Joe Biden's administration had "strongly opposed" the resolution, claiming the missiles would be used for Saudi "defenses." U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was a member of Raytheon's board of directors prior to becoming Pentagon chief.
Democrats who voted to sink the measure included Sens. Dianne Feinstein (Calif.), Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), Joe Manchin (W.Va.), Bob Menendez (N.J.), Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.), Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.), and Chris Murphy (Conn.).
Murphy--a self-described "leading critic of the Saudi Arabia's war in Yemen"--told The Intercept that he supported the missile transfer because it is "a true defensive sale."
"With the increased pace of Houthi drones coming into Saudi territory, it is actually important for them to have the ability to shoot them," he explained.
Democrats who supported the resolution include Cory Booker (N.J.), Dick Durbin (Ill.), Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.), Ed Markey (Mass.), Chuck Schumer (N.Y.), Raphael Warnock (Ga.), Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), and Ron Wyden (Ore.).
Only two Republicans--co-sponsors Paul and Lee--voted for the measure.
Prior to Tuesday's vote, Sanders delivered a Senate floor speech urging passage of the resolution.
"Let me be very clear: As the Saudi government continues to wage its devastating war in Yemen and repress its own people, we should not be rewarding them with more arms sales," he said. "We should be demanding that they end the devastating war in Yemen, which has killed over 230,000 people in one of the poorest countries on Earth."
According to a November estimate by the United Nations Development Program, the death toll from Yemen's war will reach 377,000 by the end of 2021, with 70% of those killed under the age of five.
In the House, Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Rep. Ilhan Omar--who has introduced her own joint resolution against the proposed arms sale--also urged their upper chamber colleagues to approve the measure.
Prior to the vote, Omar asked: "Why are we selling weapons to one of the worst human rights abusers in the world?"
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. 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. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
rand pauljoe bidenpramila jayapalsaudi arabiaarms tradejeff merkleyraytheonyemenbernie sandersmike leechris murphyilhan omarus senate
The United States Senate on Tuesday evening voted down a joint resolution that would have blocked the proposed sale of $650 million worth of U.S. armaments to Saudi Arabia, weapons critics said will help exacerbate a war in Yemen that is driving one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.
"The war in Yemen has had devastating humanitarian impacts and we must end it as swiftly as possible. Selling more weapons to a key party to the conflict when there's been no progress does the opposite."
In a 67-30 vote, the upper chamber rejected S.J. Res. 31, which was introduced by Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and would have halted the sale of 280 Raytheon AIM-120C-7/C-8 advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles, 596 LAU-128 missile rail launchers, along with spare parts, support, and logistical services to the Saudi monarchy for use in its war against Yemen.
"My simple question is, why in the world would the United States reward a regime that has caused such pain in Yemen with more weapons," Sanders tweeted after the vote. "The answer is we should not."
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), who voted to block the arms sale, tweeted after the vote that "the war in Yemen has had devastating humanitarian impacts and we must end it as swiftly as possible. Selling more weapons to a key party to the conflict when there's been no progress does the opposite.
President Joe Biden's administration had "strongly opposed" the resolution, claiming the missiles would be used for Saudi "defenses." U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was a member of Raytheon's board of directors prior to becoming Pentagon chief.
Democrats who voted to sink the measure included Sens. Dianne Feinstein (Calif.), Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), Joe Manchin (W.Va.), Bob Menendez (N.J.), Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.), Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.), and Chris Murphy (Conn.).
Murphy--a self-described "leading critic of the Saudi Arabia's war in Yemen"--told The Intercept that he supported the missile transfer because it is "a true defensive sale."
"With the increased pace of Houthi drones coming into Saudi territory, it is actually important for them to have the ability to shoot them," he explained.
Democrats who supported the resolution include Cory Booker (N.J.), Dick Durbin (Ill.), Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.), Ed Markey (Mass.), Chuck Schumer (N.Y.), Raphael Warnock (Ga.), Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), and Ron Wyden (Ore.).
Only two Republicans--co-sponsors Paul and Lee--voted for the measure.
Prior to Tuesday's vote, Sanders delivered a Senate floor speech urging passage of the resolution.
"Let me be very clear: As the Saudi government continues to wage its devastating war in Yemen and repress its own people, we should not be rewarding them with more arms sales," he said. "We should be demanding that they end the devastating war in Yemen, which has killed over 230,000 people in one of the poorest countries on Earth."
According to a November estimate by the United Nations Development Program, the death toll from Yemen's war will reach 377,000 by the end of 2021, with 70% of those killed under the age of five.
In the House, Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Rep. Ilhan Omar--who has introduced her own joint resolution against the proposed arms sale--also urged their upper chamber colleagues to approve the measure.
Prior to the vote, Omar asked: "Why are we selling weapons to one of the worst human rights abusers in the world?"
From Your Site Articles
The United States Senate on Tuesday evening voted down a joint resolution that would have blocked the proposed sale of $650 million worth of U.S. armaments to Saudi Arabia, weapons critics said will help exacerbate a war in Yemen that is driving one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.
"The war in Yemen has had devastating humanitarian impacts and we must end it as swiftly as possible. Selling more weapons to a key party to the conflict when there's been no progress does the opposite."
In a 67-30 vote, the upper chamber rejected S.J. Res. 31, which was introduced by Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and would have halted the sale of 280 Raytheon AIM-120C-7/C-8 advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles, 596 LAU-128 missile rail launchers, along with spare parts, support, and logistical services to the Saudi monarchy for use in its war against Yemen.
"My simple question is, why in the world would the United States reward a regime that has caused such pain in Yemen with more weapons," Sanders tweeted after the vote. "The answer is we should not."
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), who voted to block the arms sale, tweeted after the vote that "the war in Yemen has had devastating humanitarian impacts and we must end it as swiftly as possible. Selling more weapons to a key party to the conflict when there's been no progress does the opposite.
President Joe Biden's administration had "strongly opposed" the resolution, claiming the missiles would be used for Saudi "defenses." U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was a member of Raytheon's board of directors prior to becoming Pentagon chief.
Democrats who voted to sink the measure included Sens. Dianne Feinstein (Calif.), Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), Joe Manchin (W.Va.), Bob Menendez (N.J.), Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.), Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.), and Chris Murphy (Conn.).
Murphy--a self-described "leading critic of the Saudi Arabia's war in Yemen"--told The Intercept that he supported the missile transfer because it is "a true defensive sale."
"With the increased pace of Houthi drones coming into Saudi territory, it is actually important for them to have the ability to shoot them," he explained.
Democrats who supported the resolution include Cory Booker (N.J.), Dick Durbin (Ill.), Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.), Ed Markey (Mass.), Chuck Schumer (N.Y.), Raphael Warnock (Ga.), Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), and Ron Wyden (Ore.).
Only two Republicans--co-sponsors Paul and Lee--voted for the measure.
Prior to Tuesday's vote, Sanders delivered a Senate floor speech urging passage of the resolution.
"Let me be very clear: As the Saudi government continues to wage its devastating war in Yemen and repress its own people, we should not be rewarding them with more arms sales," he said. "We should be demanding that they end the devastating war in Yemen, which has killed over 230,000 people in one of the poorest countries on Earth."
According to a November estimate by the United Nations Development Program, the death toll from Yemen's war will reach 377,000 by the end of 2021, with 70% of those killed under the age of five.
In the House, Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Rep. Ilhan Omar--who has introduced her own joint resolution against the proposed arms sale--also urged their upper chamber colleagues to approve the measure.
Prior to the vote, Omar asked: "Why are we selling weapons to one of the worst human rights abusers in the world?"
From Your Site Articles
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.