October, 31 2018, 12:00am EDT
For Immediate Release
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Mattis's Call for a Yemen Ceasefire Shows that Congress is Getting Closer to Forcing US Military to Withdraw from the War, Says CEPR Co-Director
Defense Secretary James Mattis's call for a ceasefire in Yemen is a direct result of congressional moves to end US military involvement, according to Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) Co-Director Mark Weisbrot.
WASHINGTON
Defense Secretary James Mattis's call for a ceasefire in Yemen is a direct result of congressional moves to end US military involvement, according to Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) Co-Director Mark Weisbrot. Weisbrot has written numerous articles and op-eds about US responsibility in triggering the world's worst humanitarian crisis, including "How Congress Can End the War in Yemen," published last month. On Tuesday, Mattis told an audience at the US Institute for Peace the "only way we're going to really solve" the war in Yemen is with a ceasefire in the next month.
"Mattis is saying this because he is afraid that Bernie Sanders' resolution is going to pass the Senate," said Weisbrot, who is also president of Just Foreign Policy. "It got 44 votes last time, and according to Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT), it would have had a majority if not for the Young-Shaheen bill. And that was before the Khashoggi scandal, which has influenced a number of Senators to vote against helping the Saudis carry out this war and mass starvation of Yemenis."
Mattis has made similar claims to support a negotiated settlement before, stating his intention in 2017 to resolve the war "politically as soon as possible." Yet Mattis has also falsely claimed that the Saudi-led coalition is "making every effort" to reduce civilian casualties, and has opposed the congressional efforts to end US military involvement in the war by using the 1973 War Powers Resolution to demand withdrawal of US military personnel. In November of last year, the House voted by a margin of 366 to 30 to declare that US military involvement in the war in Yemen was "unauthorized."
"Mattis would rather have a negotiated settlement before the US military is forced out by Congress, or before it is 100 percent clear to the world that they are going to be forced out," Weisbrot said.
"He knows that the US military is going to be forced out because the War Powers Resolution of 1973 allows these members of Congress, including Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Mike Lee (R-UT) in the Senate, and Ro Khanna (D-CA) in the House -- who has introduced a similar resolution to remove the US military from the conflict -- to keep coming back until they succeed."
Khanna's resolution, House Concurrent Resolution 138, is co-sponsored by 69 House members including most of the House Democratic leadership: Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD), the minority whip; Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee; Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY), the ranking member on the House Foreign Affairs Committee; and Jerry Nadler (D-NY), ranking member on the House Judiciary Committee.
"As a matter of law, Khanna and his allies in the House, and Sanders and his allies in the Senate, can keep reintroducing these resolutions, and both chambers must hold a debate and vote on continued US military involvement," Weisbrot noted.
"Khanna and Sanders have made clear that they will continue to do this until they win. Support in both chambers has grown enormously since the bills were first introduced (in the House in November 2017; in the Senate in February 2018). So it is only a matter of time until these resolutions pass, and if the Democrats win the House, the process will accelerate."
The Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) was established in 1999 to promote democratic debate on the most important economic and social issues that affect people's lives. In order for citizens to effectively exercise their voices in a democracy, they should be informed about the problems and choices that they face. CEPR is committed to presenting issues in an accurate and understandable manner, so that the public is better prepared to choose among the various policy options.
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Republican U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas on Tuesday again blocked the passage of House-approved bipartisan legislation meant to shield journalists and telecommunications companies from being compelled to disclose sources and other information to federal authorities.
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) brought the Protect Reporters from Exploitative State Spying (PRESS) Act—which would prohibit the federal government from forcing journalists and telecom companies to disclose certain information, with exceptions for terroristic or violent threats—for a unanimous consent vote.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) argued Tuesday that passing the PRESS Act is "more important now than ever before when we've heard some in the previous administration talk about going after the press in one way or another," a reference to Republican President-elect Donald Trump's threats to jail journalists who refuse to reveal the sources of leaks. Trump, who has referred to the press as the "enemy of the people," repeatedly urged Senate Republicans to "kill this bill."
Cotton, who blocked a vote on the legislation in December 2022, again objected to the bill, a move that thwarted its speedy passage. The Republican called the legislation a "threat to national security" and "the biggest giveaway to the liberal press in American history."
The advocacy group Defending Rights and Dissent lamented that "Congress has abdicated their responsibility to take substantive steps to protect the constitutional right to a free press."
However, Seth Stern, director of advocacy at the Freedom of the Press Foundation, noted ways in which Senate Democrats can still pass the PRESS Act before Republicans gain control of the upper chamber next month:
Senate Democrats had all year to move this bipartisan bill and now time is running out. Leader Schumer needs to get the PRESS Act into law—whether by attaching it to a year-end legislative package or bringing it to the floor on its own—even if it means shortening lawmakers' holiday break. Hopefully, today was a preview of more meaningful action to come.
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"The FTC, along with our state partners, scored a major victory for the American people, successfully blocking Kroger's acquisition of Albertsons," said Henry Liu, director of the commission's Bureau of Competition, in a statement. "This historic win protects millions of Americans across the country from higher prices for essential groceries—from milk, to bread, to eggs—ultimately allowing consumers to keep more money in their pockets."
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While Liu was celebrating the preliminary injunction from Oregon-based U.S. District Court Judge Adrienne Nelson, later Tuesday, King County Superior Court Judge Marshall Ferguson released a ruling that blocked the merger in Washington state.
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Advocacy groups applauding the decisions also pointed to the high cost of groceries and the anticipated impact of Kroger buying Albertsons—a $24.6 billion deal first announced in October 2022.
"American families are the big winner today, thanks to the Federal Trade Commission. The only people who stood to gain from the potential merger between Albertsons and Kroger were their wealthy executives and investors," asserted Liz Zelnick of Accountable.US. "The rest of us are letting out a huge sigh of relief knowing today's victory is good news for competitive prices and consumer access."
Describing the federal decision as "a victory for commonsense antitrust enforcement that puts people ahead of corporations," Food & Water Watch senior food policy analyst Rebecca Wolf also pointed out that "persistently high food prices are hitting Americans hard, and a Kroger-Albertsons mega-merger would have only made it worse."
"Already, a handful of huge corporations' stranglehold on our food system means that consumers are paying too much for too little choice in supermarkets, workers are earning too little, and farmers and ranchers cannot get fair prices for their crops and livestock," she noted. "Today's decision and strengthened FTC merger guidelines help change the calculus."
Like Wolf, Farm Action president and co-founder Angela Huffman similarly highlighted that "while industry consolidation increases prices for consumers and harms workers, grocery mergers also have a devastating impact on farmers and ranchers."
"When grocery stores consolidate, farmers have even fewer options for where to sell their products, and the chances of them receiving a fair price for their goods are diminished further," Huffman explained. "Today's ruling is a win for farmers, workers, and consumers alike."
Some advocates specifically praised Khan—a progressive FTC chair whom President-elect Donald Trumpplans to replace with Andrew Ferguson, a current commissioner who previously worked as chief counsel to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and as Republican counsel on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
"Today's decision is a major win for shoppers and grocery workers. Families have been paying the price of unchecked corporate power in the food and grocery sector, and further consolidation would only worsen this crisis," declared Groundwork Collaborative executive director Lindsay Owens in a statement.
"FTC Chair Lina Khan's approach is the blueprint to deliver lower prices, higher wages, and an economy that works for everyone," Owens argued. "The rebirth of antitrust enforcement has protected consumers against the worst of corporate power in our economy and it would be wise to continue this approach."
Laurel Kilgour, research manager at the American Economic Liberties Project, called the federal ruling "a resounding victory for workers, consumers, independent retailers, and local communities nationwide—and a powerful validation of Chair Khan and the FTC's rigorous enforcement of the law."
"The FTC presented a strong case that Kroger and Albertsons fiercely compete head-to-head on price, quality, and service. The ruling is a capstone on the FTC's work over the past four years and includes favorable citations to the FTC's recent victories against the Tapestry-Capri, IQVIA-Propel, and Illumina-Grail mergers," Kilgour continued.
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Despite the celebrations, the legal battle isn't necessarily over.
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On Monday, Trump announced his nomination of Harmeet Dhillon to head the key civil rights office, claiming on his Truth Social network that the former California Republican Party vice-chair "has stood up consistently to protect our cherished Civil Liberties, including taking on Big Tech for censoring our Free Speech, representing Christians who were prevented from praying together during COVID, and suing corporations who use woke policies to discriminate against their workers."
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Trump has picked Harmeet Dhillon as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. She has stated that it must be "made unsafe" for hospitals to provide trans care, and frequently shares Libs of TikTok posts. She intends to target trans people in blue states. Subscribe to support my journalism.
[image or embed]
— Erin Reed (@erininthemorning.com) December 10, 2024 at 8:14 AM
Reed continued:
Dhillon's most prominent work includes founding the Center for American Liberty, a legal organization that focuses heavily on anti-transgender cases in blue states. The organization's "featured cases" section highlights several lawsuits, such as Chloe Cole's case against Kaiser Permanente; a lawsuit challenging a Colorado school's use of a transgender student's preferred name; a case against a California school district seeking to implement policies that would forcibly out transgender students; and a lawsuit against Vermont for denying a foster care license to a family unwilling to comply with nondiscrimination policies regarding transgender youth.
Reed also highlighted Dhillon's attacks on state laws protecting transgender people, as well as her expression of "extreme anti-trans views" on social media—including calling gender-affirming healthcare for trans children "child abuse."
Last year, The Guardian's Jason Wilson reported that the Center for American Liberty made a six-figure payment to a public relations firm that represented Dhillion in both "her capacity as head of her own for-profit law firm and Republican activist."
Writing for the voting rights platform Democracy Docket, Matt Cohen on Tuesday accused Dhillon of being "one of the leading legal figures working to roll back voting rights across the country."
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