November, 28 2018, 11:00pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Dan Beeton, 202-239-1460
Senate Vote to Invoke War Powers Resolution on Yemen Likely to be Followed by House Passage, CEPR Co-Director Says
WASHINGTON
The US Senate's floor vote of 63 to 37 to invoke the War Powers Resolution to end the US role in the Saudi and United Arab Emirates war in Yemen is "historic" and will likely be followed by House passage of a companion resolution, Center for Economic and Policy Research Co-Director Mark Weisbrot said yesterday.
"This is a historic vote reasserting Congress's constitutional authority to decide when and where the US engages in wars," Weisbrot said. "The Senate has never before exercised its powers under the 1973 War Powers Resolution.
"While the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, likely ordered and then covered-up by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, has angered many in Congress, this vote came close to passing earlier this year, before the assassination, and would have passed even if that had not happened.
"The Saudis' war on Yemen, which has caused what the UN calls the world's worst humanitarian disaster, and which has brought 14 million people to the brink of famine, is deeply unpopular."
"Now that the Senate has passed this resolution, the House is likely to follow suit. The companion resolution introduced by Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), H.Con.Res. 138, has 93 cosponsors, including all the Democratic leadership, Nancy Pelosi and the representatives who will chair the most important committees in the new Congress."
Weisbrot has previously condemned the US military's mid-air refueling, logistics, special operations, and targeting assistance to Saudi Arabia and the UAE to assist their operations in Yemen.
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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