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For Immediate Release
Contact:

Paul Kawika Martin,  pmartin@peace-action.org
Jon Rainwater,  jrainwater@peaceaction.org

Availability for Interview: Senate to Vote on S.J.Res. 7, Legislation to End U.S. Support for the War in Yemen

WASHINGTON

The Saudi-led war in Yemen has given rise to the worst humanitarian crisis on the planet. Over 20 million Yemenis are food insecure, of whom nearly 10 million are suffering from extreme hunger. A report from the World Peace Foundation offers "strong evidence" that Saudi Arabia has deliberately targeted food production and distribution facilities across Yemen in an effort to starve the people of Yemen. A report from Save the Children says that 85,000 children under the age of five may have died from starvation since the war began. S.J.Res. 7 argues that the U.S. role in Yemen is unconstitutional because it violates the War Powers Act, as legal experts explained in a letter to Senate leaders ahead of a March 2018 vote on similar legislation. The legislation enjoys a privileged status that should guarantee it a vote. Peace Action has worked to end U.S. support for the war in Yemen for years, and is active in a coalition of advocacy groups lobbying on the issue. Our experts can comment on the following topics and more:

Topics:

  • The procedural hurdles facing congressional efforts to end U.S. support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen.
  • The legal basis for S.J.Res. 7, which contends that U.S. support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen is a violation of the War Powers Act.
  • Unpacking the administration's argument that continued military support for Saudi Arabia is more important than upholding human rights, freedom of the press, and the Constitution.
  • The humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen and the ways in which the Saudi-led coalition has deliberately fueled the crisis.
  • U.S. support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen and the ways in which it has made the U.S. complicit in Yemen's suffering.
  • Grassroots efforts in the U.S. to end U.S. support for the war in Yemen and hold Saudi Arabia and the Trump administration accountable for their roles in fueling the humanitarian crisis.
  • The politics behind the above issues.

Paul Kawika Martin, Senior Director for Policy and Political Affairs, Peace Action, 951-217-7285 cell, pmartin@peace-action.org

Paul Kawika Martin is Peace Action's Senior Director for Policy and Political Affairs, and is an expert on U.S. foreign policy and nuclear weapons policy. Paul is based in Washington D.C., and has been in close contact with all of the key congressional offices and NGO leaders working on this legislation. You can read his op-ed in the Hill supporting the Yemen war powers resolution ahead of the vote in March, 2018. His work or writing has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Christian Science Monitor, CNN, Nightline, Democracy Now!, and elsewhere. Paul uses his expertise on nuclear weapons, international relations and U.S. foreign policy to mobilize Peace Action's 200,000 supporters and lobby Congress for social change.

Jon Rainwater, Executive Director, Peace Action, 510-469-3700 cell, jrainwater@peaceaction.org

Jon Rainwater is Executive Director of Peace Action and the Peace Action Education Fund. For over 30 years, Jon has been active in campaigns on issues of peace, nuclear disarmament, social justice and environmental sustainability. His writing has appeared in U.S. News and World Report, the Huffington Post, Los Angeles Times, The Progressive, San Francisco Chronicle, The Hill, The San Jose Mercury News, Orange County Register and The Golden Gate Law Review among other outlets. Jon is based in Oakland, CA.

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About Peace Action:

Founded in 1957, Peace Action (formerly SANE/Freeze), the United States' largest peace and disarmament organization, with over 100,000 paid members and nearly 100 chapters in 36 states, works to abolish nuclear weapons, promote government spending priorities that support human needs, encourage real security through international cooperation and human rights and support nonmilitary solutions to international conflicts. The public may learn more and take action at www.PeaceAction.org.

Peace Action is the United States' largest peace and disarmament organization with over 100,000 members and nearly 100 chapters in 34 states, works to achieve the abolition of nuclear weapons, promote government spending priorities that support human needs and encourage real security through international cooperation and human rights.