July, 18 2022, 04:27pm EDT
Statement on President Biden's Trip to Saudi Arabia
Following President Biden's trip to Saudi Arabia and the introduction of a Senate Yemen War Powers Resolution, Demand Progress Foreign Policy Campaigner Cavan Kharrazian issued the following statement:
WASHINGTON
Following President Biden's trip to Saudi Arabia and the introduction of a Senate Yemen War Powers Resolution, Demand Progress Foreign Policy Campaigner Cavan Kharrazian issued the following statement:
"We are deeply disappointed with Biden's trip to Saudi Arabia, and his meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Not only did this trip legitimize and whitewash a regime Biden promised to make a 'pariah,' but the Jeddah Communique's absence of a serious, detailed, or workable peace plan for Yemen or a strong commitment from the Biden that the US will end their support for the war, signals that this administration is not serious about ending our complicity in the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
"The current fragility of the truce in Yemen, and reports that the United States is considering a resumption in offensive weapons sales to Saudi Arabia, demonstrate now more than ever the importance of Congress retaking the reins of their constitutional authority over war and immediately passing the Yemen War Powers Resolution.
"We thank Senators Sanders, Leahy, and Warren for the timely introduction of a Senate companion to the House war powers resolution, and strongly urge all senators to co-sponsor this important piece of legislation."
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U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday announced that he is commuting the sentences of nearly 1,500 Americans and pardoning 39 people convicted of nonviolent crimes, a move the White House described as "the largest single-day grant of clemency in modern history."
But the president's sweeping use of his clemency power as his term nears its conclusion did not appear to extend to any of the 40 men currently on death row—some of whom have been there for decades.
According to a White House fact sheet, those who received commutations "have been serving their sentences at home for at least one year under the Covid-era CARES Act," a law that extended the amount of time in which people could be placed in home confinement to reduce the spread of the virus in prisons.
The White House did not name those who received pardons or commutations but said the list includes a "decorated military veteran," a "nurse who has led emergency response for several natural disasters," and "an addiction counselor who volunteers his time to help young people find their purpose."
The Biden Justice Department paused federal executions in 2021, but President-elect Donald Trump pledged on the campaign trail to expand the use of the death penalty and is expected to allow the executions of the 40 men on death row to take place if they're still there when he takes office next month.
In a statement on Thursday, Biden said that he has "the great privilege of extending mercy to people who have demonstrated remorse and rehabilitation, restoring opportunity for Americans to participate in daily life and contribute to their communities, and taking steps to remove sentencing disparities for non-violent offenders, especially those convicted of drug offenses."
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Biden, who campaigned on ending the death penalty at the federal level, vowed to "take more steps in the weeks ahead" as his administration reviews clemency petitions, leaving open the possibility of commutations for death row prisoners.
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