The US Senate on Wednesday voted to pass a resolution to end US support forthe Saudi-led war in Yemen. The measure passed with 54 for and 46 against.
The resolution, which is co-sponsored by US Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) andMike Lee (R-UT), among others, seeks to end any and all US involvementin the Saudi-led conflict, including providing targeting support for Saudiairstrikes in the war-torn country. It is now expected to be voted on inthe US House of Representatives.
The measure was put to vote under the War Powers Act, which allows theresolution to be fast-tracked through US Congress. Should it manageto successfully pass through both the Senate and the House, it would be thefirst time that lawmakers have tapped on the act to cease US militaryinvolvement in a foreign conflict.
US Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) recently told Washington-based publication TheHill that the vote could be “tight,” but that the measure would be ableto gain the required amount of vote to pass. However, the White House hasstated that if the resolution were to land on US President Donald Trump’sdesk, he would veto it.
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A similar measure was introduced in the US House in February, however,as The Hill reports, it “ran into a procedural roadblock” when it gotto the US Senate, and was not able to be voted on in a manner that wouldallow it to pass with a simple majority vote, which in the Senate requiresa total of 51 yeas.
The US, a longtime ally of Saudi Arabia, quietly began supporting theSaudi-led coalition in 2016, providing it with intelligence, weapons salesand air refueling support for planes operated by both Saudi Arabia and theUAE. However, in recent months Washington’s support has been testedon account of the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. – Sputnik
