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House votes to end US involvement in Yemen

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Published: 08:13, 14 February 2019   Update: 15:18, 26 July 2020
House votes to end US involvement in Yemen

International Desk: The House of Representatives passed a resolution on Wednesday that would end the United States's support for the Saudi-UAE war in Yemen, a strong rebuke to US President Donald Trump.

The measure, which was passed by 241-177 vote, will now go to the Senate where it enjoys broad support among Democrats and key Republicans. The Senate passed a similar measure in December, but that bill died when Congress adjourned for the year.

"Nearly all of the bombs that have fallen say the same thing, `Made in the United States of America', " Democratic Representative Jim McGovern said ahead of Wednesday's vote.

"They fall on weddings. They fall on hospitals and on homes. They fall on funerals, refugee camps and school buses," he added. "It is an aerial bombing campaign that hammers civilians every single day."

Two amendments were added to the resolution before the final vote. The first allows for continued intelligence sharing with Saudi Arabia, and the second condemns anti-Semitism and declares it's the policy of the US to oppose trade boycotts against allies such as Israel.

The bill invokes the 1973 War Powers Act, which gave Congress the ability to end US involvement in a conflict if there was no formal declaration of war.

If the bill passes the Senate, it faces a likely veto by Trump, who avoided any mention of Yemen in his State of the Union address last week and whose administration has escalated tensions with Iran.

US politicians backing the resolution would need two-thirds support in both chambers of Congress in order to overturn a presidential veto.

But House Republicans are backing the administration's position on the conflict in Yemen, which is widely seen as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
"If this resolution passes, we are emboldening Iran to continue its nefarious adventures in the region," Republican Representative Lee Zeldin said prior to the vote.

The Trump administration maintains that because US military support to Saudi Arabia has been limited to aerial refuelling, intelligence sharing and logistics support, the president is acting within his authority under the 1976 Arms Export Control Act and to help an ally, according to a February 11 statement by the White House's Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

Source: Agencies


risingbd/Feb 14, 2019/Mukul

 

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