The House of Representatives passed a resolution stating that the U.S. military assistance provided to Saudi Arabia in the war in Yemen is not authorized under legislation passed by Congress to fight terrorism or invade Iraq. According to the nonbinding resolution, Pentagon shared targeting information and refueled planes used by Saudi Arabia and the allies to attack Houthi rebels. Still, the resolution does not call for a halt to the U.S. support, Politico informs.
The resolution states that the fight against the Shi’ite Muslim rebels is not authorized. U.S. military operations can fight Al-Qaeda and allied terrorist groups in Yemen.
“To date, Congress has not enacted specific legislation authorizing the use of military force against parties participating in the Yemeni civil war that are not otherwise subject to the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force or the 2003 AUMF in Iraq,” the resolution states.
The vote is a victory for the House members of both parties who want the Congress to reauthorize the military operations overseas even though it is mostly symbolic. The overseas operations of the American military now include many more countries than envisioned a more than 15 ago.
“What our military is not authorized to do is assist the Saudi Arabian regime in fighting the Houthis. In many cases, the Saudis have aligned with Al-Qaeda to fight the Houthis undermining our very counter-terrorism operations,” said Representative Ro Khanna. He was not the only one who expressed criticism.
“I’ve said for years we should sunset the 2001 AUMF. We never intended it to be a blank check,” said Eliot Engel.
Khanna claims that the American involvement in the war in Yemen needs authorization from the Congress under the War Powers Act, but the Republicans have a different opinion.
“I don’t believe our security cooperation with the Saudis triggers War Powers. But just because it does not arise under that particular statute, does not make it immune from our scrutiny,” House Foreign Affairs Chairman Ed Royce said.
The resolution expresses the need for a political solution in Yemen and denounces the conduct of activities in Yemen and the areas affected by the conflict that are inconsistent with laws of armed conflict. The war in Yemen is assessed by many as a major humanitarian disaster and a proxy war with Iran. According to the United Nations, at least ten thousand civilians have lost their lives since 2015.
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