‘Time For Congress to Step Up': US Lawmakers Seek to End US Involvement in Yemen

A new bipartisan effort in the US Senate is the latest attempt to pass a bill that would end Washington's support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen. Kevin Zeese, co-coordinator for Popular Resistance, tells Sputnik that it would be "fantastic" to see such a bill pass ‒ but also to beware of loopholes.

"We've seen Yemen bills pass in the Senate, we've seen Yemen bills pass in the House [of Representatives], but never together. Maybe we'll finally have one pass together, which would be fantastic to see that occur," Zeese told Radio Sputnik's Loud & Clear on Wednesday.

"The Yemen war needs to end; it's a disaster. The US should have never gotten involved, and Saudi Arabia needs to be held accountable for the crimes it's commiting in Yemen every day," he stressed.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/radiosputnik/senate-likely-to-once-again-consider-res

​US Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) revealed this week that he, along with the likes of Sens. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT), would attempt to push a resolution in the US Senate that would end the US' involvement in the ongoing Yemen conflict.

The resolution could come to the Senate floor as early as next week.

It was recently reported by Business Insider that California Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna is working to convince Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) to join the Senate effort. The Pennsylvania-born congressman told the outlet that Graham signing on "could be a game-changer," and that despite a difference in opinions, Graham is "at least open to" throwing in his support.

But not everyone sees Graham jumping on the wagon as a sign of good things to come. Zeese told hosts Brian Becker and John Kiriakou that if the South Carolina lawmaker hopped on board, it would be an eyebrow-raiser.

"If Lindsey Graham supports it, I'll want to look at it pretty closely to see what kinds of loopholes are in it," Zeese said. "He is such a war supporter that it's hard to believe he'd support something that actually called for an end to a war."

And in the event that US lawmakers institute the War Powers Act to end the US' unconstitutional participation in Yemen, the political activist noted that there is a possibility that the Trump administration could still stay involved through other means.

"What will be the Trump administration's response?" he asked Kiriakou. "Will we have a secret continuation of it through the CIA or other agencies? Will we fund on-the-ground terrorist activities?"
"Congress is responsible for declaring war, not the president. Congress has not taken that responsibility," he continued. "It's time for Congress to step up and and end this war."

The US Senate in December 2018 passed a similar resolution with a 56-41 vote; however, it never made it past the US House.