Politics

House votes to end US support for Yemen conflict, setting up Trump's second veto

Key Points
  • The House passes a resolution to end U.S. involvement in the conflict in Yemen. 
  • President Donald Trump will likely veto the resolution. 
  • Members of Congress across the ideological spectrum have criticized U.S. support for a Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, which has seen a mounting humanitarian crisis. 
Supporters of the Houthi movement shout slogans as they attend a rally to mark the 4th anniversary of the Saudi-led military intervention in Yemen's war, in Sanaa, Yemen March 26, 2019.
Khaled Abdullah | Reuters

The House voted Thursday to end U.S. support for the Saudi-led military intervention in Yemen, setting up the likely second veto of President Donald Trump's tenure.

The Senate already passed the resolution in a rare bipartisan check on Trump. It calls on the president to "removed United States Armed Forces from hostilities in or affecting" Yemen within 30 days.

The House approved the measure Thursday in a 247-175-1 vote, with 16 Republicans joining the majority Democrats in rebuking the president's policy. One Republican voted "present." The resolution will head to Trump's desk, but he has already threatened to veto it. Neither chamber of Congress appears to have enough support to override the president's expected veto.

Democrats and some Republicans have slammed American involvement in the conflict, which has killed tens of thousands of people and caused widespread hunger. Critics of U.S. support for the Saudi-led coalition fighting Iranian-backed Houthi rebels wanted to flex congressional power to scale back military involvement.

The measure passed Thursday is also seen as a rebuke of Trump's relationship with Saudi Arabia. Some lawmakers worry about the White House's warm relationship with the oil-rich kingdom and his tepid criticism of the Saudi monarchy after the brutal killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi last year.

In a tweet Wednesday ahead of the vote, House sponsor Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., called the Yemen proposal "a culmination of a years long, bicameral & bipartisan effort to end the world's worst modern humanitarian crisis."

Khanna tweet: My Yemen WPR is on the calendar for a vote tomorrow. This is a culmination of a years long, bicameral & bipartisan effort to end the world's worst modern humanitarian crisis. We must vote to pass SJ Res 7.

The House vote will force the second veto of Trump's presidency. The White House previously argued the resolution "would harm bilateral relationships in the region."

The U.S. has mostly provided logistical support for the Saudi-led coalition. It has carried out separate airstrikes in Yemen, mostly targeting al-Qaeda operations in the region.

Last month, Trump vetoed the first legislation of his presidency. The bill he opposed would have blocked his national emergency declaration at the U.S.-Mexico border. The House later failed to override his veto.

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