Senate Vote Reflects Growing Congressional Concern over Yemen

On Tuesday, the Senate voted 55-44 to block a joint resolution to end U.S. military support to Saudi forces in Yemen. The resolution, timed to coincide with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman’s visit to the White House, reflects congressional concern about Yemen, in particular the impact of Saudi airstrikes and restraints on the delivery of humanitarian aid.

Sponsored by Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Mike Lee (R-UT), the joint resolution that came before the Senate yesterday contends that U.S. support for the Saudis in Yemen violates the War Powers Resolution, which prohibits U.S. forces from engaging in “hostilities” without congressional authorization. The Pentagon responded that its refueling of Saudi aircraft, sharing of intelligence, and provision of targeting support does not constitute engagement in hostilities – a position it also held during the Obama administration.

Senators who spoke in favor of the resolution attributed the humanitarian crisis in Yemen to the Saudi-led bombing campaign, while downplaying the Houthis’ ties to Iran. In a letter to the Senate, Secretary of Defense James Mattis disputed these points, while also noting that restrictions on U.S. support “could increase civilian casualties” and “embolden Iran to increase its support to the Houthis, enabling further ballistic missile strikes on Saudi Arabia and threatening vital shipping lanes in the Red Sea.” Mattis even trekked to the Hill on Tuesday to make a personal appeal to GOP senators just hours before the vote.

The Sanders-Lee resolution simply notes that Saudi Arabia and its coalition partners are in conflict with the “Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah,” with no mention at all of the Houthis’ links to Tehran. Yet the evidence that Iran supports the Houthis is substantial. In December, the U.S. unveiled components of Iranian missiles that the Houthis had fired at targets in Saudi Arabia. Previously, the U.S. and others intercepted shipments of infantry weapons for the Houthis. The Houthis also share a common outlook with their sponsors in Iran; the group’s slogan, which also adorns its flag, is “God is great! Death to America! Death to Israel! A curse upon the Jews! Victory to Islam!” The UN has reported that the Houthis have killed nearly 1,200 civilians while recruiting child soldiers as young as ten.

Undoubtedly, the humanitarian consequences of the war reflect poorly on Saudi Arabia. Indeed, the Senate’s sharp criticism of Saudi airstrikes and blockage of humanitarian access is not undue, with the UN reporting 3,100 deaths from airstrikes. But ceasing U.S. support for the Saudi coalition is unlikely to alleviate the humanitarian situation. Such a policy will only ease pressure on the Houthis and their backers in Tehran. Instead, the White House should ramp up pressure on Mohammed bin Salman to improve the kingdom’s humanitarian record in Yemen while doing more to ensure that the war against Iran’s proxies is fought with greater precision. This will also go a long way to ease tensions in the U.S.-Saudi relationship, whose strength is essential to resisting Iranian efforts to destabilize the region and expand its influence.

Varsha Koduvayur is a senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, where she focuses on the Gulf. Follow her on Twitter @varshakoduvayur.

Follow FDD on Twitter @FDD. FDD is a Washington-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.