In the News
The House of Representatives on Monday voted 366-30 to declare what has long been known — that it has not authorized U.S. action in support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen, but other than urging the parties to come to a negotiated solution, the resolution did not actually do anything to end American participation in the conflict.
The U.S. Congress made a rare show on Monday night of exercising its oversight powers on matters of war and peace, with the House voting overwhelmingly on a resolution stating that U.S. participation in the Saudi-led bombing campaign in Yemen is not covered under existing authorizations for the use of military force, is counterproductive to the fight against al-Qaida, and is contributing to a dire humanitarian crisis in Yemen.*
The United States has spent years helping Saudi Arabia bombard Yemen, killing thousands of civilians along the way. Now members of Congress say America needs to stop supporting the bloodshed.
In a rare attempt to stand up to U.S. conflicts abroad, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a resolution on Monday which states that U.S. military support for Saudi Arabia in its war against Yemen has not been authorized by Congress.
The U.S. House voted, 366-30, on Monday night to pass a resolution condemning civilian deaths, starvation and the spread of disease in Yemen, admitting that much of the responsibility for that humanitarian crisis rests with the U.S. because of its support for a Saudi-led military intervention and noting that the war has allowed al Qaeda, Islamic State and other groups to thrive.
In a rare exercise of its war-making role, the House of Representatives on Monday overwhelmingly passed a resolution explicitly stating that U.S. military assistance to Saudi Arabia in its war in Yemen is not authorized under legislation passed by Congress to fight terrorism or invade Iraq.
While all eyes in the political world are on the Supreme Court as it considers a Wisconsin case that tests the role of partisan politics in drawing congressional district lines, there's a flurry of action on the issue unfolding just across the street at the U.S. Capitol.
The House adopted a measure on Monday to call for a political solution to the conflict in Yemen as a compromise to a bipartisan group of lawmakers who had sought a vote on a measure to stop the U.S. military's participation.
The resolution, which passed 366-30 with one lawmaker, Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.), voting "present," denounces the targeting of civilian populations in Yemen and calls on all parties involved to "increase efforts to adopt all necessary and appropriate measures to prevent civilian casualties and increase humanitarian access."
US politicians are set to debate a resolution that would limit "unauthorised" American involvement in the Saudi-led war in Yemen, but the bill is unlikely to move past the House of Representatives, analysts say.
H.CON.RES.81 is expected to be debated on the House floor on Monday. It calls for the invocation of the War Powers Act to end US participation in the war in Yemen.
The act, introduced in 1973, requires Congressional approval for the country's involvement in any war.
Skooter McCoy was 20 years old when his wife, Michelle, gave birth to their first child, a son named Spencer. It was 1996, and McCoy was living in the tiny town of Cherokee, North Carolina, attending Western Carolina University on a football scholarship. He was the first member of his family to go to college.