After Senate's Passage of War Powers Resolution, Sanders Tees Up Pressure on House to End US Involvement in Yemen

Pleading for a swift end to the nation's complicity "in the worst humanitarian disaster on Earth," Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Friday urged people to put pressure on House Speaker Paul Ryan and his fellow Republicans to pass the resolution to end U.S. military support for Saudi Arabia's years-long assault on Yemen.

Sanders's call, made in an email to supporters, comes a day after the Senate passed his War Powers resolution, also sponsored by Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah), to do just that. "A bipartisan majority spoke with one voice that the status quo is over and we will no longer accept the war crimes being committed in our name," said Murphy, welcoming the vote.

"Here is the truth: by continuing to back Saudi Arabia's war in Yemen with weapons, aerial refueling, and targeting assistance," Sanders writes, "the United States has been complicit in the worst humanitarian disaster on Earth--a war which no one can seriously claim is actually making us safer."

But there's barrier to getting the bill to President Donald Trump to sign, Sanders notes. The U.S. House on Wednesday tucked a provision in to the Farm Bill to effectively prevent a vote on Yemen. "So either something has to change, or the new Congress under [presumptive House Speaker] Nancy Pelosi's leadership will have to take it up again in early 2019. Meanwhile, many Yemeni children and families will die," Sanders writes.

"My hope is that if we can put enough pressure on Paul Ryan and the Republicans in Congress, something can change," he continues.

To do that, the senator is urging people to sign on to a petition demanding Ryan and the House vote on legislation to end U.S. support for the Saudi-led coalition's bombing campaign.

"The simple truth is the people of Yemen can't wait," said Win Without War Director Stephen Miles. As such, he said, "the House should immediately change course and vote to end U.S. support for the war in Yemen."

Accusing the Trump administration of "writing the epitaph for the mass graves in Yemen," Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) also demanded the House take action. "Even if he remains committed to being a Trump apologist," he said Thursday, "Speaker Ryan should complete his tenure by following the example of Senate Republicans to reverse course and permit a full and fair debate on similar resolutions next week."