The House's vote rebuking President Donald Trump's foreign policy was a top priority for House Democrats after they took control in January. | Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images Congress House rebukes Trump with vote ending U.S. support for Yemen war

The House on Thursday approved a measure to cut off U.S. support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen's bloody civil war, in yet another harsh, bipartisan rebuke of President Donald Trump's foreign policy.

Trump is expected to veto the measure, which passed with support from Republicans and Democrats in both chambers. Thursday’s 247-175 vote in the House marks the first time in history that a War Powers resolution will reach the president's desk.

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The effort was a top priority for House Democrats after they took control in January amid a worsening humanitarian crisis on the ground in Yemen, where Iran-backed Houthi rebels have sought to overthrow the country’s government, prompting a Saudi bombing campaign that has lasted nearly four years.

It also reflects broad dissatisfaction on Capitol Hill with Trump’s foreign policy — in particular, his posture toward Saudi Arabia in the aftermath of the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

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“The president will have to face the reality that Congress is no longer going to ignore its constitutional obligations when it comes to foreign policy,” said Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

The Pentagon has dispatched top officials to Capitol Hill to try to dissuade lawmakers from taking up a War Powers resolution, arguing that U.S. forces are not engaged in hostilities in Yemen and therefore the legislation would have no effect on U.S. policy.

“The problem is, there are no U.S. forces to remove,” said Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), the top Republican on the Foreign Affairs Committee, who called the bill a “pro-Iran, pro-Houthi resolution.”

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Trump’s rejection of the bill will mark the second veto of his presidency, just a few weeks after he vetoed a resolution to overturn his declaration of a national emergency to build a wall on the southern border.

Republican leaders have long tried to stifle the Democrat-led effort, but even some of Trump’s closest allies — including Reps. Mark Meadows of North Carolina and Jim Jordan of Ohio — have backed the legislation, and did so again on Thursday.

The House initially passed a Yemen War Powers resolution in February, but it couldn’t advance to the Senate because it included a Republican amendment condemning anti-Semitism. The Senate’s parliamentarian said the amendment was not “germane” to the underlying bill, effectively killing it.

“Opponents of this measure have used every trick in the book to try to slow it down and derail it,” said Engel.

On Thursday, the GOP tried again to derail the bill. Republican leaders offered an amendment to condemn the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement which encourages companies and individuals to cut off ties with Israel and Israeli-linked entities.

That amendment failed, but not before a fiery debate on the House floor during which Democrats accused Republicans of trying to sabotage the Yemen bill.

“My colleagues are trying to block us from standing in support of our human rights and American values to condemn what’s happening there,” Rep. Ted Deutch (D-Fla.) said to rousing applause from the Democratic side of the chamber.

“How shameful. How sad. The American people will not be fooled or misled by this tactic. Our fellow supporters of Israel will not be fooled,” added House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.).

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), who led the House effort, said it was “insulting” to try to add an anti-BDS amendment to unrelated legislation. “Those issues should be voted on separately,” Khanna said.

Democrats met behind closed-doors throughout the week in order to strategize over the expected GOP amendment — wary of backing something that would, if adopted, require yet another do-over on the Yemen issue.

Some Republicans have viewed the Yemen War Powers resolution as a way to send a message to Trump about his handling of Khashoggi’s grisly October 2018 murder. GOP lawmakers have openly fumed at the Trump administration for failing to comply with congressional demands for a human-rights investigation. They’ve also joined Democrats in backing legislation to cut off U.S. weapons sales to Saudi Arabia.

But Trump has resisted congressional efforts to punish Riyadh for the killing, citing his close relationship with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the longstanding security alliance between the two countries on counterterrorism.

The Trump administration has also prioritized efforts to go on the offensive against Iran, backing Saudi Arabia’s bombing campaign in Yemen as a way to counter Iran’s influence in the region.

Sarah Ferris contributed to this report.

</s>The U.S. House of Representatives voted Thursday to end U.S. support of Saudi Arabia in Yemen's civil war, a rejection of the Trump administration's backing of the Riyadh-led military campaign.

President Donald Trump is expected to veto the resolution, which the House approved by a 247-175 vote — primarily along party lines. The resolution was passed in the 100-member Senate last month with the support of seven Republicans, making Thursday's vote the first time both congressional chambers voted to invoke the War Powers Resolution to end a foreign conflict.

The issue was a high priority for House Democrats after they assumed control of the chamber in January, blaming the Saudi-led bombing campaign for exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in Yemen. Tens of thousands of people have been killed in the four-year civil war and triggered what the United Nations calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis. Millions of other Yemenis are on the brink of starvation.

Supporters of the resolution contend that U.S. involvement in the war violated the constitutional requirement that only Congress should determine when the country goes to war.

Opponents argue that support for the Saudi-led coalition was not an appropriate use of the War Powers Act, which limits the president's ability to authorize troops for military action.

Opposition to the war intensified last year after the murder of U.S.-based Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who had written articles critical of the Saudi kingdom. He was killed in October by agents of the Saudi kingdom while visiting the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

U.S. intelligence agencies believe Khashoggi's murder was ordered by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Republican and Democratic legislators have scrutinized U.S.-Saudi relations and have criticized Trump for not condemning Saudi Arabia strongly enough.</s>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives approved a resolution on Thursday to end U.S. support for the Saudi Arabia-led coalition in the war in Yemen, rebuffing President Donald Trump’s policy toward the kingdom.

As the resolution had already passed the Senate, where Trump’s fellow Republicans have a slim majority, the 247-175 vote in the Democratic-led House sends the measure to the White House, which said last month Trump would issue a veto.

The final tally was not available, but about 15 House Republicans joined Democrats in backing the resolution.

The four-year-long civil war in Yemen, which pits the Saudi-led coalition against Houthi rebels backed by Iran, has killed tens of thousands of people and spawned what the United Nations calls the world’s most dire humanitarian crisis, with the country on the brink of famine.

Backers of the resolution argued that U.S. involvement in Yemen violated the constitutional requirement that Congress, not the president, should determine when the country goes to war.

Resolution opponents argued that support for the Saudi-led coalition was not an appropriate use of the War Powers Act that limits the president’s ability to send troops into action.

Overcoming Trump’s veto would require two-thirds majorities in both the Senate and House, more votes than it has garnered in either chamber.</s>Rep. Tulsi Gabbard voted in support of S.J.Res.7 on Thursday, April, 4, 2019, a resolution calling for the withdrawal of U.S. Armed Forces from hostilities in the Republic of Yemen. The Congresswoman has been a leading voice in Congress calling for an end to U.S. support for Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen, which Congress has not authorized, and which has created a humanitarian crisis of epic proportion.

Just before the vote, Rep. Gabbard spoke on the House Floor urging her colleagues to recognize the urgency of this crisis and to vote to pass the legislation.

The House of Representatives voted 247-175 to pass S.J.Res.7, and it now heads to President Trump for his signature or veto.

“Right now the United States continues to support Saudi Arabia’s genocidal war in Yemen. This support has been ongoing since 2015 and yet has never been authorized by Congress. It must end now.

“U.S. support for this war has resulted in dire consequences. Just last week the Saudi coalition bombed a hospital, they’ve bombed school buses, weddings, markets, funerals. Tens of thousands of Yemeni civilians killed. Millions more are in dire need of humanitarian aid, starving and sick without access to food and water or basic medicine. This has created the worst humanitarian disaster in the world.

“We’re voting later today on an important bill to finally, finally end U.S. support for Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen. We need to put politics aside. Lives are at stake. We cannot afford to delay. I urge my colleagues to recognize the urgency with which we must act to vote against any attempts to delay or block this bill and vote to pass S.J.Res.7 today.”

Background: Rep. Gabbard is a leading voice for peace in Congress, advocating against counterproductive, regime-change wars. She has called for ending support for Saudi Arabia, pushed for additional oversight on acquisition and cross-service agreements (Section 1271 of the FY19 NDAA), supported three resolutions in the 115th Congress (H.Con.Res.81, H.Con.Res.138, and H.Con.Res.142) that sought to stop U.S. military participation in Saudi Arabia’s war against the Houthis in Yemen, in addition to bipartisan legislation (H.R.7082) that would immediately stop all military sales and aid to the government of Saudi Arabia, and more. The congresswoman also led a letter calling on former Speaker Paul Ryan to schedule an immediate vote on a bipartisan resolution to end U.S. support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen.

Last congress, Reps. Gabbard and Walter Jones introduced H.Res.922, which would reclaim Congress’s constitutional right to declare war by:
• Defining presidential wars not declared by Congress under Article I, section 8, clause 11 (Declare War Clause) as impeachable “high crimes and misdemeanors.”
• Prohibiting the President from perpetuating ongoing wars or supplying war materials, military troops, trainers, or advisers, military intelligence, financial support or their equivalent in association, cooperation, assistance, or common cause without first receiving congressional authorization.</s>WASHINGTON: The US House of Representatives approved a resolution on Thursday to end U.S. support for the Saudi Arabia-led coalition in the war in Yemen, rebuffing President Donald Trump`s policy of continued support for the kingdom.

As the resolution had already passed the Senate, the vote in the Democratic-led House sends the measure to the White House, which said last month Trump would issue a veto. It would be the second of his presidency.

The vote in the House was 247-175, as 16 Republicans joined the majority Democrats in backing the rare use of the War Powers Act, which limits the president`s ability to send troops into action.

"The president will have to face the reality that Congress is no longer going to ignore its constitutional obligations when it comes to foreign policy," Representative Eliot Engel, the Democratic chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said before the vote.

Still, neither the House tally nor the 54-46 bipartisan vote in the Senate, where Republicans have a slim majority, would be enough to override a veto.

The four-year-long civil war in Yemen, which pits the Saudi-led coalition against Houthi rebels backed by Iran, has killed tens of thousands of people and spawned what the United Nations calls the world`s most dire humanitarian crisis, with the country on the brink of famine.

Backers of the resolution argued that U.S. involvement in Yemen violated the constitutional requirement that Congress, not the president, should determine when the country goes to war.

Resolution opponents argued that support for the Saudi-led coalition was not an appropriate use of the War Powers Act, which limits the president`s ability to send troops into action.

Getting the measure passed took months, despite outrage in Congress over the civilian toll in the Yemen conflict, Saudi Arabia`s human rights record and calls for a tougher line on the government in Riyadh after the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a U.S. resident, at a Saudi consulate in Turkey in October.

House Republicans, who had derailed the resolution earlier this year by tying it to a measure condemning anti-Semitism, tried to stop it again on Thursday by adding a provision opposing the Boycott, Divest, Sanction (BDS) movement seeking to punish Israel for its treatment of Palestinians.

That effort failed in the House and was condemned by the House Democratic majority leader as a "cynical, political ploy." Overcoming Trump`s veto would require two-third majorities in both the Senate and the House.</s>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives approved a resolution on Thursday that would end all U.S. involvement with the Saudi Arabia-led coalition in the war in Yemen, rebuffing President Donald Trump’s policy of continued support for the kingdom.

As the resolution had already passed the Senate, the vote in the Democratic-led House sends the measure to the White House, which said last month Trump would issue a veto. It would be the second of his presidency.

The vote in the House was 247-175, as 16 Republicans joined the majority Democrats in backing the rare use of the War Powers Act, which limits the president’s ability to send troops into action.

Thursday’s vote marked the first time both chambers of Congress have supported a War Powers resolution.

“The president will have to face the reality that Congress is no longer going to ignore its constitutional obligations when it comes to foreign policy,” Representative Eliot Engel, the Democratic chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said before the vote.

Still, neither the House tally nor the 54-46 bipartisan vote in the Senate, where Republicans have a slim majority, would be enough to override a veto.

The four-year-long civil war in Yemen, which pits the Saudi-led coalition against Houthi rebels backed by Iran, has killed tens of thousands of people and spawned what the United Nations calls the world’s most dire humanitarian crisis, with the country on the brink of famine.

Backers of the War Powers resolution said the Saudi-led bombing campaign in Yemen had made the humanitarian crisis worse, harshly criticizing Riyadh for killing civilians.

They also argued that U.S. involvement in Yemen violated the constitutional requirement that Congress, not the president, should determine when the country goes to war.

Resolution opponents argued that support for the Saudi-led coalition was not an appropriate use of the War Powers Act, because the military provides support such as targeting assistance, not troops on the ground.

They also argued that it could boost Iran, arch-rival of U.S. ally Israel.

Defense Department spokeswoman Commander Rebecca Rebarich said in a statement after the vote that new restrictions on U.S. military support could “increase civilian casualties, jeopardize cooperation with our partners on counterterrorism, undercut UN-led peace negotiations at a critical point, and embolden Iran.”

Getting the measure passed took months, but support grew after the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a U.S. resident and Washington Post columnist, at a Saudi consulate in Turkey in October.

Both Democrats and Republicans have said they believe Saudi Arabia’s powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was responsible for Khashoggi’s death. Riyadh has denied he ordered the killing.

House Republicans derailed the resolution earlier this year by tying it to a measure condemning anti-Semitism. They tried to stop it again on Thursday by adding a provision opposing the Boycott, Divest, Sanction (BDS) movement tied to Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians.

That effort failed in the House and was condemned by the House Democratic majority leader, Representative Steny Hoyer, as a “cynical, political ploy.”

Overcoming Trump’s veto would require two-thirds majorities in both the Senate and House.</s>WASHINGTON — The House on Thursday voted to end American involvement in the Yemen war, rebuffing the Trump administration’s support for the military campaign led by Saudi Arabia.

The bill now heads to President Donald Trump, who is expected to veto it. The White House says the bill raises “serious constitutional concerns,” and Congress lacks the votes to override him.

By a 247-175 vote, Congress for the first time invoked the decades-old War Powers Resolution to try and stop a foreign conflict.

“The president will have to face the reality that Congress is no longer going to ignore its constitutional obligations when it comes to foreign policy,” said Democratic Rep. Eliot Engel of New York, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. He said the humanitarian crisis in Yemen triggered by the war “demands moral leadership.”

The war is in its fifth year. Thousands of people have been killed and millions are on the brink of starvation. The United Nations has called the situation in Yemen the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

The top Republican on the committee, Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, acknowledged the dire situation in Yemen for civilians, but he spoke out in opposition to the bill, saying it was an abuse of the War Powers Resolution.

“This radical interpretation has implications far beyond Saudi Arabia,” McCaul said. He warned that the measure could “disrupt U.S. security co-operation agreements with more than 100 counties.”

Opposition to the Saudi-led war in Yemen gathered support last year in the aftermath of the killing of U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The Washington Post columnist was killed in October by agents of the kingdom, a close U.S. partner, while he was in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. U.S. intelligence agencies and lawmakers believe that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the murder of Khashoggi, who had written articles critical of the kingdom.

Lawmakers from both parties have scrutinized U.S.-Saudi ties and criticized Trump for not condemning Saudi Arabia strongly enough.</s>WASHINGTON (AP) - The House on Thursday voted to end American involvement in the Yemen war, rebuffing the Trump administration's support for the military campaign led by Saudi Arabia as Congress for the first time invoked the War Powers Resolution to try and stop a foreign conflict.

The measure now heads to President Donald Trump, who is expected to veto it, with the White House citing "serious constitutional concerns." Congress lacks the votes to override him.

House approval came on a 247-175 vote. The Senate vote was 54-46 on March 13.

"The president will have to face the reality that Congress is no longer going to ignore its constitutional obligations when it comes to foreign policy," said Democratic Rep. Eliot Engel of New York, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. He said the humanitarian crisis in Yemen triggered by the war "demands moral leadership."

The war in Yemen is in its fifth year. Thousands of people have been killed and millions are on the brink of starvation. The United Nations has called the situation in Yemen the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

The top Republican on the committee, Texas Rep. Michael McCaul, acknowledged the dire situation in Yemen for civilians, but spoke out in opposition to the bill, saying it was an abuse of the War Powers Resolution.

"This radical interpretation has implications far beyond Saudi Arabia," McCaul said. He warned that the measure could "disrupt U.S. security cooperation agreements with more than 100 countries."

Democrats overcame a GOP attempt to divide the majority party through a procedural motion involving Israel just minutes before the Yemen vote. Republicans wanted to amend the Yemen bill with language condemning the international boycott movement and efforts to delegitimize Israel. Democrats argued the amendment would kill the Yemen resolution, and most of them voted against the Israel measure.

"This is about politics, this is about trying to drive a wedge into this caucus where it does not belong," said Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Fla., said to applause from Democrats. Deutch described the boycott movement as "economic warfare," but called on lawmakers to vote against the amendment.

"The Jewish community also has a history of standing up against atrocities like the humanitarian crisis in Yemen. My colleagues are trying to block us from standing in support of human rights," he said.

Opposition to the Saudi-led war in Yemen gathered support last year in the aftermath of the killing of U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The Washington Post columnist was killed in October by agents of the kingdom, a close U.S. partner, while he was in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. U.S. intelligence agencies and lawmakers believe that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the murder of Khashoggi, who had written articles critical of the kingdom.

Lawmakers from both parties have scrutinized U.S.-Saudi ties and criticized Trump for not condemning Saudi Arabia strongly enough.

For more coverage of the war in Yemen from the AP, go to: https://apnews.com/YemenDirtyWar</s>
• The House of Representatives passed a resolution requiring the United States to withdraw support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen.
• It had previously passed the Senate in March and will now head to President Donald Trump’s desk, setting up the second veto of his presidency.
• The stunning rebuke of one of the Trump administration’s policies was in part due to outrage over their handling of the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

WASHINGTON – The House of Representatives passed a resolution requiring the United States to withdraw military support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen, rebuking President Donald Trump and his administration’s handling of the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The resolution, which already passed the Senate in March, sets up the second veto of Trump’s presidency and delivers a rebuke of yet another key administration policy.

The House voted 247-175, with just 16 Republicans crossing the aisle to join Democrats.

Read more: US senators furious with Saudi Arabia after classified briefing with CIA Director Gina Haspel

In the March Senate vote, the resolution passed with unanimous support from Democrats joined by seven Republicans.

The resolution is a product of both non-interventionist lawmakers looking to withdraw the US from the Saudi’s brutal campaign in Yemen, as well as the culmination of growing frustration with how the Trump administration has responded to Khashoggi’s murder, which took place in October 2018 when he was lured into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.

Republicans and Democrats alike widely criticized Trump for standing by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who played a central role in Khashoggi’s murder, according to multiple reports.

“The crime against Jamal Khashoggi was a terrible one, and one that our country does not condone,” Trump said in a November statement. “In any case, our relationship is with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. They have been a great ally … The United States intends to remain a steadfast partner of Saudi Arabia.”

Tensions became worse when the administration’s intelligence agencies were not forthright with lawmakers about their assessment of the Khashoggi murder.

“The royal family inside the country looks to what the president says and so do people in the region,” then-Sen. Bob Corker told reporters last year. “And therefore I think it would appear to them and to people in the region that just based on what has been said, that someone like MBS can murder people and have immunity.”

Read more: Senate defies Trump, passes historic resolution to end US support for Saudi Arabia in Yemen war

Other lawmakers, like Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, were frustrated at not being allowed to receive a full briefing from CIA Director Gina Haspel.

The administration’s handling of the Khashoggi murder, coupled with frequent reports of abusive behavior by the Saudis in Yemen, created a snowball effect on the resolution. Now, Trump will likely veto the resolution. As it stands, the resolution is not likely to garner enough votes to override a presidential veto.

The veto will be the second of Trump’s presidency, after he shelved a resolution in March that aimed to terminate his national emergency declaration to divert military funds for the purpose of building a wall along parts of the United States border with Mexico. Congress also failed to override that veto.</s>WASHINGTON — The House on Thursday voted to end American involvement in the Yemen war, rebuffing the Trump administration’s support for the military campaign led by Saudi Arabia.

The bill now heads to President Trump, who is expected to veto it. The White House says the measure raises “serious constitutional concerns,” and Congress lacks the votes to override him.

By a 247-175 vote, Congress for the first time invoked the decades-old War Powers Resolution to try and stop a foreign conflict. The Senate vote was 54-46 on March 13.

“The president will have to face the reality that Congress is no longer going to ignore its constitutional obligations when it comes to foreign policy,” said Democratic Rep. Eliot Engel of New York, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. He said the humanitarian crisis in Yemen triggered by the war “demands moral leadership.”

The war in Yemen is in its fifth year. Thousands of people have been killed and millions are on the brink of starvation. The United Nations has called the situation in Yemen the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

The top Republican on the committee, Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, acknowledged the dire situation in Yemen for civilians, but spoke out in opposition to the bill, saying it was an abuse of the War Powers Resolution.

“This radical interpretation has implications far beyond Saudi Arabia,” McCaul said. He warned that the measure could “disrupt U.S. security cooperation agreements with more than 100 counties.”

Opposition to the Saudi-led war in Yemen gathered support last year in the aftermath of the killing of U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The Washington Post columnist was killed in October by agents of the kingdom, a close U.S. partner, while he was in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.

Susannah George is an Associated Press writer.
The U.S. House of Representatives approves a resolution to end U.S. support for the Saudi Arabia-led coalition in the war in Yemen.