By Robert Naiman / Truthout
(Photo: Ron Cogswell; Edited: LW / TO)
Today, the US House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved two amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would prohibit US participation in the catastrophic Saudi-United Arab Emirates (UAE) war against the Houthi-Saleh alliance in Yemen.
The Davidson amendment prohibits US military action in Yemen not authorized by the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF). US participation in the Saudi-UAE war in Yemen is not targeting al-Qaeda or ISIS and is not authorized by the 2001 AUMF. Davidson's amendment would block the US refueling of Saudi and UAE warplanes bombing Yemen.
The Nolan amendment prohibits the deployment of US troops to participation in Yemen's civil war. Nolan's amendment would block the US refueling of Saudi and UAE warplanes bombing Yemen.
The Saudi-UAE war in Yemen, in which US participation was never authorized by Congress, has pushed Yemen to the brink of famine, with the worst cholera outbreak in the world, with the UN suspending its vaccination plan against cholera in Yemen because of the war.
The Saudi-UAE war in Yemen has also strengthened al-Qaeda and ISIS. Indeed, al-Qaeda's Yemen branch is allied with the Saudis and the UAE against the Houthi-Saleh forces.
Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut has said, "The Saudis simply could not operate this bombing campaign without us. Their planes can't fly without US refueling capacity." Yet the US has doubled the amount of fuel it provided to Saudi and UAE bombers since October. Most of the bombers refueled by the US are UAE bombers, according to the Pentagon. The Pentagon apparently has little oversight or concern about who or what it is helping to bomb:
"We provide refueling totals for the Saudi-led Coalition on an on-demand basis," said CENTCOM spokesperson Maj. Josh Jacques. "They request refueling and we provide it. I will refer you to the Saudi-led coalition as to the reasons why they requested the amounts of fuel."
Congressional action to end US participation in the catastrophic Saudi-UAE war in Yemen, which has never been authorized by Congress, is long overdue. President Trump should heed the House votes and end US refueling of Saudi and UAE planes bombing Yemen immediately.
You can urge President Trump to comply with the House demands, and urge the Senate to stand with the House here.