Legislation to end support for Yemen war clears US House

WASHINGTON: The House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed legislation Wednesday that would require President Donald Trump to halt US assistance for the Saudi-led coalition's war in Yemen.

The bill will now head to the Senate for consideration following the 248-177 vote, Anadolu Agency reported, quoting a statement.

“Today is historic. This is the culmination of several years of legislative efforts to end our involvement in the Saudi war in Yemen,” Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna, who spearheaded the bill, said in a statement after the vote.

“I'm encouraged by the direction people are pushing our party to take on foreign policy, promoting restraint and human rights and with the sense they want Congress to play a much larger role,” he added.

If the War Powers Resolution — in part a response to Saudi Arabia's killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi — is able to clear the Senate, it will head to Trump's desk, where it will likely be vetoed. The White House has previously threatened the measure.

Regardless, if it clears the Senate, it would mark the first time federal lawmakers checked a president's authority to use military force under a 1973 bill intended to allow Congress to do so if a president committed forces without a formal declaration of war. — Bernama