Senate is defying Trump by moving to cut Saudi Arabia aid

WASHINGTON — In a rebuke to the White House, the Senate cast a procedural vote Wednesday to advance a resolution that would cut off most U.S. military aid to Saudi Arabia’s war operations in Yemen.

The Senate voted 63-37 to agree to a motion to discharge the Foreign Relations Committee from considering the measure, which authorizes the chamber to begin mulling the resolution, a debate that is likely to occur next week.

The Senate’s action also came on the heels of a White House veto threat of the resolution, arguing it “would harm bilateral relationships in the region” and hamper counterterrorism operations against al-Qaida and the Islamic State.

The vote was a major reversal of the Senate’s 55-44 vote in March to table the same resolution. The 19-vote swing is a sign of congressional disaffection with the Saudi regime in the wake of the slaying of Saudi-born journalist Jamal Khashoggi and continued reports of civilian casualties in Yemen.

The War Powers Act resolution, which is sponsored by Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.; Mike Lee, R-Utah; and Christopher S. Murphy, D-Conn., would only allow continued U.S. military operations in Yemen that are aimed against al-Qaida.

For Sen. Bob Corker, the Foreign Relations Committee chairman, and perhaps others, the vote to advance the resolution was not necessarily an endorsement of its merits but “a vote on our ability to have a debate as it relates to our relationship with Saudi Arabia.”

Still, the Senate’s decision was a major rebuke to the Trump administration. The vote came just hours after Defense Secretary James Mattis and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged senators in a closed-door briefing to vote against advancing the measure.

Senators after the briefing said they were upset the Trump administration did not allow the CIA director to brief them on the slaying of the Saudi journalist and indicated they would continue to raise the issue, including through legislative means.