Senate begins debate to end U.S. support

WASHINGTON >> The Senate voted Wednesday to formally start debating a measure to end U.S. support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen, setting up what is likely to be the first among several bipartisan rebukes of President Donald Trump’s support for Saudi Arabia that senators hope to deliver.

The 60-37 vote exceeded the expectations of the Yemen resolution’s supporters, who had guessed that most of the 14 Republicans who backed an opening procedural measure last month would peel away as it advanced. But 11 Republicans — including the incoming chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, James Risch, R-Idaho, a Trump ally — joined all Democrats in voting to start debating the resolution.

The development sets up a likely vote today to pass the resolution, provided even part of this coalition holds together. Its passage would send a significant political message to Trump that the status quo on relations with Saudi Arabia is no longer acceptable and also would be the first time the Senate had successfully invoked the War Powers Resolution since it became law in 1973.

Lawmakers have launched several efforts to condemn, chastise or curtail traditional U.S. support for Saudi Arabia after the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributing columnist.

Support for several of those efforts — particularly the Yemen resolution from Sens. Bernie Sanders, IVermont, and Mike Lee, RUtah, — grew dramatically after the CIA determined that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was most probably responsible for Khashoggi’s killing in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, findings that Trump has dismissed as he continues to embrace the prince.

Wednesday’s Senate vote came just hours after CIA Director Gina Haspel briefed House leaders about the agency’s assessment that Mohammed probably ordered the killing of Khashoggi, a critic of the Saudi leadership.

It was the second time in as many weeks that Haspel has given lawmakers a closed-door look at the CIA’s classified examination of Khashoggi’s death.