Fueled by Jamal Khashoggi murder, Senate poised to open historic debate on U.S. role in Yemen war
WASHINGTON – The Senate will begin a potentially historic debate Wednesday on a measure to end U.S. military support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen, fueled by bipartisan outrage over the kingdom's role in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.
It will be the first time Congress has held a full-fledged debate on a measure linked to the War Powers Act, a Vietnam-era law designed to limit the president's power to start or escalate military engagement. The final outcome of Wednesday's vote remains in flux, with senators bracing for a free-flowing floor debate on Khashoggi's murder, America's alliance with Saudi Arabia, and the deadly war in Yemen.
Proponents of the Yemen war powers resolution say they're optimistic it will pass this week, putting pressure on the House to act. Unlike other bills, the measure is not subject to a filibuster, so it needs only a simple 51-vote majority to pass.
“If we end up getting over 50 votes on a war powers resolution, that’s historic,” said Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., who sponsored the Yemen resolution with Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont.
It would be the first time either the House or Senate “has ever used the war powers to pull the United States out of hostilities overseas,” Murphy said.
Senators may also vote on a separate resolution, still in the works, naming Saudi Arabia's crown prince, Mohammed Bin Salman, as responsible for Khashoggi's death. The Washington Post columnist was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2 by a team of Saudi operatives.
The crown prince has denied any involvement in Khashoggi's death, but the CIA has concluded that he directed the killing. Key senators emerged from a briefing with CIA Director Gina Haspel last week saying they were convinced the crown prince, known by his initials MBS, is complicit in the journalist's murder.
Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is working on a resolution implicating MBS. His spokeswoman did not respond to a request for comment, but Murphy and others said Corker’s resolution, which he has yet to release, could be voted on as part of Wednesday’s action on Yemen.
But Murphy said he expects the Senate to limit amendments on the war powers bill to those germane to Yemen, so the debate does not spin off to include unrelated issues.
Sanders also wants to keep the debate focused, his spokesman said.
“The key is to make it clear the United States will no longer be involved in the Saudi-led led war in Yemen,” said Josh Miller-Lewis, Sanders' spokesman. Sanders could support additional measures, such as stopping U.S. arms sales to the Saudi government, but he will oppose anything that undermines the underlying effort to end America’s military role in Yemen, Miller-Lewis said.
The war in Yemen has left thousands of civilians dead and created the world's worst humanitarian disaster – with millions now on the verge of starvation. It is a proxy battle between Saudi Arabia and Iran, two regimes vying for expanded influence in the region. The U.S. has stopped refueling Saudi jets, but it is still providing munitions and intelligence to the Saudi government.
The Senate defeated the Sanders-Lee-Murphy resolution earlier this year, but the Khashoggi killing has dramatically changed the political climate. Republicans and Democrats alike are eager to rebuke the kingdom, arguing that if the U.S. fails to do that, the crown prince and other autocratic rulers will see that as a green light to commit other extrajudicial killings to silence their critics.
Trump has condemned Khashoggi's death but said the incident should not harm U.S.-Saudi Arabia relations. The administration is relying heavily on Saudi Arabia in its effort to isolate Iran, and Trump has championed U.S. arms sales to the regime as an economic boon.
Murphy said he hopes Trump's refusal to punish Saudi Arabia will spark a broader effort by Congress to reassert itself on foreign policy.
"We’ve been sitting in bipartisan meetings for the last week trying to find a way for Republicans and Democrats to reset American policy towards Saudi Arabia," he said. If the Yemen vote is successful, he said, "maybe we can do that on other issues as well."
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fueled by Jamal Khashoggi murder, Senate poised to open historic debate on U.S. role in Yemen war