PRESS RELEASE
House Leadership Kills Yemen Genocide Resolution Debate
Nov. 3, 2017 (EIRNS)—On Nov. 1, the House leadership, Republican and Democrat alike, removed the privileged status of dH.Con.Res.81, the resolution invoking the War Powers Resolution to shut down unauthorized U.S. participation in the Saudi genocidal war against Yemen. Because a privileged resolution can be brought up for a vote on the House floor without having to go through committee, by removing the privilege, the leadership has killed the immediate debate and vote on the House floor which was the intent of the resolution.
Parliamentary maneuvering will not stop the growing international and national outrage against the genocide being wrecked against the people and nation of Yemen by the British satrapy ruling Saudi Arabia. EIR understands that a replica resolution to H.Con.Res.81 will be introduced within the next weeks ahead in the Senate, where sentiment against this war was demonstrated last June when 47 Senators voted in favor of blocking further U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia, over its actions in Yemen.
A coalition of groups which campaigned for a House floor vote on H.Con.Res.81—Codepink, CREDO, Friends Committee on National Legislation, Just Foreign Policy, Peace Action, United for Peace and Justice, Win Without War and the Yemen Peace Project—released a statement in response to the House decision:
"We are deeply disappointed that House leadership has again prevented a debate and vote on ending U.S. participation in the famine-inducing Saudi-led war in Yemen. We remind the House leadership that under the War Powers Resolution of 1973, introduction of United States Armed Forces’ includes the assignment of member of such armed forces to command, coordinate, participate in the movement of, or accompany the regular or irregular military forces of any foreign country or government. When such military forces are engaged in U.S. refueling of Saudi-UAE planes bombing Houthi targets in Yemen, this meets that definition.
"We thank Reps. Ro Khanna, Thomas Massie, Mark Pocan, Walter Jones, and the other co-sponsors for their leadership in diligently seeking a debate and vote on the U.S. role in the Saudi-led war in Yemen. We applaud their effort for bringing unprecedented and long-overdue discussion and attention to this matter and we continue to urge Democratic and Republican Representatives to co-sponsor H.Con.Res.81.... We will not rest until unauthorized U.S. participation in the famine-inducing Saudi war in Yemen has ended."
