Demand Progress

WASHINGTON, DC -- Last night, ahead of an expected discharge vote on the Yemen War Powers Resolution, Sen. Bernie Sanders pulled the resolution given opposition from the White House.

In response, the following statement can be attributed to Demand Progress Foreign Policy Advisor Cavan Kharrazian:

“We are extremely disappointed that the Senate did not get an opportunity yesterday to vote on ending US support for the Saudi-UAE-led coalition’s war on Yemen once and for all. We are also disappointed that the Biden Administration chose to launch an 11th hour campaign, using misleading arguments, to dissuade Congress from exercising their prerogative to oversee, debate, and legislate over matters of war and peace.

"However, we are truly inspired by the 100+ orgs and 100,000+ constituents that mobilized across the country to end US support for the brutal war in Yemen. Through this process, we gained the public support of more than 130 members of Congress from both parties, including Senator Chris Murphy, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relation’s Committee Subcommittee of jurisdiction over Yemen-related issues.

"We believe had a vote been held, we would have seen a strong result. We are confident that this support will continue to grow, and that the next Congress will be in a good position to pass the War Powers Resolution. We strongly urge Senator Sanders and his colleagues to reintroduce the Yemen War Powers Resolution, as currently written, as soon as possible next Congress to continue its momentum, and to ensure the Senator follows through on his promise to force a vote if a deal cannot be reached with the Administration on acceptable changes to its language.”