Progressives Push To Assert Congress Power Over Yemen War

 Going beyond their critique of the infamous Signal chat, progressives demanded to know the White House’s legal justification for its Yemen strikes.

By Matt Sledge, The Intercept

Progressives in Congress demanded that President Donald Trump justify his legal rationale for strikes in Yemen that caused dozens of deaths, teeing up a potential move to stop future attacks under the 1973 War Powers Act.

Democrats would face long odds invoking congressional war powers to block Trump as long as Republicans control Congress, but a letter sent to the White House on Wednesday and obtained by The Intercept represents a break from the party’s approach to the attacks against Yemen. Until now, Democrats have centered their critiques on the scandal over the administration’s planning of a March 16 strike on the Signal messaging app.

While progressives are still worried about the Trump administration’s slipshod information security, they are also deeply concerned about what is happening in Yemen, says the letter led by Reps. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash.; Ro Khanna, D-Calif.; and Val Hoyle, D-Ore., who were joined by 30 members.

“While we share concerns about maritime security in the Red Sea,” the representatives wrote, “we call on your Administration to immediately cease unauthorized use of military force and instead seek specific statutory authorization from Congress before involving the U.S. in an unconstitutional conflict in the Middle East, which risks endangering U.S. military personnel in the region and escalating into a regime-change war.”

Trump is under no obligation to respond to the letter. His administration has brushed aside critiques of the strikes’ planning while touting the strikes themselves as a victory — despite signs that they have done little to deter the Houthis, the group ruling most of Yemen whose attacks in protest of Israel’s war on Gaza have halted much of the maritime traffic through the Red Sea.

The letter could lay the groundwork for a push from Democrats to end or curtail future strikes on Yemen.