Bernie Sanders To Bring Yemen War Powers Resolution To Floor

Backers of a war powers resolution say that a strong vote in the Senate will send a signal to Saudi Arabia that it does not have a free hand to restart hostilities.

By Daniel Boguslaw, Ryan Grim, The Intercept

Sen. Bernie Sanders is moving toward a vote “hopefully next week” on a war powers resolution aimed at blocking U.S. support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen, the Vermont senator told The Intercept on Monday.

An agreement for a ceasefire in Yemen between the Saudi-led alliance and the Houthis, who are backed by Iran, has expired, though both sides have tenuously maintained the peace. Backers of a war powers resolution say that a strong vote in the Senate in the lame duck will send a signal to Saudi Arabia that it does not have a free hand to restart hostilities, despite the Biden administration’s more placating posture amid its hunt for lower oil prices.

A war powers resolution is “privileged” in the Senate, which means that the sponsor of it can bring it to the floor for a vote without the need for approval by the chamber’s leadership once a certain amount of time has elapsed. At that point, the resolution has “ripened,” and the one sponsored by Sanders is now ripe.

Asked whether Sanders expected to have the votes to pass the resolution, Sanders said, “I think we do, yes.”