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Members of Congress are preparing an authorization for the use of military force, even while acknowledging that it may perpetuate suffering in the Middle East.

by Edward Hunt, Foreign Policy In Focus

With the Biden administration facing a legally binding deadline of March 12 to end its acts of war in Yemen, officials in Congress are preparing to grant the administration the legal authorization to continue waging war in the immediate future.

At a February 27 Senate hearing, U.S. lawmakers indicated that they are working on a bill for the authorization of the use of military force, which would provide the Biden administration with the legal authority to continue airstrikes against the Houthis, a militant group in Yemen that has been attacking commercial ships in the Red Sea since the start of Israel’s military offensive in Gaza.

Yemeni girl sitting on rubble of school

“The Constitution requires Congress to authorize acts of war,” Senator Christopher Murphy (D-CT) explained. Citing his preference for “a tailored, time-bound Congressional authorization,” the senator said that “I will be in discussions with my colleagues in the coming days to introduce such an authorization.”

Since January 11, the Biden administration has been directing airstrikes and other military operations against the Houthis, a militant group that controls much of Yemen. In several rounds of airstrikes, U.S. and British warplanes have attacked Houthi-controlled locations and infrastructure, including radars, air defense systems, and weapons storage facilities.

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Militarism and Foreign Policy