Thanks to your calls and signature, Congress just did something historic. It overwhelmingly approved two amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act [NDAA] that would prohibit U.S. participation in the catastrophic Saudi-led war in Yemen.
The Davidson [R-OH] Amendment prohibits U.S. military action in Yemen not previously authorized by Congress. The Nolan [D-MN] amendment prohibits the deployment of U.S. troops to participate in Yemen's civil war and would block the U.S. refueling of warplanes bombing Yemen.
The Saudi-led war in Yemen was never authorized by Congress and has pushed Yemen to the brink of famine, with the worst cholera outbreak in the world. The Saudi-led war in Yemen has also strengthened Al Qaeda and ISIS. Indeed, Al Qaeda's Yemen branch is allied with the Saudis.
Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut has said, "The Saudis simply could not operate this bombing campaign without us. Their planes can't fly without U.S. refueling capacity.” Yet since October, the U.S. has doubled the amount of fuel it provided to Saudi-led coalition planes.
This by no means ends the US support for the disastrous Yemen war. Similar legislation would have to be passed in the Senate and then agreed upon by President Trump, who is quite enamored of the Saudis. But it marks a new phase in our struggle. We will be contacting you when there is a relevant vote in the Senate, and we look forward to getting your help in the next steps ahead.
The tide is turning. We are getting more and more support in Congress to stop this toxic relationship of arming repressive Gulf States, and more immediately, to stop the refueling of the Gulf-state bombers that are devastating Yemen. Stay tuned.
With thanks and hope,
Ann, Ariel, Brienne, Haley, Jodie, Katie, Mariana, Mark, Mary, Medea, Nancy, Paki, Paula, Taylor and Tighe
P.S.
- Attend our August 26-27 Sonoma Valley Peace Camp.
- Scholarships available.
- Donate towards camp travel/meals scholarships.
- Join us in late October in Cuba!
