US Congress votes to end military assistance to Saudi Arabia

<p>US Congress has given final approval on a resolution to end American military assistance to Saudi Arabia in its war against Yemen. The House voted 247-175 to send the resolution to Trump's desk, where it is likely to be met with a veto.&nbsp;</p> <p>The vote marks the first time the US Congress has invoked the 1973 War Powers Act, a law which curtails the president's power to take the country into a conflict without congressional approval.&nbsp;</p> <p>The independent senator Bernie Sanders and Democratic congressman Ro Khanna issued a joint statement&nbsp;saying, "today, the US House of Representatives took a clear stand against war and famine and for Congress's war powers by voting to end our complicity in the war in Yemen."</p> <p>"Finally, the US Congress has reclaimed its constitutional authority over matters of war and peace," the statement said.&nbsp;</p> <p>Since&nbsp;2015, the US has&nbsp;provided aerial refuelling of jets, reconnaissance, targeting and intelligence information to Saudi Arabia and the UAE. After facing mounting pressure from the public and Congress, the Pentagon stopped providing aerial refuelling in November for Saudi warplanes on Yemen. The remaining US involvement in the Saudi-UAE war against Yemen is providing intelligence support for the coalition.&nbsp;</p> <p>The Yemen conflict began in 2014, killing an estimated 60,000 people and leaving millions on the brink of starvation. The UN has called it the world's worst humanitarian crisis.&nbsp;</p> <p>Read more <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/apr/04/yemen-saudi-arabia-war-us…"><u>here</u></a> and <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/04/house-approves-resolution-role-y…"><u>here</u></a>.&nbsp;</p>