Follow us on social

49025171282_274526c187_k

House passes measure ending US support for Saudi war on Yemen

Rep. Ro Khanna has again pushed through this important amendment, but will other forces collude to kill it?

Analysis | Middle East

The House voted today to pass Rep. Ro Khanna's amendment to end U.S. support for Saudi Arabia's war on Yemen. The amendment passed with 11 Republicans voting in favor, and 11 Democrats voting against, with a final vote of 219 to 207. The passage of the amendment represents a win for those that have pushed to end American complicity in the war on Yemen since the Saudi-led coalition began its aerial bombardment in 2015.

However, this may just be deja vu all over again. The California Democrat passed the same amendment in 2019, but it was removed from the final version of the National Defense Authorization Act, along with many other progressive defense priorities that passed the House vote, but did not survive conference. At the time, House Armed Services Committee ranking member Adam Smith faced rebuke for not fighting harder, but he could claim that with the Democrats in the minority, he could not dictate the outcome.

This time, Smith is the chair of the House Armed Services Committee, and so can no longer hide behind the excuse of having his hands tied. However, the concern among progressives like Khanna is that another Yemen amendment also passed the House: House Foreign Affairs Committee chair Gregory Meeks's amendment reflects similar language used by the White House, ending U.S. support for "offensive" Saudi operations. Biden committed to this back in February and paused arms sales to Saudi Arabia, but Saudi air strikes have continued at comparable levels as those observed during the last year of the Trump administration, signaling that U.S. support for offensive operations is unchanged, despite Biden's statement to the contrary.

Relatedly, the Senate version of the NDAA (section 1272) likewise reflects similar language as the Meeks amendment: "Prohibition on support for offensive military operations against the Houthis in Yemen." This increases the likelihood that in the process of reconciliation, Khanna's amendment will be stripped and Meeks's will remain, leaving American involvement unchanged.

In conference, the negotiations to reconcile the House and Senate versions will take place between HASC chair Adam Smith, Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Jack Reed, as well as Majority leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. White House preferences will also be considered, to avoid the possibility of a presidential veto of the NDAA.

The likelihood that Khanna's amendment will not be included in the final bill raises the possibility that Khanna may once again try to pass a War Powers Resolution to force the White House to comply with the wishes of the majority of members of Congress, who likewise represent American public opinion on the imperative need to withdraw U.S. support for this war.

Although Khanna's amendment may ultimately not achieve its stated objective, the passage of his bill on Saudi Arabia's National Day may drive home the fact that many Americans are tired of successive administrations bowing to Saudi preferences over those of the U.S. public.


Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif) (Web Commons/Creative Commons/Flickr)
Analysis | Middle East
Venezuela regime change means invasion, chaos, and heavy losses
Top photo credit: U.S. Marines infiltrate the beach head as part of an amphibious demonstration at Hat Yao Beach, Kingdom of Thailand, during Cobra Gold 2014, Feb. 14 (US Marine Corps photo)

Venezuela regime change means invasion, chaos, and heavy losses

Latin America

Maximum pressure has long been President Donald Trump’s stance towards the government of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela — he slapped crippling sanctions on the country during his first term — but in recent days the administration has pushed the stakes even higher.

The Caribbean is currently hosting an astonishing quantity of American naval and air assets, including four Arleigh Burke–class destroyers, a guided missile cruiser, an attack submarine, a Marine Amphibious Ready Group, and a flight of F-35 multirole fighters.

keep readingShow less
Syria’s ticking time bomb
Syrian security forces walk together along a street, after clashes between Syrian government troops and local Druze fighters resumed in the southern Druze city of Sweida early on Wednesday, collapsing a ceasefire announced just hours earlier that aimed to put an end to days of deadly sectarian bloodshed, in Sweida, Syria July 16, 2025. REUTERS/Karam al-Masri

Syria’s ticking time bomb

Middle East

In March of this year, Laya’s world came crashing down.

Following a series of skirmishes in the coastal region of Syria, the country’s transitional government had mobilized forces to put down what it saw as a brewing rebellion among Alawites, a minority offshoot of Shia Islam and the religion of former President Bashar al-Assad. The operation quickly turned into a bloodbath.

keep readingShow less
Israel wants to pay US pastors a stipend to spread the word
Top image credit: Shutterstock AI

Israel wants to pay stipend to US pastors to spread the word

Washington Politics

A newly-created firm called Show Faith by Works is embarking on a “geofencing” campaign to target Christian churches and colleges across the American Southwest with pro-Israel advertisements. The pastors and congregations themselves are seemingly unaware of this campaign, and some have concerns with Israel’s methods to target Christians.

According to the firm’s filing under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), Show Faith by Works will “geofence the actual boundaries of every Major (sic) church in California, Arizona, Nevada, and Coloardo (sic) and all Christian Colleges during worship times” and then “track attendees and continue to target [them] with ads” on behalf of Israel. The geofencing campaign is part of a larger $3.2 million contract that also includes trying to hire celebrity spokespeople and paying pastors to produce content.

keep readingShow less

LATEST

QIOSK

Newsletter

Subscribe now to our weekly round-up and don't miss a beat with your favorite RS contributors and reporters, as well as staff analysis, opinion, and news promoting a positive, non-partisan vision of U.S. foreign policy.