Trump vetoes resolution on ending US involvement in Yemen war
US President Donald Trump has vetoed a congressional resolution to end American support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen, which has so far claimed thousands of innocent lives and left the impoverished nation struggling with the biggest humanitarian crisis in the world.
Trump on Tuesday vetoed a bill passed by Congress to stop American military support for Saudi Arabia’s aggression on Yemen, describing the resolution as an "unnecessary," and "dangerous attempt" to weaken his constitutional authorities.
The US president also claimed that the attempt by Congress would endanger the lives of American citizens and troops.
The Tuesday’s move was the second veto of Trump’s presidency.
The legislation was originally introduced in the Senate and co-sponsored by presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders, invoking the War Powers resolution, a federal law that gives Congress the power to check the American head of state when committing the country to an armed conflict.
Backers of the resolution argued that US involvement in Yemen violated the constitutional requirement that Congress, not the president, should determine when the country goes to war.
Trump had earlier vowed to veto the bill despite appeals by congressmen to send a strong message to Riyadh. Congress passed the resolution following strong criticism of Saudi Arabia's deadly air raids on civilian targets in Yemen.
The US has provided billions of dollars of arms to the Saudi-led coalition waging a devastating war in Yemen. Members of Congress have expressed concern about the thousands of civilians killed in coalition airstrikes since the conflict began nearly four years ago.
Saudi Arabia and a number of its regional allies launched the devastating campaign against Yemen in March 2015, with the aim of bringing the former Saudi-sponsored government back to power. Riyadh has failed to fulfill its objectives.
According to a new report by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), a nonprofit conflict-research organization, the Saudi-led war has so far claimed the lives of about 56,000 Yemenis.
The Saudi-led war has also taken a heavy toll on the country’s infrastructure, destroying hospitals, schools, and factories.
The UN has warned that a record 22.2 million Yemenis are in dire need of food, including 8.4 million threatened by severe hunger. According to the world body, Yemen is suffering from the worst global famine in more than 100 years.
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