Congressional Democrats and Republicans rebuke Trump admin over Houthi terror designation
The designation of Yemen's Houthi forces as a foreign terrorist organization has been met with criticism from both the House and the Senate.
Democratic and Republican leadership in Congress this week both criticized the Trump administration’s designation of Yemen’s Houthi rebels as terrorists.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Sunday that the Houthis would be labeled a foreign terrorist organization. Houthi forces are backed by Iran and are engaged in a civil war with Yemen’s internationally recognized and Saudi-backed government. The rebels have attacked Saudi Arabia, a strong US ally, several times in recent months.
House Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., said the designation would make it more difficult to deliver aid to war-ravaged Yemen, where Houthi forces control much of the country’s west.
"This designation makes it harder to deliver life-saving assistance in a country already experiencing the worst humanitarian crisis in the world,” Meeks said in a Monday statement. “Food aid, clean water, and basic health care for millions would be severely impacted.”
