Congress presses Biden administration for answers on Yemen war
Pressure is building on Capitol Hill as lawmakers await clarity about US support for Saudi Arabia in an upcoming briefing.
Nearly three months after President Joe Biden announced a halt to US support for offensive Saudi-led operations in Yemen’s civil war, Democrats in Congress are once again pressing for answers about the precise nature of continued US assistance to the Gulf coalition.
In a letter addressed to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin last week, three lawmakers inquired whether the US government or US-licensed companies have provided intelligence, advice or maintenance support for Riyadh’s military operations against Yemen’s Houthi rebels since Biden’s order.
The letter, obtained by Al-Monitor, is the latest sign that patience has been running thin among Democrats on Capitol Hill over what some see as the Biden administration’s slow response to their calls for transparency on the new policy.
As a candidate, Biden promised to end US involvement in Yemen’s civil war, which the UN has described as the world’s worst humanitarian catastrophe. The president announced an end to US support for the Saudi-led coalition’s offensive operations in Yemen in February and froze two pending sales of several thousand guided bombs to Riyadh.
