US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis confirmed Friday night that the Pentagon would no longer refuel Saudi-led coalition planes fighting in the Houthi rebels in Yemen; the decision had been reported by The Washington Post earlier in the day. 

Why it matters: The US decision to call off in-flight refueling of Saudi and Emirati warplanes comes after congressional Democrats — who have tried to persuade the Donald Trump administration to cut support to the coalition — swept to victory in the House of Representatives in Tuesday’s elections. “We support the decision by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, after consultations with the US government, to use the coalition’s own military capabilities to conduct inflight refueling in support of its operations in Yemen,” Mattis said Friday.

Beltway spin: Both the Pentagon and Saudi Arabia said Riyadh made the decision after the kingdom became self-sufficient in refueling efforts. “Recently the Kingdom and the Coalition has increased its capability to independently conduct inflight refueling in Yemen,” the Saudi-led coalition said in a statement. “As a result, in consultation with the United States, the coalition has requested the cessation of inflight refueling support for its operations in Yemen.” Mattis said at an event earlier this month that the United States only refueled 20% of Saudi bombing runs. 

The inside take: Experts following US support for the Yemeni civil war say the news seems to be an effort to stop Democrats in Congress from cutting US arms sales to Saudi Arabia, which President Donald Trump has expressly sought to avoid — even over objections inside the administration. “I'd heard Mattis was close after the school bus strike,” a former US official told Al-Monitor, referring to an Aug. 9 airstrike by Saudi Arabia that killed more than 40 children. “But this is just a cynical move to try to head off Congress. It won’t work.”