Congress directs Pentagon to press Saudi Arabia on Yemen refueling bill
The Senate version of the annual defense bill calls on the Pentagon to hold the Saudi-led coalition accountable for paying back the United States for aerial refueling in the Yemen war.
Congress wants the Pentagon to hold the Saudi-led coalition accountable for paying off the last of its overdue refueling bills for the Yemen war.
The Senate version of the National Defense Authorization Act, released today, calls on Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan to notify Congress each month of any outstanding bills for the $299 million cost of the three-year refueling mission until the federal government is repaid in full.
The Pentagon refueled warplanes for Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates starting in March 2015. The assistance ended in November 2018, when both sides agreed to terminate the mission as Congress pressed to end US support for the Yemen campaign.
Meanwhile, in the House, Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith, D-Wash., told Al-Monitor this week that he would not seek to include a War Powers resolution to end US activities in Yemen after President Donald Trump vetoed an earlier effort in April. Smith said he would defer to party leadership on whether to bring up the legislation for another floor vote.
