02.04.21

Durbin Statement on President Biden's Decision to Halt U.S. Military Involvement in Yemen

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement regarding President Joe Biden’s decision to reverse the Trump Administration’s support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen:

“Not only was this war never authorized as required by the Constitution, it is a humanitarian disaster with tens of thousands of children having already died of malnutrition.  Thankfully, U.S. taxpayer dollars will no longer support this Saudi-led disaster in Yemen.  Thank you, President Biden.”

In May 2019, Durbin voted to override former President Trump’s veto of the bipartisan joint war powers resolution to end unauthorized U.S. military involvement in the Saudi-led war in Yemen.  The bipartisan joint resolution would have halted U.S. military support for the Saudi-led coalition’s war in Yemen pursuant to the War Powers Resolution and Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution. 

In March 2018, Durbin supported a similar bipartisan joint war powers resolution to end unauthorized U.S. military involvement in Yemen, which was the first-ever vote in the Senate to withdraw U.S. Armed Forces from an unauthorized war.  In November 2018, the Senate voted and Durbin supported again this bipartisan joint war powers resolution following the Saudi government’s murder of U.S. resident and Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.  

-30-