December 8, 2022 10:50 a.m.

On Thursday, Congressman Peter DeFazio and a group of colleagues issued a statement applauding Senator Bernie Sander’s action to bring the bipartisan Yemen War Powers Resolution to the Senate floor.

The House sponsors of the resolution said they are pleased the legislation will soon be voted on in the Senate via S.J. Resolution 56. They urged their Senate colleagues to pass the legislation with a strong majority, send it back to the House for quick adoption, and then to the President’s desk for his signature before the end of the 117th session of Congress.

The release said following an OPEC decision in October to lower production of oil, which negatively impacted American consumers at the pump and bolstered Russia’s ability to wage “its unprovoked and unjust war” against Ukraine, President Biden said “there will be consequences” for the U.S.’s relationship with Saudi Arabia. The White House then announced President Biden’s desire to “re-evaluate” the U.S.-Saudi relationship and his intent “to work with Congress” to determine the next steps.

The release said the prolonged Saudi-led war in Yemen has done nothing to reduce Iranian influence in the region and has instead “exacerbated an unprecedented humanitarian disaster” that will continue to fuel regional instability for many years.

The lawmakers said, “It is clear that Saudi Arabia’s actions in Yemen have not advanced U.S. interests”.

The release said the Saudi-led war in Yemen has helped drive the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, which has resulted in nearly 40,000 deaths and condemned roughly 17 million Yeminis to acute food insecurity. The group believes the Yemen War Powers Resolution would help prevent the resumption of Saudi airstrikes and end U.S. military support for this war.

DeFazio was joined by five other lawmakers in the release.