House Speaker Paul Ryan on Wednesday pushed language through the House that will prevent lawmakers from taking up any resolution to end U.S. support for the war in Yemen this year.
The language was passed just as the Senate was set to start debate on a resolution that aims to end U.S. involvement in Yemen, a response to anger over Saudi Arabia’s involvement in the death of dissident Jamal Khashoggi.
The provision was tucked into the rule for the 2018 farm bill, which governs how the farm bill will be debated and voted on. Rules are approved by the House Rules Committee, also known as the Speaker’s Committee because it’s stacked in favor of the majority and usually takes direction from the House speaker.
Rules for legislation normally pass easily on the strength of support from the majority party, but on Wednesday, 18 Republicans balked because of the inclusion of the Yemen language. It passed narrowly in a 206-203 vote, and 17 Republican lawmakers didn’t vote at all, both signs that the language nearly put the farm bill at risk of not advancing.
The rule said a section of the War Powers Resolution won’t apply for the rest of the current Congress to any resolution related to Yemen. That effectively prevents the House from taking up the Senate resolution, should it pass.
Republicans and Democrats in the House who favor a vote on the measure blasted Ryan’s move, which they said was underhanded.
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., called the move “despicable” and said on Twitter that House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., “is shirking responsibility for debating our involvement in the Yemen war by hiding the war resolution in a procedural vote on the farm bill.”
Despicable. @SpeakerRyan is shirking responsibility for debating our involvement in the Yemen war by hiding the war resolution in a procedural vote on the farm bill. SAD! https://t.co/W2sw7K1nMY
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) December 12, 2018
Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., accused Republican leaders of trying to blocking debate on the measure because it would ultimately pass.
“The only reason the leadership is doing this is because they know there are dozens of Republicans who will stand with Democrats to stop the killing in Yemen,” Khanna said during debate on the rule.
But a spokesperson for Ryan said the U.S. is already doing nothing to help Saudi Arabia in Yemen and that blocking a resolution isn’t the critical vote some are making it out to be.
“The U.S. is no longer providing the very support that this bill seeks to cut off thus making it unnecessary,” said Ryan spokeswoman AshLee Strong. “It is based on a factually faulty premise.”
Ryan’s push to block the Yemen vote aligns with the GOP leadership in the Senate, which is opposed to the Yemen resolution. Democrats and a handful of Republicans are poised to pass the Yemen measure in the Senate on Wednesday, but it is essentially going nowhere this year because House Republican leaders don’t support it, nor does President Trump.
It would end U.S. support of Saudi-led airstrikes in Yemen, which is suffering from a humanitarian crisis thanks to the conflict. More than 10,000 civilians have been killed and 40,000 injured.
Earlier Wednesday, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., called on lawmakers to reject the Yemen resolution by arguing it too goes too far in using the war powers act to check Trump. The federal law gives Congress a role in checking executive branch power when it comes to waging war.
McConnell said lawmakers should instead back a resolution addressing Yemen as well as the Saudi government’s murder of Khashoggi that will come up later for a vote.
