Hey public! Let's amplify our "outcry."

Amidst public outcry, has Congress done enough to pass legislation that aids failed states? American troops remain fighting the War on Terror with a 16-year old Authorization of Military Force (AUMF) that was approved by Congress in 2001 and 2002. The AUMF was put into place after 9/11 with the go ahead to fight al Qaeda militant groups and has continued to be used for wars in multiple countries. Critics from both parties have attempted to pass legislation calling for a new AUMF but there has been no resolution. American military activity in Yemen is encompassed in the al Qaeda AUMF.

U.S. forces have backed the aerial and ground bombing campaign and port blockades led by the Saudi coalition. Called one of the worst humanitarian crises of the century, the Yemeni people are facing starvation, death from cholera, and continuous civilian bombings. Human Rights Watch (HRW) has documented over 50 seemingly unlawful coalition airstrikes since the start of the campaign in March 2015. These strikes are estimated to “have killed nearly 800 civilians and hit homes, markets, hospitals, schools, civilian businesses, and mosques.” HRW has concluded that some these attacks may amount to war crimes.

As the US economy gains from weapon sales to Saudi Arabia, the Saudi-led coalition forces have used US-made air-dropped and ground-launched cluster munitions in their campaigns.  In May 2017, the Trump administration promised the Saudi government a $110 billion US arms package. The crisis in Yemen continues but Congress is making slow strides toward a resolution. For the first time and after good faith negotiations with bipartisan House leadership, an agreement was reached that will allow for an hour-long debate on U.S. involvement in the Yemen Civil War on the House floor.

Starvation, cholera, thousands of dead civilians, and potential war crimes since 2015. Congress has agreed, for the first time, to debate the issue for an hour. How virtuous. The resolution states, “directing the President pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution to remove United States Armed Forces from unauthorized hostilities in the Republic of Yemen. H.Con.Res.81 — 115th Congress (2017-2018)” Further, it “directs the President to remove U.S. Armed Forces from hostilities in the Republic of Yemen, except those engaged in operations directed at Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, within 30 days after adoption of this concurrent resolution, unless the President requests and Congress authorizes a later date, and unless and until a declaration of war or specific authorization for the use of U.S. Armed Forces has been enacted.”

Has there been public outcry with regard to the atrocities of the Civil War in Yemen? Those that occurred in Syria seem to be old news. Undoubtedly there are many Americans who are volunteering, donating time and money to these causes. Yet action from Congress, the voice of the people, seems to have slowed to a crawl. Can we not do any better? The most powerful nation in the world is sitting back as people still die of cholera in the 21^sst century? When asked about his views regarding Yemen, Rep. Dave Reichert, (R-Wash) stated, “I’m in the middle of tax reform right now.” When asked if he had a quick second to talk about the war in Yemen, Representative Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) replied, “No, sorry man. Sorry.” Kinzinger then turned to the man with whom he had been walking and said, “How’s life, dude?” Thankfully the other man was “doing good.” “Nearly 19 million Yemenis are suffering from food insecurity, or 60 percent of the population, and a child dies every 10 minutes from preventable causes and diseases:” but fear not, Congress has given themselves an hour.