Contact: Ron Boehmer, 202-225-2906
Vedant Patel, 202-379-6013
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-Chairs Mark Pocan (WI-02) and Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) applauded the House passage of H.J.Res. 37 by a 248-177 margin, to direct the President to end unauthorized U.S. hostilities in Yemen:
“Today is a historic milestone in a years-long campaign by the Congressional Progressive Caucus, under the leadership of CPC First Vice Chair Ro Khanna, to bring an end to Yemen’s humanitarian crisis and restore the rightful constitutional role of Congress on questions of war and peace. By an overwhelming margin, the House of Representatives voted for the first time in history to invoke the War Powers Resolution to compel the White House to stop unconstitutional hostilities. With Congress directing an end to U.S. involvement in the Saudi-led war, today’s vote spells an end to the conflict as a whole.
“Starting in 2015, and largely in secret, U.S. participation in the Saudi-led military campaign has fueled incalculable hunger, disease and suffering for the people of Yemen. The passage of H.J.Res. 37 marks a decisive shift toward a progressive foreign policy, in which transparency, public engagement, and democracy – expressed through votes by the people’s elected representatives – move us away from perpetual conflict and toward peace. We look forward to working with our Senate counterparts to ensure the bicameral passage of our war-powers legislation to help save millions of lives.”