Trump vetoes Yemen resolution

President Donald Trump late on Tuesday vetoed a congressional resolution to end U.S. support for Saudi Arabian involvement in the civil war in Yemen. The House on April 4 approved a Senate-backed measure to cut off U.S. involvement in the war, but Congress doesn’t have enough votes to override the veto. “This resolution is an unnecessary, dangerous attempt to weaken my constitutional authorities, endangering the lives of American citizens and brave service members, both today and in the future,” Trump said.

The Yemen civil war began in 2015 between Iran-backed Shiite Houthi rebels and the Saudi-backed government. The unrest has left about 22 million people in need of aid in a country of 29 million, sparking one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. To counter Iran’s influence, the United States has provided intelligence, logistics, and arms support to the Saudi-led coalition. But after the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul last year, lawmakers began to call for the United States to stop helping the Saudi war effort.

The Norwegian Refugee Council on Wednesday cautioned that Trump’s move would only prolong the crisis, in which “civilians are paying the price.”