(CNN) The Senate blocked a war powers resolution Tuesday that called for an end to US involvement in the Yemen conflict.

By a vote of 55 to 44, senators voted against a procedural motion that would have advanced the measure.

Three senators -- Mike Lee, a Utah Republican, Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent, and Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat -- pushed for the vote, complaining the US military was assisting Saudi Arabia and other countries in their ongoing conflict with Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen without congressional authorization.

They argued that assistance -- including logistical support and mid-air refueling -- constituted involvement in "hostilities" and was contributing to a massive humanitarian crisis in Yemen.

"The Founding Fathers gave the power to authorize military conflicts to Congress, the branch most accountable to the people," Sanders said in a floor speech. "Not to the President but to Congress."

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