The House's vote rebuking President Donald Trump's foreign policy was a top priority for House Democrats after they took control in January. | Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images Congress House rebukes Trump with vote ending U.S. support for Yemen war

The House on Thursday approved a measure to cut off U.S. support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen's bloody civil war, in yet another harsh, bipartisan rebuke of President Donald Trump's foreign policy.

Trump is expected to veto the measure, which passed with support from Republicans and Democrats in both chambers. Thursday’s 247-175 vote in the House marks the first time in history that a War Powers resolution will reach the president's desk.


The effort was a top priority for House Democrats after they took control in January amid a worsening humanitarian crisis on the ground in Yemen, where Iran-backed Houthi rebels have sought to overthrow the country’s government, prompting a Saudi bombing campaign that has lasted nearly four years.

It also reflects broad dissatisfaction on Capitol Hill with Trump’s foreign policy — in particular, his posture toward Saudi Arabia in the aftermath of the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

“The president will have to face the reality that Congress is no longer going to ignore its constitutional obligations when it comes to foreign policy,” said Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

The Pentagon has dispatched top officials to Capitol Hill to try to dissuade lawmakers from taking up a War Powers resolution, arguing that U.S. forces are not engaged in hostilities in Yemen and therefore the legislation would have no effect on U.S. policy.

“The problem is, there are no U.S. forces to remove,” said Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), the top Republican on the Foreign Affairs Committee, who called the bill a “pro-Iran, pro-Houthi resolution.”

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Trump’s rejection of the bill will mark the second veto of his presidency, just a few weeks after he vetoed a resolution to overturn his declaration of a national emergency to build a wall on the southern border.

Republican leaders have long tried to stifle the Democrat-led effort, but even some of Trump’s closest allies — including Reps. Mark Meadows of North Carolina and Jim Jordan of Ohio — have backed the legislation, and did so again on Thursday.

The House initially passed a Yemen War Powers resolution in February, but it couldn’t advance to the Senate because it included a Republican amendment condemning anti-Semitism. The Senate’s parliamentarian said the amendment was not “germane” to the underlying bill, effectively killing it.

“Opponents of this measure have used every trick in the book to try to slow it down and derail it,” said Engel.

On Thursday, the GOP tried again to derail the bill. Republican leaders offered an amendment to condemn the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement which encourages companies and individuals to cut off ties with Israel and Israeli-linked entities.

That amendment failed, but not before a fiery debate on the House floor during which Democrats accused Republicans of trying to sabotage the Yemen bill.

“My colleagues are trying to block us from standing in support of our human rights and American values to condemn what’s happening there,” Rep. Ted Deutch (D-Fla.) said to rousing applause from the Democratic side of the chamber.

“How shameful. How sad. The American people will not be fooled or misled by this tactic. Our fellow supporters of Israel will not be fooled,” added House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.).

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), who led the House effort, said it was “insulting” to try to add an anti-BDS amendment to unrelated legislation. “Those issues should be voted on separately,” Khanna said.

Democrats met behind closed-doors throughout the week in order to strategize over the expected GOP amendment — wary of backing something that would, if adopted, require yet another do-over on the Yemen issue.

Some Republicans have viewed the Yemen War Powers resolution as a way to send a message to Trump about his handling of Khashoggi’s grisly October 2018 murder. GOP lawmakers have openly fumed at the Trump administration for failing to comply with congressional demands for a human-rights investigation. They’ve also joined Democrats in backing legislation to cut off U.S. weapons sales to Saudi Arabia.

But Trump has resisted congressional efforts to punish Riyadh for the killing, citing his close relationship with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the longstanding security alliance between the two countries on counterterrorism.

The Trump administration has also prioritized efforts to go on the offensive against Iran, backing Saudi Arabia’s bombing campaign in Yemen as a way to counter Iran’s influence in the region.

Sarah Ferris contributed to this report.

