Republican Mike Lee is one of three senators leading a charge that would rebuke President Donald Trump with a resolution withdrawing U.S support for Saudi-backed forces at war in Yemen. | Zach Gibson/Getty Images congress Senate set to buck Trump on Saudi Arabia A bipartisan majority is expected to vote to withdraw U.S. support for Saudi forces in Yemen’s civil war.

The Senate is on the verge of passing a resolution to withdraw U.S support for Saudi-backed forces at war in Yemen, with senators predicting that at least a narrow majority will ultimately defy the Trump administration on the matter.

The resolution, led by Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), cites Congress’ authority under the War Powers Resolution and was first introduced in February. But it quickly picked up momentum as senators from both parties voiced outrage over the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and President Donald Trump’s reluctance to blame Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the murder.


Most Republicans are not expected to support the resolution in a final vote, but the Senate voted 60-39 to proceed to the resolution on Wednesday afternoon, including the support of a handful of Republicans.

The Senate voted 63-37 last month to move forward with the resolution, with 14 Republicans joining all 49 Democrats.

Senators said Wednesday they were hopeful they would finish the measure up soon and avoid a lengthy debate over the issue so they could move on to criminal justice reform and funding the government. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) moved to limit the amount of amendments that could be proposed shortly after the proposal advanced.

Sign up here for POLITICO Huddle A daily play-by-play of congressional news in your inbox. Email Sign Up By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

McConnell opposed the resolution and urged his colleagues to do the same. Many Republicans viewed the vote as a rebuke to the Trump administration, which has sought to squash the move against the Saudi regime by arguing it undermined a key U.S. ally.

“The Sanders-Lee resolution is neither precise enough nor prudent enough,” he said. “The United States is not involved in combat. ... There are more careful ways the Senate could express its concern about the conflict in Yemen or our partnership with Saudi Arabia without taking such a blunt instrument to the policy in this area.”

Supporters predicted they had the votes to prevail and send a sharp rebuke to the crown prince, also known as MBS, and the Trump administration.

“If it takes 51 votes, we have it to keep it alive and vote on it,” said Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.). “Most members of the Senate feel that they want to be clearly on the record opposing our involvement in the war in Yemen and clearly on the record that the crown prince is implicated in the assassination of Khashoggi. I think those two facts will prevail over Sen. McConnell’s arguments.”

Even if the Senate passes the resolution, it’s not going far. The House passed a rule Wednesday that appears to block consideration of any War Powers resolutions to limit the United States’ involvement in Yemen. The White House also warned last month that Trump would likely veto the resolution, stating that it “would harm bilateral relationships in the region and negatively impact the ability of the United States to prevent the spread of violent extremist organizations.”

After a briefing last week by CIA Director Gina Haspel, several senators, including GOP Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Bob Corker of Tennessee, said they had no doubt the crown prince played a key role in Khashoggi’s murder. Both had voted to move forward on the Yemen resolution last month, but reversed course on Wednesday.

In addition to the Saudi resolution, other senators are working on alternatives to hold the Saudis accountable for the Khashoggi killing.

Corker, who is chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said that he is working on a resolution that condemns Salman for Khashoggi’s murder. Trump could be forced to sign the resolution if the House also takes it up.

“Hopefully, we’ll have it out and circulated soon and hopefully can get a big vote on that,” he said.

Corker added that he is still working with Foreign Relations Committee ranking member Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) on a bill that could be marked up in committee that would ban arms sales to Saudi Arabia, among other measures. But that bill has stalled amid disagreements between Corker and Menendez over its terms. And Trump has fiercely resisted efforts to block arms deals with Saudi Arabia.

With the Senate debate focusing on other issues, Menendez said he would push again for legislation next year to hold Saudi Arabia accountable. He said additional legislation “sends a global message that just because you're our ally, you cannot kill with impunity and believe you can get away with it.“

