On Thursday, the House of Representatives will try once again to pass a War Powers Act challenge to the Yemen War. This resolution is intended to be a copy of the S7 Joint Resolution, which already passed the Senate, and is intended to be passed without amendments, so as to avoid any further delays.



This would be the second time the House has passed a Yemen War challenge this year. The War Powers Act obliges the president to get authorization from Congress for wars, and the resolution notes that this never happened, obliging the US to withdraw its military involvement. Trump has vowed to veto the bill.



The first House challenge, H.J. Res 37, passed easily, but the Republican minority added an amendment expressing opposition to anti-Semitism. This allowed the Senate Republicans to block the resolution in the Senate, arguing it wasn’t about the War Powers Act anymore, but was about anti-Semitism.



It is generally accepted that this is going to be tried again, as even if the House passes the Senate resolution, any amendment would send it back to the Senate, and probably mean it won’t get a vote again. Anti-Semitism resolutions are virtually impossible for many to vote against, and that’s doubly so with Trump trying to brand the Democrats as anti-Jewish, and Rep. Louis Gohmert (R-TX) likening the Democratic left to Hitler. Still, the amendment is a fairly transparent trick, and it remains to be seen how many lawmakers will have the courage to vote against it this time around.



The voting is expected early Thursday, before noon, with first votes possible as soon as 10:30 AM Eastern. Those wishing to call their Representative can find contact information here. Make sure they support the War Powers Act challenge (SJ Res 7) but not amendments, nor any Motion to Recommit.

Author: Jason Ditz Jason Ditz is news editor of Antiwar.com. View all posts by Jason Ditz