Sanders to pursue Senate vote on ending US involvement in Yemen

United States Senator Bernie Sanders has announced his intention to push for a Senate vote ending US involvement in Yemen in the upcoming days.

In an email addressing supporters, Sanders announced “this week I will go to the floor of the United States Senate [to force the vote],” revealed The Hill on Tuesday.

“Despite Trump’s venal support for the Saudi regime, I am confident that we now stand an excellent chance to win this vote which I plan on bringing back to the Senate floor this week,” added Sanders.

A spokesman for the politician further confirmed that Sanders is negotiating a Wednesday or Thursday vote with Senate leadership.

The vote may seek to introduce a resolution similar to a previous one brought up in March which called for a halt in US intervention in Yemen.

The resolution, proposed by Sanders and Republican Senator Mike Lee, was blocked by a 55-strong vote despite gaining 44 favorable votes.

A new vote will further increase pressure on US relations with the oil-rich kingdom, given the added controversy over the killing of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi along with Saudi Arabia’s prolonged bloody onslaught on Yemen.

The announcement comes as the Senate has been exploring different means to punish the Saudi government in recent weeks.

On November 15, a bipartisan group of senators introduced a bill seeking to halt US arms exports to Saudi Arabia.

The measure came on the same day the US Treasury Department had imposed economic sanctions on 17 Saudis allegedly involved in Khashoggi’s murder.

Later this week, Defense Secretary James Mattis and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo plan to brief the Senate on Saudi Arabia, in what may be a last attempt to defend the Trump administration’s positive relations with Riyadh in the Upper House.