Major media have reported that this week the Senate is expected to vote to end unconstitutional U.S. participation in the Saudi regime’s war in Yemen, which is deliberately creating the worst humanitarian crisis in the world, pushing millions of human beings to the brink of famine. A Thursday evening CNN report indicated that floor debate on the Sanders-Lee-Murphy Yemen War Powers Resolution “could start as soon as Wednesday.”
But so far major media have not reported that a similar vote is looming in the House this week, still less that opponents of the Yemen war have good reason to expect that they can win the House vote.
The current House vehicle for ending the Yemen war is H. Con. Res 142, introduced by Rep. Ro Khanna together with Reps. Mark Pocan, Thomas Massie, Walter Jones, Jim McGovern, Tulsi Gabbard, and Barbara Lee on November 29. The text of H. Con. Res 142, invoking the War Powers Resolution of 1973 to force a floor debate and vote on ending U.S. participation in the Saudi war in Yemen, is exactly the same as that of H. Con. Res. 138, which was stripped of its War Powers Resolution-guaranteed floor vote at the direction of the House Republican leadership on November 14, in the vote on the rule for consideration of the “the Manage our Wolves Act.” The roll call on the rule blocking the vote on ending the Yemen war was 201-187. A switch of seven votes from “yes” to “no” on the rule would have changed the outcome of the vote. Six House Democrats voted in favor of the rule to block a vote on ending the Yemen war.
On Wednesday, November 28 – the day before H. Con. Res 142 was introduced in the House - the Senate voted 63 to 37 to discharge from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to the Senate floor the Bernie Sanders – Mike Lee – Chris Murphy Yemen War Powers Resolution to end U.S. participation in the Yemen war. Every Senate Democrat and fourteen Senate Republicans voted in favor of discharging the Sanders-Lee-Murphy resolution to the floor.
Opponents of the Yemen war are confident of a better outcome in the House this week than on November 14 because:
- in the wake of the overwhelming Senate vote to end the Yemen war, Yemen war opponents expect far greater public and media scrutiny of the actions of the House, and in particular, of the action and inaction of the House Republican and House Democratic leadership, such as this piece at In These Times speculating on the motives of Leader Pelosi, thereby putting pressure on Leader Pelosi and Whip Hoyer to ensure that all Democrats in the House vote to end the war, as just happened in the Senate;
- as of this writing, there is no meeting noticed of the House Rules Committee this week. If House Speaker Paul Ryan were to try to block a vote on H. Con. Res 142 as he blocked a vote on H. Con. Res. 138, the first step would be to direct the House Rules Committee to pass a rule for consideration of another bill that would block the vote on H. Con. Res 142. In contrast, the Tuesday, November 13 Rules Committee meeting on the “Manage our Wolves Act” was noticed on November 8, the previous Thursday.
- the previous parliamentary maneuver by Paul Ryan was carried out immediately when the House returned to session following recess, catching Yemen war opponents by surprise, as evidenced by high absenteeism in the vote on the rule – many Members were not even back in DC yet. Now, in contrast, Yemen war opponents are prepared to challenge any such maneuver by winning a vote to defeat the rule.
- according to Congressional staff, if there is no Paul Ryan-directed parliamentary maneuver to block a vote on ending the Yemen war, then the sponsors of H. Con. Res 142 can call the question in the House as soon as Thursday, December 13, the day after a successful vote to end the Yemen war is currently expected in the Senate.
Here’s how you can help: make a note in your calendar to call Leader Pelosi and Whip Hoyer Monday morning and demand that they whip House Democrats to oppose any rule from Paul Ryan this week that would block a floor vote on ending the Yemen war. If all House Democrats stand together now to end the Saudi regime’s war in Yemen like all Senate Democrats are standing together, we can end the war now, right now, this week. We don’t have to wait until January to end the war.
Leader Pelosi: (202) 225-4965
Whip Hoyer: (202) 225-4131
When you reach a staffer or leave a message, you can say something like: “I demand that Leader Pelosi and Whip Hoyer press every House Democrat to vote against any rule that blocks a floor vote on ending the Yemen war.”
When you’ve made your calls, please so report in the comments.