President Trump is objecting to the Congressional resolutions attempting to end US involvement in the Saudi-led war in Yemen through a War Powers Act challenge. The president has promised to veto the resolution.
The War Powers Act challenge notes that the war was never authorized by Congress. The Senate passed the resolution last year, but new versions are advancing this year through the House and Senate. Getting a veto-proof majority is uncertain.
The White House says this challenge is “inappropriate” because all they are doing is refueling Saudi warplanes, not sending combat troops. The Pentagon made a similar argument to Congress last year, though it was subsequently revealed that the US does in fact have combat troops in Yemen, a fact that officials seem to forget about whenever a vote is imminent.
Officials are also arguing that withdrawing from the war would risk US-Saudi relations. This is, for many in Congress, sort of the point, as opposition to the war spiked after the murder of Jamal Khashoggi by the Saudis, and many are arguing this is an appropriate rebuke for the murder.