House lawmakers urge Blinken to press Saudi Arabia to lift Yemen blockade
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group of House Foreign Affairs Committee lawmakers are calling on the Biden administration to “urgently push” Saudi Arabia to lift restrictions on imports to Yemen, where the United Nations says nearly 50,000 people are already starving to death.
“Since 2015, the restrictions imposed by the coalition have critically exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in Yemen,” they wrote in a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken Tuesday.
The letter, led by Reps. Ted Deutch and Joe Wilson the Democratic chair and Republican ranking member of the Subcommittee on the Middle East, North Africa and Counterterrorism and Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu, comes shortly after a group of more than 70 congressional Democrats urged President Joe Biden to encourage the Saudi government to end the blockade.
Congressman Kim Statement on Announcement of U.S. Troop Withdrawal from Afghanistan April 13, 2021, 2:18 pm | in
Congressman Kim Statement on Announcement of
U.S. Troop Withdrawal from Afghanistan
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Andy Kim (NJ-03) released the following statement in response to reports that all U.S. troops will be withdrawn from Afghanistan by September 11
th, 2021:
“This decision is the right move that finally ends the longest war in American history. As we approach 20 years since September 11th, we honor the thousands who lost their lives that day as well as the over 2,300 U.S. Servicemembers who gave the ultimate sacrifice in Afghanistan. Our military has decimated Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and prevented them from regaining safe haven. We will stay vigilant against terrorism threats, whether in Afghanistan or anywhere in the world, and continue to make the security of our homeland our top priority.”
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In early February, President Joe Biden announced that he would end US support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen, where six years of continuous conflict have made it the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. But progressive members of Congress are growing frustrated with his refusal to push Saudi Arabia to lift its blockade on Yemen, which has recently reached a critical stage and is starving millions. While his pledge represented a significant policy shift, Biden has not yet taken decisive action to alleviate suffering on the ground or even give members of Congress answers.
President Joe Biden decision, to be announced this week, came after his administration undertook a review of US options in Afghanistan in consultation with allies.
“Since 2015, the restrictions imposed by the coalition have critically exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in Yemen,” the lawmakers wrote, referring to the Saudi-led coalition that supports the internationally-recognized government of Yemen in the country’s south.
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“The interference, delay, and outright blocking of commercial goods and humanitarian assistance shipped to Yemen’s ports is a principal cause of price inflation, food insecurity, economic collapse, and the failure of public services in Yemen. These measures do not interrupt the supply of Iranian and other weapons to the Houthis, especially given the establishment of the UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism (UNVIM) in 2016.”