In Pushing Saudis on Yemen Aid, US Warns About Losing Congressional Support

Congress May Resist Future US Arms Sales to Saudis

Despite repeatedly White House expressions of confidence that the Saudis are definitely going to start letting aid into Yemen at some point, the Saudis have shown no sign of doing so. Privately, the US has been a bit more blunt with them about the potential consequences.

The Trump Administration is trying to sell easing humanitarian aid as a way to placate the US Congress, where mounting concerns about the war crimes being committed in Yemen are seeing votes on US arms sales to the Saudi kingdom increasingly difficult to squeeze through.

The public statements from the White House are getting more frequent, with two statements on Wednesday and Friday of the past week, and officials saying over the weekend they expect more in the coming weeks, suggesting they don’t believe the Saudis will so easily allow food into Yemen.

Since the US has at times participated in the blockade themselves, lawyers in the administration have been said to be concerned the US would be legally complicit in the deaths resulting from the blockade. If indeed it lasts weeks more, that number could mount substantially.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.