Ranking Member James P. McGovern

House Committee on Rules

Representing Massachusetts' 2nd District

Ranking Member McGovern Condemns Republicans for Using a Rules Change to Prevent a Debate on the United States’ Support of Saudi Arabia’s War in Yemen

**Video of his full speech is available online here**

WASHINGTON, DC — On the House Floor today, Rules Committee Ranking Member and Co-Chair of the bipartisan Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission Jim McGovern (D-MA) condemned House Republicans for using a rules change to prevent Congress from exercising its oversight powers under the War Powers Resolution to debate the United States’ support of Saudi Arabia’s War in Yemen.

Republican leaders placed a provision in the rule considered on the House Floor today removing the privileged status of Rep. Ro Khanna’s (CA-17) War Powers Resolution, H. Con. Res. 138. This resolution, supported by McGovern, states that Congress never authorized the United States’ support of Saudi-led forces in Yemen. It would also direct President Trump to end this support. Republicans’ unprecedented move forecloses the only available mechanism that compels an up or down vote on the resolution this session of Congress.

“With this rule before us today, Republicans have taken the unprecedented step of striking this privilege, preventing us from doing our constitutional duty and foreclosing the only available mechanism to compel an up or down vote in Congress regarding our military involvement in the Yemen war,” McGovern said on the Floor.

“The U.S.-Saudi military campaign in Yemen has triggered the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, prompting the late Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi to call for an end to the war. Published just weeks before his murder, Khashoggi’s Washington Post column was headlined, ‘Saudi Arabia’s crown prince must restore dignity to his country — by ending Yemen’s cruel war,’” continued McGovern. “It is unconscionable for Republican leadership to take this unprecedented action to strip Members of their right to bring such measures to the floor for debate. Mr. Speaker, what is this Majority afraid of?”

McGovern has condemned Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen and the suffering it is causing among innocent civilians, and has urged the United States to end its support of the war. Together with a bipartisan group of 20 lawmakers, he introduced legislation last month to immediately stop all military sales and aid to the government of Saudi Arabia.

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