Removal of United States Armed Forces From Hostilities in Yemen That Have Not Been Authorized By Congress

Floor Speech

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Mr. ZELDIN. Mr. Chair, I thank Chairman McCaul for yielding. I have great respect for him, as well as our committee chair, Eliot Engel.

Mr. Chair, I rise today in opposition to H.J. Res. 37, directing the removal of U.S. Armed Forces from unauthorized hostilities in Yemen. One of the reasons why is because we aren't even engaged in hostilities in Yemen.

The United States is not involved in any direct live fire exchanges. Last November, the U.S. stopped aerial refueling of Saudi jets.

According to the Department of Defense, U.S. support to the coalition is for defensive purposes only. It focuses only on helping minimize civilian casualties, which means that this resolution, if passed and implemented, will actually result in less food and medicine getting into Yemen and more civilians dying, and the war will not end.

If anyone wants to propose a bill and pass one cutting off or conditioning specified U.S. security assistance to Saudi Arabia, they have the ability to do so. That is not this bill.

What is also important is that there are a lot of freshman Members here in this Chamber, and the fact that we are rushing this to the floor so quickly without having a classified briefing for all of those Members is also deeply unfortunate. That should take place before passing this resolution.

Congress has many other ways to engage in oversight efforts for U.S. security assistance with Saudi Arabia, including approving arms sales and through appropriations.

Our assistance for Saudi Arabia started in 2015, when the Houthis overthrew a legitimate government, backed by Iran. The Houthis fired missiles against Saudi Arabia with support from Iran, and the U.S. provided intelligence and logistical support in compliance with the law of armed conflict.

Iran poses a massive geostrategic threat to Yemen and to the United States and many of our allies. Iran is providing training and support to the Houthi rebels, including supplying ballistic missiles that have been fired into Saudi Arabia. In 2016, missiles were fired by Iranian- backed Houthi rebels at a U.S. Navy warship near the Bab el-Mandeb. If Iran has the ability to cut off global shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and el-Mandeb, it would have disastrous consequences.

If this resolution passes, we are emboldening Iran to continue their nefarious ambitions in the region without restraint.

Mr. Chairman, I oppose H.J. Res. 37. I think Iran would endorse it.

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