President Joe Biden's decision to attack Yemen's Houthi rebels prompted a fierce backlash from conservatives, liberals and progressives.
Thursday night US vs. UK launched Attacks on more than a dozen Houthi-held areas in Yemen.
Conservatives and progressives opposed the attack, primarily warning of increased escalation in the region and how this would undermine the War Powers Act.
“The United States has been involved in some form of hostilities in Yemen for more than five years,” said Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), a libertarian-leaning Republican. “The sad reality is that Congress often refuses to assert its authority. Under Paul Ryan, the War Powers Act regarding Yemen was twice overturned by Congressional maneuvering.”
He cited a 2018 resolution he and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) sponsored to force a vote on U.S. support for the Saudi-led war against Yemen.
The United States has been involved in some form of hostilities in Yemen for more than five years now. The sad reality is that Congress often refuses to assert its authority.
Under Paul Ryan, the War Powers Act regarding Yemen was twice overturned by congressional maneuvering. https://t.co/kAdi3WjmEt
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) January 12, 2024
“The president needs to come to Congress before he launches an attack on the Houthis in Yemen and drags us into another Middle East conflict. That's Article 1 of the Constitution,” Khanna wrote on “I support it regardless of whether there's a Democrat or a Republican in the House.”
he Added:
Section 2C of the War Powers Act is clear. The president can only bring the United States into hostilities after Congressional approval or in a national emergency in which the United States is under imminent attack. Reporting is not a substitute. This is a retaliatory attack.
Rep. Cori Bush (D-Missouri) also said:
.@POTUS No airstrikes can be launched against Yemen without Congressional approval. This is illegal and violates Article 1 of the Constitution. The people don't want any more of our tax dollars spent on endless wars and killing civilians. Stop the bombing and let us all do better.
“The United States has a solemn responsibility to protect our military personnel from dangerous situations and to uphold the laws of free and open seas. We are glad that Congressional leadership has been briefed, but we are not authorizing war. only in Congress,” said Rep. Sarah Jacobs (D-Calif.) said. “We are also concerned that this strike could lead to further escalation.”
“Regardless of party affiliation, the Constitution is important,” said Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT). Said.
“The Constitution is clear and only Congress has the power to declare war,” said Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Florida). “President Biden will come to Congress and urge them to authorize this act of war. You have to ask us.”
The cost of war in Yemen has been enormous.Brown University War Expenses Project To tell Since October 2002, at least 112,000 people have been killed in Yemen as a direct result of the war.united nations development program believe An estimated 377,000 people have died, with nearly 60 percent “indirectly caused by conflict-related problems, such as lack of access to food, water, and health care.”
Policy experts have expressed concerns about the effectiveness of airstrikes against the Houthis, suggesting they could increase the risk of escalation in an already volatile region.
Benjamin Friedman, director of the Office of Defense Priorities, said in a statement Friday:
Attacking the Houthis will not work. This means that it is highly unlikely that a Houthi attack on shipping could be stopped. A strike that is likely to fail will lead to an escalation to more violent measures that may also fail. That's why attacking the Houthis is a bad idea. They make policymakers look reckless; There is therefore a temptation to raise funds for more pointless wars in order to resolve problems that are better left to diplomatic means.
The benefit of these airstrikes is that they make those who prefer to use violence to protect an imaginary “rules-based international order” feel good. This will allow those who argue on behalf of global shipping that “something more must be done” to get “something”. But there is no payoff beyond the psychological health of the elite.
Tactically, strikes on a dozen targets are far too limited to deny the Houthis the ability to use missiles and drones to target ships off their coasts. Strategically speaking, the punishment imposed on the Houthis is essentially a needle-prick, with Houthi leaders clearly seeing a large political payoff in increasing their domestic legitimacy. It does little to deter attacks that are currently occurring. By emphasizing their claim that they are at war with Israel and its supporter, the United States, defense In the Gaza Strip, Houthi leaders may actually welcome airstrikes.
In reality, Houthi shipping attacks have not been particularly effective, nor are they a major economic problem. The result will be a small price increase, borne primarily by European and Chinese consumers. This suggests that the imperative to solve this problem need not be Washington's. But if that's the case, the diplomatic route seems best. The Houthis' demand for an end to attacks is to allow increased aid to Gaza. Admitting it, even if it's a secret, is much cheaper than war. At the very least, it's an option worth considering.
“President Biden's decision to launch an attack on Yemen is reckless and violates the Constitution and the War Powers Act,” progressive group Demand Progress said in a statement. “If he had enough time to assemble a multilateral coalition and plan this operation, he would have had enough time to come to Congress.”
President Biden's decision to launch an attack on Yemen is reckless and violates the Constitution and the War Powers Act. If he had enough time to organize a multilateral coalition and plan this operation, he would have had enough time to come to Congress.
Our full statement: pic.twitter.com/6CayqoUwKs
— Demand Progress (@demandprogress) January 12, 2024
“If the goal is to deter Houthi attacks without escalating the situation to all-out war, bombing the Houthis has proven highly inefficient in the past. Just ask the Saudis.” said Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible States. I have written.
Sean Moran is a policy reporter at Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.
