US Senate fails to override Trump’s veto on Yemen
Washington: The US Senate has failed to override the veto of President Donald Trump regarding a resolution that demands Washington end its military support for the Saudi Arabia-led military operation in Yemen.
The vote — 53 to 45, failed on Thursday to reach the two-thirds majority required to override Trump’s veto, Xinhua news agency reported.
The resolution, which was approved by the Senate in March and the House early April, directs the president to remove US armed forces from hostilities in or affecting Yemen within 30 days unless they are fighting Al-Qaeda.
Trump vetoed the resolution in April, calling it “an unnecessary, dangerous attempt to weaken my constitutional authorities, endangering the lives of American citizens and brave service members”.
After Trump’s announced veto decision, Democratic Senator Tim Kaine said in a statement that “with this veto, President Trump shows the world he is determined to keep aiding a Saudi-backed war that has killed thousands of civilians and pushed millions more to the brink of starvation.”
The Saudi-led military coalition intervened in Yemen in March 2015 to support the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi after Houthi rebels forced him into exile and seized much of the country’s north, including the capital Sanaa and Hodeidah.
The four-year civil war has killed more than 10,000 people, mostly civilians, displaced 3 million others, and pushed the country to the brink of famine.
