President Trump Vetoes Bill Ending US Support for the Saudi Coalition in Yemen, But the Precedent was set by the Obama Administration
Although this War Powers Resolution addressed the unconstitutionality of our foreign policy since 9/11, and passed both chambers of Congress with bipartisan support, President Trump still chose to veto the bill that would cut United States support for the Saudi led war in Yemen which started in 2014, and has resulted in what the United Nations calls "the worst manmade humanitarian crisis in the world".
President Trump claimed the bill was "...an unnecessary, dangerous attempt to weaken my constitutional authorities", and even though the resolution originally passed with bipartisan support, it is unlikely that it will generate enough support to override the presidential veto.
The War Powers Resolution is a 1973 law passed following American involvement in significant conflicts such as the Korean War, under President Truman, Vietnam (post 1971), and the bombing of Cambodia, both occurring during the Presidency of Richard Nixon, all without congressional approval. The Resolution required the President to notify Congress within 48 hours of sending United States forces into military action, and only permitted forces to be deployed for 60 days before congressional approval was required in the form of a declaration of war, or an AUMF in order to keep forces deployed.
According to the veto, the entire premise of the resolution was "flawed" since the Trump Administration was of the belief that US actions regarding Yemen did not constitute "hostilities" due to the fact that the United States was simply providing aid to Saudi intelligence officials, refueling their jets, selling them weapons, and not directly behaving hostile towards the Yemeni people.
The Presidential veto states "The premise of the joint resolution is flawed. Since 2015, the United States has provided limited support to member countries of the Saudi-led coalition, including intelligence sharing, logistics support, and, until recently, aerial refueling, to assist in the defense of United States allies and partners. The provision of this support has not caused United States forces to be introduced into hostilities."
Trump is not the only one to blame for this though, thanks to reporting by New Republic we can see that, "The working theory within the executive branch for what constitutes "hostilities" for purposes of the War Powers Resolution was developed in 2011 as NATO bombs were executing a war of regime change in Libya".
According to two Obama administration officials, the war in Libya also failed to rise to the level of "hostilities" due to the fact that "By placing United States airstrikes outside the realm of hostilities as envisioned by the WPR...Obama did not need Congressional authorization to repeatedly bomb the infrastructure of a foreign Government.". New Republic goes on to state that, "in its December 2016 report on the legal and policy frameworks guiding the use of force, the Obama Administration did not refer to its participation in the Saudi-led war in Yemen as "hostilities", saying instead that 'US forces are not taking direct military action in Yemen in this Saudi-led effort.'".
This is the exact same excuse the Trump Administration is using to claim that the Bipartisan War Powers Resolution to end support for what the United Nations calls "the worst manmade humanitarian crisis in the world" is flawed. The precedent for this veto was set by the Obama Administration.
Its about time progressives begin to realize that there has been a bipartisan consensus on United States foreign policy for quite some time, it is supported by the establishment wings of both the right and the left. Perpetual wars have made those in power rich beyond their wildest dreams, while subjecting the rest of the world to deal with the consequences of their actions. Both Republicans and Democrats are to blame for our catastrophic foreign policy.