Washington, DC – The Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) welcomed the Pentagon’s decision late last week to stop mid-air refueling of Saudi-led coalition aircraft bombing Yemen. It also called on Congress to pass legislation ending all forms of U.S. military support for the Saudi-led coalition and to press Saudi Arabia and its allies to immediately end the war in Yemen.
Contact: Tim McHugh, Friends Committee on National Legislation, media@fcnl.org; 202-903-2515
“We must end all U.S. military support, including arms sales to Saudi Arabia, that is fueling this unauthorized war in Yemen,” said Diane Randall, FCNL executive secretary. “This disastrous war in Yemen is one America should not have been entangled with in the first place. It has spawned the largest humanitarian crisis in the world today.”
The Pentagon’s decision to end mid-air refueling is not formal law. It can be reversed any time by President Donald Trump. Legislation still pending in the Congress – H. Con. Res. 138 and S.J. Res. 54 – would formally end American military involvement in the Saudi-led war in Yemen.
“This victory is a testament to the power of pressure on the Trump administration from Congress and the grassroots,” said Kate Gould, FCNL’s Legislative Director for Middle East Policy. “Congress should lock in this victory by passing H.Con.Res. 138 and S.J.Res. 54 to end U.S. military participation in this war once and for all, and to ensure that U.S. taxpayer dollars no longer facilitate the largest hunger emergency on the planet.”
U.S. military involvement in the civil war in Yemen has included arms sales to Saudi Arabia and its allies, mid-air refueling of coalition aircraft, and targeting and logistical support. According to the Stockholm Peace Research Institute, the United States is the largest arms supplier to Saudi Arabia, with $8.4 billion worth of sales since 2014.
The United Nations estimates that 3 million Yemenis have been displaced by the war and the country’s economy is in ruins. As many as 14 million people – about half of all Yemenis – are at risk of starvation.
As a Quaker organization, FCNL seeks to end war and all threats of war. To learn more, please visit www.fcnl.org.
