U.S. Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) and eight other senators called on U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to comply with a new federal law requiring America’s help in ending Yemen’s humanitarian crisis and war, which the United Nations reports has affected some 22 million people, 8 million of them on the verge of starvation.
“We believe this humanitarian crisis and the threats to our interests will only worsen the longer the civil war continues,” wrote Sen. Young and his colleagues in an Aug. 29 letter sent to Secretary Pompeo requesting he adhere to Section 1290 of the newly enacted John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019, H.R. 5515.
Section 1290 of the law requires the Secretary of State to certify that the governments of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have begun specific actions toward rectifying the Yemen war and crisis.
If such repeated, written and unclassified certifications can’t be made, the United States by law would no longer be allowed to refuel Saudi coalition aircraft conducting missions in Yemen, according to the senators’ letter, which included the signatures of U.S. Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), among others.
The section “provides leverage that the administration can use to hold our security partners accountable to their commitments and further U.S. interests, principles, and objectives in Yemen,” the lawmakers wrote, referring to a national security waiver included in Section 1290 that the administration may use after it first identifies, in writing, why the certification cannot be made and what steps are planned to force the offending governments into compliance.
Additionally, the provision requires that Congress receive both detailed Yemen-related briefings and a Yemen strategy from the administration.
The senators sent the letter following recent airstrikes in Yemen that killed scores of civilians.
“The deeply tragic and troubling airstrike on August 9th, which reportedly killed dozens of people — most of whom were children — and the continued Iranian-backed ballistic missile attacks on Saudi Arabia only heighten our concerns,” wrote the lawmakers.
They believe America’s national security interests and humanitarian principles demand increased efforts “to press all parties to end the civil war, protect civilians, and provide full and unfettered humanitarian access,” according to the letter.
The senators wrote that in accordance with the law, they expect Pompeo to submit a written, detailed and unclassified certification by Sept. 12.