Nearly 30 bipartisan members of the House have sent a letter to President Biden urging him to get authorization from Congress before launching more strikes against the Houthis in Yemen.
The letter, led by Reps. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Warren Davidson (R-OH), said President Biden was violating the Constitution by launching a new war against the Houthis.
"We believe the US’s unauthorized strikes in Yemen violate the Constitution and US statute. We ask that your Administration outlines for us the legal authority used to conduct these strikes, and we urge your Administration to seek authorization from Congress before conducting any more unauthorized strikes in Yemen," the letter reads.
"As representatives of the American people, Congress must engage in robust debate before American servicemembers are put in harm’s way and before more US taxpayer dollars are spent on yet another war in the Middle East. No President, regardless of political party, has the constitutional authority to bypass Congress on matters of war,” the letter says.
Four senators sent a similar letter to President Biden that questioned his legal authority for the strikes.
The US has now bombed Yemen 10 times since January 12. Britain joined the US in some of the strikes, but most have been unilateral US strikes. The latest US attack was conducted early Saturday morning Yemen time, according to US Central Command.
CENTCOM claimed the strikes on Saturday targeted a Houthi anti-ship missile that was aimed at the Red Sea. Yemen’s Al-Masira TV reported the strikes targeted the Ras Issa port, Yemen’s main oil export terminal, which is located in the western Hodeidah province.
The US strikes have done nothing to deter the Houthis, as they have broadened their attacks on commercial shipping to include American and British vessels. Before President Biden started bombing Yemen, the Houthis said they were only targeting Israel-linked shipping to protest the Israeli massacre in Gaza.
The President's strikes in Yemen are unconstitutional. For over a month, he consulted an international coalition to plan them, but never came to Congress to seek authorization as required by Article I of the Constitution. We need to listen to our Gulf allies, pursue… pic.twitter.com/JzO67zIES1
— Rep. Ro Khanna (@RepRoKhanna) January 12, 2024
A tanker with links to the UK was struck by a Houthi missile on Saturday and was on fire for several hours. The Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, have vowed they won’t back down and say the only way to reduce tensions is for the US-backed Israeli slaughter in Gaza to end.
