Senate

Senate tees up Yemen vote for Tuesday

by Jordain Carney - 03/19/18 8:34 PM ET

The Senate has formally teed up a vote on ending U.S. military involvement in Yemen for Tuesday.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), wrapping up for the Senate for the evening, asked consent that supporters of the resolution be able to call up the measure once the Senate reconvenes on Tuesday, with up to four hours of debate before a vote.

If all debate time is used up, a vote is expected at approximately 4:15 p.m. on Tuesday, according to the Senate GOP cloakroom. The Senate is expected to vote on tabling, or effectively pigeonholing, the resolution.

The resolution, spearheaded by Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), would require any U.S. forces not involved in fighting al Qaeda or related groups to be out of the country within 30 days.

{mosads}The United States has provided support for the Saudi campaign in Yemen’s three-year civil war.

But the resolution faces an uphill battle in a GOP-controlled Congress, with both the Trump administration and Republican leadership opposed to the effort.

GOP Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, said on Monday evening that he wasn’t sure where the votes were but hoped it wouldn’t advance.

Meanwhile, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), who wants the bill to go through committee, told reporters that the motion to table would “likely carry.”

Murphy also appeared somewhat cautious about whether or not his resolution would be able to muster the votes. He predicted most Republicans will oppose it while the vote count remained “fluid” on the Democratic side.

“You know it’s a new precedent. … I think a lot of members on our side are tying to figure out what a ‘yes’ vote means and what a ‘no’ vote means,” he told The Hill.

Supporters of the resolution are using a provision of the International Security and Arms Export Control Act of 1976 to force the vote.