[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 197 (Thursday, December 13, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7578-S7579]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              S.J. RES. 54

  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. President, the United States must fundamentally 
reshape our relationship with Saudi Arabia. Whether it is the 
catastrophic war in Yemen or the brutal murder of a U.S. resident, 
Saudi leaders believe they can behave recklessly and criminally without 
any consequences. We simply cannot continue business as usual with the 
Kingdom, specifically with Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.
  President Trump has enabled Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman's most 
egregious behavior. After our intelligence community assessed that the 
Crown Prince was implicated in the murder of U.S. resident Jamal 
Khashoggi, Trump responded, ``it could very well be that the Crown 
Prince had knowledge of this tragic event--maybe he did and maybe he 
didn't!'' Once again, the President has chosen to trust the word of a 
brutal autocrat above that of his own intelligence community. Once 
again, Trump has cast aside our Nation's values.
  Even more tragically, the devastating and brutal war in Yemen rages 
on, pitting the reckless Crown Prince against the Houthis. The Crown 
Prince's actions have driven the Houthis even farther into the hands of 
their Iranian backers and, inadvertently, strengthened Tehran's 
position. The result is the world's worst humanitarian catastrophe. 
Tens of thousands of civilians have been killed. More than 8 million 
Yemenis are on the brink of starvation. The worst cholera outbreak in 
modern history has afflicted over 1 million people, including over 
600,000 children. Millions more are displaced from their homes. As the 
years wear on, and with no end in sight, the cycle of desperation, 
destruction, and death continues unabated.
  Though the administration recently suspended aerial refueling for the 
Saudi-led coalition, it claims that munitions sales and targeting 
assistance provide leverage in the conflict; yet President Trump seems 
unable and indeed unwilling to use this leverage to place meaningful 
restraints on the Saudi attacks in Yemen.
  So we must ask ourselves these questions: Why is the United States 
complicit in this endless war? Why is the President providing cover for 
the Saudi Crown Prince, at all costs? Finally, what must we do to reset 
this relationship?
  I believe there are two clear, near-term actions we must take to 
answer these questions and reshape our relationship with Saudi Arabia.

[[Page S7579]]

  We took our first step today. In an historic moment, the U.S. Senate 
voted to suspend military support for the Saudi-led operations in 
Yemen. The administration should heed this clear signal and end all 
military support, including supplies of U.S. spare parts and technical 
support. We must refocus our efforts to help broker an end to the 
conflict.
  Second, the United States must send a clear message to Saudi Arabia 
or any other autocratic regime: We do not tolerate the slaughter of 
political dissidents. We must hold accountable all those responsible 
for murder of Jamal Khashoggi. That means we must impose sanctions on 
the Crown Prince himself.
  The Senate's vote today sends a clear message to Saudi Arabia and 
President Trump: We will hold you accountable, we will not trade away 
our Nation's values, and we will not abdicate our responsibility in 
decisions of peace and war. S.J. Res. 54 reins in the President's 
largely unencumbered war-making powers and ends unconditional U.S. 
military support for the Saudi campaign in Yemen without an 
authorization from Congress. For these reasons, I was proud to vote in 
support of this resolution.

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