[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 71 (Wednesday, May 1, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2560-S2561]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                 Yemen

  Ms. STABENOW. Mr. President, I rise today to speak about a true 
humanitarian crisis. This is a crisis that is close to my heart, and 
that is because it is close to the hearts of so many wonderful people 
in the State of Michigan.
  Michigan is home to a large and welcoming Yemeni American community--
one of the Nation's largest--and we are so proud and happy that they 
are part of our community. Right now these Michigan residents are 
horrified to watch what is happening to a country where many of them 
have family members and friends.
  More than 4 years ago, war broke out in Yemen. Imagine 4 years of 
going to bed every night, wondering if this will be the night that a 
bomb or rocket will hit your home and destroy everything you have, 
including your family; 4 years of being unable to send your children to 
school because it is simply not safe for them to be outside; 4 years of 
deadly disease outbreaks with little access to medical care or even 
safe drinking water; perhaps worst of all, 4 years of sending your 
children to bed hungry every night because there is simply not enough 
food.
  It is bad enough to think about being a parent under those 
circumstances. Imagine what it is like to be a child. You are 4 years 
old. You don't understand what is going on. You just know that you 
can't go outside, you can't sleep at night, and you are hungry all the 
time. There are 4-year-olds in Yemen today who have never lived in a 
country that wasn't at war.
  Sadly, there are 4-year-olds in Yemen today who will never see their 
fifth birthday. About 1.2 million children are living in active 
conflict zones, meaning that a stray bullet or rocket could end their 
life at any moment. It is estimated that a child in Yemen dies every 10 
minutes--the length of my speaking today on the floor, every 10 
minutes--from a lack of food or diseases that can be prevented with 
adequate medical care, including vaccinations.
  Overall, the United Nations estimates that no matter what we do at 
this moment--no matter what we do--250,000 Yemeni people will die 
within the next year due to malnutrition, dehydration, and by diseases 
like cholera.

[[Page S2561]]

That is astounding and horrible--250,000 people in addition to the 
estimated 60,000 people whose lives have been cut short due to bombings 
and violence.
  If you are having trouble picturing 250,000 people, it is as if a 
fully loaded jumbo jet crashed every day for a year and then kept 
crashing, one per day, until late August.
  If these dire circumstances don't change soon, that number could 
reach 10 million people by this time next year--10 million people. It 
is astounding. We should all feel a sense of urgency about the United 
States playing a positive, not a negative, role in stopping this.
  I want to say again that 10 million people could die from a 
combination of famine, dehydration, and disease. That is like the 
entire populations of New York City and San Antonio being wiped off the 
map.
  We simply cannot sit by and let this humanitarian disaster continue. 
I was pleased back in March when the Senate passed the bipartisan 
resolution to direct the U.S. Armed Forces be removed from hostilities 
in Yemen. I have supported this resolution since the very beginning, 
the first time it was on the floor. It has been gaining momentum, 
gaining more and more support from the Senate, and I am thankful that 
it finally got to the Senate.
  Unfortunately, the administration chose to veto the resolution and 
allow the suffering to continue.
  Taking action to end this suffering is more than just the right thing 
to do; it is our moral obligation as fellow human beings. That is why I 
am calling on all of the Members in the Chamber, all of the Members in 
the Senate to stand together to override the veto and end the U.S. 
support for this conflict. We need a clear strategy on how to take an 
active role in deescalating the conflict and addressing the 
accompanying humanitarian crisis.
  We should be leading the international response--leading the 
international response and working with international partners to find 
a solution, not contributing to the problem.
  We should be supporting peace talks that involve all parties, all of 
which are contributing to this horrible, horrible humanitarian crisis.
  We know who not to blame for all of this--those scared and hungry 4-
year-olds who have spent every day of their lives just trying to stay 
alive. Can you imagine how their parents are feeling about this 
situation that their children are in as well?
  Ending this conflict and humanitarian crisis is where we should be 
focusing our policies and our political might.
  I will be voting to override this Presidential veto, and I encourage 
every Member of the Chamber to join me--join us, together, in doing the 
right thing. It is time to do the right thing for those 4-year-olds, 
for all of the people in Yemen who just want to be able to feed their 
families, send their children to school, have a safe home, and be able 
to carry on with their lives.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.

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