US senators question Biden's Yemen strategy, want congressional
authorization
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[February 28, 2024]
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Democratic and Republican
senators on Tuesday questioned President Joe Biden’s strategy to deal
with Houthi attacks against commercial shipping and contended he should
seek congressional authorization for ongoing military action against the
Yemen-based group.
The United States has been carrying out near-daily strikes against the
Iran-linked Houthis, who control the most populous parts of Yemen and
have said their attacks on shipping are in solidarity with Palestinians
as Israel strikes Gaza.
The strikes have so far failed to halt the Houthis' attacks, which have
upset global trade and raised shipping rates.
Democratic Senator Tim Kaine said during a congressional hearing with
Pentagon and State Department officials that he had serious concerns
about the legal authority the Biden administration was relying on for
the strikes but also what impact they were having.
"Trying to re-establish deterrence, I don't think you're going to do it
if the 200 strikes become 400 strikes, 800 strikes, 1,200 strikes,"
Kaine said.
"I think you will re-establish deterrence when we get a hostage deal
that leads us to a truce, that leads us to humanitarian aid into Gaza,
that leads us to the ability to discuss, whatever that truce period is,
can be extended," he added.
The Pentagon said on Tuesday that its strikes, which started in January,
have so far destroyed or degraded 150 missiles and launchers along with
radars, weapons storage areas and drones.
The Houthis said on Tuesday they could only reconsider their missile and
drone attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea once Israel ends
its "aggression" in the Gaza Strip.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/Nov/22/images/ads/current/llc_sda_BASKETBALL_2023.png)
"The Constitution requires Congress to authorize acts of war. ... We
swore an oath to follow the Constitution. If we believe this is a just
military action and I do, then we should authorize it," Senator Chris
Murphy, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's Middle East
subcommittee.
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![](../images/022824PIX/news_l19.jpg)
Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) holds a press conference with the families of
American and Israeli hostages abducted by Hamas to call for
continued U.S. support after more than 100 days in captivity since
the Hamas attack on Israel, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S.,
January 17, 2024. REUTERS/Anna Rose Layden/File Photo
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2024/Feb/28/images/ads/current/debbiesfloral_lda_021424.png)
Murphy, a Democrat, said he would be in talks with his colleagues to
introduce such an authorization.
Senator Todd Young, the subcommittee's senior Republican, said he
had doubts about the administration's strategy.
"It's imperative that the administration respond to these actions
while demonstrating it is both a strategy for deterring aggression
and appropriate legal doctrine," said Young. "To date, I have not
seen such a strategy put forward."
The U.S. Constitution gives Congress, not the president, the right
to authorize war, but provisions in U.S. law give the White House
the authority to launch limited foreign military action.
The European Union has launched a naval mission to the Red Sea "to
restore and safeguard freedom of navigation."
The United States has a parallel coalition, Operation Prosperity
Guardian, aimed at safeguarding commercial traffic from attacks by
the Houthis.
U.S. Special Envoy Tim Lenderking told lawmakers during the hearing
that China should be "more engaged" in international efforts to halt
the Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping.
"We do see a certain amount of freeloading" by China "that is
absolutely unacceptable," he said.
(Reporting by Idrees Ali, Jonathan Landay and Patricia Zengerle;
editing by Jonathan Oatis)
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