The U.S. Senate voted on Wednesday to advance a resolution to end U.S. military support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen‘s civil war, setting the stage for a possible final vote on the measure within days.
Underscoring bipartisan unhappiness with President Donald Trump’s response to the humanitarian crisis in Yemen and the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at a Saudi consulate, many of Trump’s fellow Republicans joined Democrats to advance the measure by a vote of 63-37.
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On Wednesday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis briefed the Senate behind closed doors about Saudi Arabia, the Oct. 2 murder of Khashoggi and the war in Yemen.
Pompeo acknowledged to the lawmakers that the Yemen conflict – in which Saudi Arabia is deeply involved – has taken a terrible toll on civilians, but he argued that the Saudis provide an important counterweight to Iran in the region.