Ed Royce: “I want to thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, including the gentleman from California (Mr. Khanna), for…”

“I want to thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, including the gentleman from California (Mr. Khanna), for working in good faith toward achieving a resolution that productively addresses a very complex issue and a very serious issue, namely, the strategic and humanitarian implications of the ongoing conflict being fought in Yemen. I should also recognize the good work of our Foreign Affairs Committee ranking member, Mr. Eliot Engel of New York. This resolution will send a strong and needed message to all involved in this conflict that is causing so much human suffering. According to the U.N., more than 20 million people in Yemen--that is 76 percent of the population--are in need of humanitarian assistance. More than 2 million people are affected by either moderate or by severe malnutrition. Mr. Speaker, H. Res. 599 is a bipartisan alternative to H. Con. Res. 81. That initial proposal had claimed procedural privileges by invoking section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution, which applies only when U.S. forces are engaged in hostilities abroad without authorization. Though we provide logistics to our Saudi partners in the region, United States forces are not conducting hostilities against Houthi forces in Yemen. The initial resolution also neglected a key facet of the Yemen crisis, and that is Iran, which has been providing increasing support-- very nefarious support--to the Houthi rebels.…”