Tester, Daines, and Rosendale RE: YEMEN!!!!

Call on Congress to End US Support for the War in Yemen; I share an email from MT's Rep. Rosendale saying he's opposed to endless wars

Dec 13, 2022

AT 5PM TONIGHT, the Senate is supposed to vote on SJ Res 56, a resolution directing the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities in Yemen that have not been authorized by Congress. If it passes, the House might vote on HJ Res 87 tomorrow.

Call Sen. Tester, Sen. Daines, and Rep. Rosendale using this number: (202) 224-3121. The number does not go through to Daines’s office for me, so I called his offices listed at the bottom of his website here: https://www.daines.senate.gov/. His DC office number is: (202) 224-2651.

General ideas for a script:

For Tester, I have said that I’m calling to suggest that he votes for SJ Res 56, I explain a little of the background to the war, that the US is supporting the blockade, I mention the brutality of it (ex. mention how babies are dying from lack of access to clean water since US has assisted in destroying waterways), and then I say that I think Biden was right to express earlier in his presidency that the war needs to end, and that I’m happy he originally ended offensive support, but he needs to end all support for the war.

For Daines and Rosendale, I say the same things, except instead of congratulating Biden and appealing to Dems, I say something about how it’s an unconstitutional and illegal war started by Obama to “placate” Saudi Arabia in response to the Iran Deal. And something about how we need to prioritize America First, that this is a conservative, non-interventionist, bi-partisan issue, or something like that. Also that we do not need to spend more money abroad while price inflation continues to affect Montanans.

Obama Supported War in Yemen to Placate the Saudis

Here’s the NYT article suggesting Obama entered the war to scratch Saudi Arabia’s back:

[T]he White House needed to placate the Saudis as the administration completed a nuclear deal with Iran, Saudi Arabia’s archenemy. That fact alone eclipsed concerns among many of the president’s advisers that the Saudi-led offensive would be long, bloody and indecisive.

Rep. Rosendale’s Response: I Oppose Funding Endless Wars

I want to give a shoutout to Representative Rosendale because he has consistently been good on foreign policy from my standpoint, and I received this email when I called a while back regarding HJ Res 87:

Dear Mr. McCollum,
Thank you for contacting me regarding weapons sales to Saudi Arabia.
I wanted to follow-up with you to let you know that I too am concerned about recent developments that have occurred in the region. I am opposed to the United States funding and supplying weapons to fuel foreign conflicts—especially when these resources are used to harm civilians.
I strongly condemn any and all human rights abuses and I was proud to vote in support of H.R.1392, “Protection of Saudi Dissidents Act of 2021.” This bill imposes limits on arms sales to Saudi Arabia in response to human rights abuses, including the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
You may also be aware of other proposals to curtail arms sales to Saudi Arabia. For example, H. Res. 175, “expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding United States arms transfers to Saudi Arabia” was introduced earlier on this Congress and was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Intelligence. While I do not sit on either of these committees, please know that I will keep your opinion in mind and thoughtfully consider the resolution if it is brought to the House floor.
All this is to say I oppose funding endless wars abroad and will not support violence against civilians.
I appreciate you taking the time to share your opinion with me. Should you have any further questions about these votes, please feel free to call my DC office at (202) 225-3211.
Sincerely,
Matthew Rosendale, Sr.
Member of Congress

In that email, Rosendale didn’t explicitly address HJ 87, but he seems to be leaning in that direction. I think he might support it, but I called his DC office again today and asked his staffer if I could get a follow-up email concerning whether he will support the HJ resolution. I did the same with Sen. Tester and Sen. Daines regarding the SJ resolution. I hope to hear back, and I hope they vote correctly.

Please give them a call. It only takes a couple of minutes.

Plus, it looks like the Biden WH is pressuring senators not to support it, so there’s another reason for you to call—and for you to convince your friends and family to call: