Bob Graham isn’t the only politician from the Sunshine State putting pressure on Saudi Arabia as Republican Ted Yoho is pushing on Capitol Hall to cut funds to that nation when it comes to high tech weapons.
Last week, the North Florida congressman who sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, introduced a resolution cutting high tech military support to Saudi Arabia’s efforts against Yemen in less the White House agrees that certain criteria are met including ensuring Saudi Arabia is offering no “funding, materiel support, or lethal aid to designated foreign terrorist organizations,” cuts down on damage to civilians and ensuing the Saudis are “taking all necessary measures to target designated foreign terrorist organizations, including al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and affiliates of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant as part of its military operations in Yemen.”
Yoho joined California Democrat Ted Lieu in leading the charge in the House while Kentucky Republican Rand Paul and Connecticut Democrat Chris Murphy sponsored the bill in the Senate.
When he introduced the legislation, Yoho raised concerns about the Obama administration‘s efforts against Islamic State (ISIS) terrorism.
“President Obama has yet to provide a comprehensive strategy to combat and defeat ISIS,” Yoho said. “He has missed the deadline, set by the last NDAA, to provide Congress with a comprehensive strategy to combat Islamic extremism—moreover he has yet to provide Congress with a sufficient strategy regarding Syria. His piece-meal approach to the region is not working.”
Yoho also insisted military equipment needs to stay out of terrorists’ hands.
“Until we have a comprehensive plan, America should not be flooding the Middle East with high tech weapons,” Yoho said. “Although our allies in the Middle East, namely Saudi Arabia, are on the front lines fighting ISIS and their affiliate groups, we must make sure their actions are in line with our national interests. We must make sure that Saudi military action is actually targeting terrorist groups, protecting civilian populations, facilitating humanitarian aid in their military actions in Yemen, and given the recent news regarding the Kingdom’s connections with the 9/11 attacks, we must make sure that they are targeting all terrorist groups including al Qaeda.
“Beyond lacking a coherent strategy in the region, the Obama administration must begin to hold countries receiving U.S. military munitions accountable,” Yoho added. “Until Congress has been able to conduct proper oversight and ensure that the use of the air to ground munitions are being used in a manner that is consistent with the United States’ national security strategy, we should halt the sale of said munitions.”
“Saudi Arabia is an important partner, but we must acknowledge when a friend’s actions aren’t in our national interest,” Murphy said earlier in the month when he introduced the bill in the Senate. “I have yet to see evidence that the civil war we’re supplying and supporting in Yemen advances our national security. The more it drags on, the clearer it becomes that our military involvement on behalf of the Saudi-led coalition is prolonging human suffering in Yemen and aiding the very groups that are intent on attacking us.
“As the humanitarian crisis continues to deteriorate, anti-American sentiment is spiraling as the local population blames the U.S. for the thousands of civilian deaths resulting from the Saudis’ bombing campaign,” Murphy added. “This will come back to haunt us. And worse, our Gulf state partners have scaled back their anti-ISIS activity in order to focus on fighting Iran in Yemen. It's time that we put real conditions on our military aid to the Saudis, including the requirement that their proxy wars with Iran not distract them from the fight against violent extremist groups like ISIS.”
“For too long the Obama administration has not been holding countries receiving U.S. military munitions accountable in the Middle East,” Paul said. “It is no secret that Saudi Arabia’s record on strictly targeting combatants and legitimate military targets in Yemen has been questionable. I believe, along with Sen. Murphy, that the U.S. should halt the sale of air-to-ground munitions to Saudi Arabia until Congress has conducted proper oversight and ensured that such munitions are being used in a way that is consistent with our country’s national security strategy and values.”
During his time in the Senate, Graham headed up the intelligence investigation looking at Saudi involvement in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Graham has called for releasing that report even as the Saudis threaten economic payback if Congress punishes that Middle Eastern nation’s leadership for any involvement in the 9/11 attacks.
