TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/VETO/WAR/YEMEN: “President Donald Trump on Tuesday [4-16-19] vetoed a bipartisan measure to cut off U.S. support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen’s civil war, calling it ‘an unnecessary, dangerous attempt to weaken my constitutional authorities.’ Tuesday’s veto was the second of Trump’s presidency, coming a month after he vetoed a resolution to reverse his national emergency declaration aimed at securing funding for a border wall. All Democrats and several Republicans — including Trump allies — in both chambers backed the War Powers resolution amid a worsening humanitarian crisis in Yemen, where Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have sought to overthrow the country’s government. Others voted for the bill as a way to punish Saudi Arabia for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. In his official veto message, Trump echoed an argument advanced by senior Republican lawmakers and the Pentagon: that the U.S. has never been engaged in hostilities in Yemen counterterrorism missions targeting al-Qaida…The Trump administration has said that backing the Saudi-led coalition is crucial in order to push back Iran’s influence in the region, a key priority for the president, who said on Tuesday that the War Powers resolution would ‘embolden’ Iran.”
–Andrew Desiderio, “Trump vetoes resolution on ending U.S. role in Yemen civil war,” Politico, April 16, 2019 9:06 pm