On The Road Again-- Blue America Truck Is Visiting Devin Nunes' And Jim Costa's Constituents In The Central Valley

That tweet up top with a picture of the truck was sent by Rory Appleton, a political reporter for the Fresno Bee, the most read newspaper in both Nunes' and Costa's districts, respectively CA-22 and CA-16. Both members are extremely conservative, though Nunes is a Republican and Costa is a Blue Dog Democrat. Blue America's specific reason for the mobile billboard-- written by Digby, designed by Bill Mahaney-- was to draw attention to the two of them voting to continue U.S.-supported bombing in Yemen.

I wrote about the vote back in December at which time I noted that "although 18 Republicans crossed the aisle to vote with the Democrats against continuing the bombing, it was 5 conservative Democrats crossing in the other direction that ensured more children in Yemen would die. One was Costa and I also noted that if he is defeated in a primary, his D+9 district will certainly stay in Democratic hands. Appleton recommended his twitter followers read a very hard-hitting and provocative piece about Costa by his colleague, Kate Irby, written just a few days after my own: Why has California’s Jim Costa voted twice against limiting US involvement in Yemen?

She pointed out that Costa is one of only two House Dems, both Blue Dogs, naturally, "to vote with Republicans twice in recent weeks to block efforts to cut military assistance to Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen. [Costa] said his votes, one last month and one last week, were cast for procedural reasons."

Critics saw a motive behind Costa’s votes-- his benefactors in the oil and gas industry. 
Oil and gas companies represent Costa’s second biggest industry supporters, behind only crop processing and production. Costa flatly denied that had anything to do with his vote.


“Absolutely not,” he said.

Costa noted his votes were to limit debate on the initiatives, and apply only to legislation effective this year. The House can take up cutting Saudi Arabia aid again next year.

And Costa said the U.S. policy does need to change in Yemen to address the humanitarian crisis, though he did not specify his views on military aid.

“When we’re in control of the House next year, we can control the debate,” Costa said.

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), the sponsor of the measure to cut U.S. military involvement in Yemen, plans to reintroduce legislation next month to cut aid to Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen, according to spokeswoman Heather Purcell. Republicans now control the House, but Democrats will have the majority starting Jan. 3.

Costa received $100,000 from oil and gas companies in the last campaign cycle and $500,000 from the industry over his congressional career, which began in 2003.

Two other Democrats currently in the House have gotten more donations from oil and gas than Costa over the years-- Reps. Gene Green (D-TX) and Henry Cuellar (D-TX). Neither voted with Republicans to end debate on pulling out of Yemen.

Rauf Mammadov, a scholar on energy policy at the nonpartisan Middle East Institute, said U.S. oil and gas companies are closely watching relations with Saudi Arabia.

While those companies, all dependent on Saudi oil, are constantly worried about a “last straw scenario,” when relations between the countries completely deteriorate, Mammadov said there’s little reason to think withdrawing U.S. aid in the war in Yemen would provoke that scenario.

“Saudi Arabia is likely fear mongering these companies now, and it is the largest exporter and largest producer (of oil),” Mammadov said. “But I would not equate pulling out of Yemen with ending Saudi relations.”

Cyril Widdershoven, a Middle East defense energy analyst, mostly agreed with that assessment, but added that oil companies have become more worried as tensions have built between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia for a long time now.

“How deep a hole can you dig before you fall in?” Widdershoven said.

While the Senate passed a measure cutting U.S. aid to Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen last week, the House no longer has to consider it for the rest of the year thanks to the provision attached to a farm policy bill that Costa approved.

When that maneuver came up for a vote, five Democrats sided with cutting off debate, joining 201 Republicans to insert the provision. Eighteen Republicans and 185 Democrats voted no.

Costa, a moderate [Note: someone needs to explain to Kate what "moderate" means and how it differs from "conservative."] Democrat who represents an agricultural district near Fresno, says he voted the way he did because it was attached to the farm bill, which is vital in his district.

“I was worried it wouldn’t happen if I didn’t vote for it,” Costa said. “I walked on the floor and was told 15 members of the (conservative) Freedom Caucus wanted to kill the farm bill, and they said we might need your vote to save it.”

But he couldn’t explain why he voted for a measure that did the exact same thing regarding Yemen last month, when the measure was attached to the Manage Our Wolves Act, meant to remove Grey Wolves from the endangered species list.

The truck has been on the road this week and will continue into February, covering Fresno and some of the smaller cities in the two districts-- Madera, Chowchilla, Los Banos, Merced, Atwater, Livingston, Clovis, Dinuba, Visalia and Tulare-- and the roads in between them. Today there's a Black History Month celebration at the Energy Education Center on South Laspina Street in Tulare-- and we'll be there. Tonight the Visalia Fox Theatre is hosting the Felipe Esparza Comedy Show-- and we'll be there. Tomorrow will be a busy day for our driver:

• The Jimmy Run – Run for Families in Recovery in Woodward Park, Fresno
• Kennel Club of Fresno All-Breed Dog Show at the Madera District Fair on West Cleveland Ave in Madera
• And in the evening, Fresno State's basketball team plays New Mexico on Campus.

On Tuesday there's a Kiss concert at the Save Mart Center at the Fresno State campus and we'll definitely be there too. I hope Fresno Kiss fans are also peace fans. What about prize fight fans? On Sunday the 10th we're planning on being at the 1pm Jose Ramirez world title match against Jose Zepeda, also on the Fresno State campus. Hmmm... or maybe we should just spend more time at the Nifty Thrifty Flea Market in Clovis that afternoon instead. What do you think? And, by the way, if you'd like to chip in for gas or for keeping our truck with the mobile billboard on the road for another week or so, the Blue America 2020 thermometer on the right is how you do it; just click on the image and contribute what you feel comfortable giving. We are trying to encourage strong progressive Democrats to run against Nunes and against Costa next year. This is our first round of action. Believe me, the Central Valley, Congress, California and America will be way better off without the two of them. Not to mention the women and children in Yemen. Now... isn't that bipartisan!

Senate Republicans Say No To Trump On Syria And Afghanistan-- Will House Republicans Join Them To End The Genocide In Yemen? And What About Jim Costa?

Thursday, most Senate Republican took a stand against the dangerous psychotic in the Oval Office, joining all but a handful of the most progressive Democrats to rebuke his foreign policy framework. Ted Cruz (R-TX), John Kennedy (R-LA), and Mike Lee (R-UT) were the only Republicans who stuck with Trump.The specific measure declared that the Islamic State and al-Qaeda remain serious threats in Syria and Afghanistan, contradicting Trump's self-serving and entirely delusional statements and his justification for withdrawing troops from both countries. What makes the episode really noteworthy is that the measure was written and proposed by The Turtle, who normally lives with his head up Trump's ass. The final vote was 68-23. Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-TX) said the vote showed Congress is a "co-equal branch of government."

Let's see how co-equal they feel when the bill by Bernie, Mike Lee (R-UT) and Chris Murphy (D-CT), citing the War Powers Act, comes up next week to end U.S. support for the Saudi/Emerati war against Yemen.

The Senate passed the war powers resolution last Congress, but Ryan and McCarthy refused to allow a vote in the House. Now Ro Khanna has reintroduced it with backing from Pelosi and it will be voted on.

Bernie minced no words: "With the first-ever passage of a War Powers Resolution last month, the United States Senate said in no uncertain terms that we will not continue to have our military posture dictated by a despotic, murderous regime in Saudi Arabia. We look forward to quickly passing this resolution to end U.S. support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen. We are going to send a strong signal to the president that the U.S. Congress is prepared to play the role designed for us by the framers of the Constitution."

Ro Khanna (D-CA) backed him up in the House: "The U.S.-Saudi military campaign in Yemen has triggered the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. More than 14 million Yemenis-- half the country-- are on the brink of famine, and at least 85,000 children have already died from hunger and disease as a result of the war. I’m proud to partner with colleagues and work to end U.S. military participation in the Saudi regime’s war in Yemen by reasserting Congress’ constitutional role on matters of war and peace. I am confident this will pass in the House when brought for a vote."

As you may know, Blue America is in the middle of a mobile billboard campaign in the Central Valley targeting two genocide-friendly congressmen, one Republican (Devin Nunes) and one Blue Dog Democrat, Jim Costa, both of whom voted to allow the U.S. to continue supporting the bombing and starvation strategies that have been worked out with the Saudis and Emiratis. The truck is driving all around the two districts, CA-22 and CA-16, stopping at events and shopping malls, flea markets, etc to help guarantee that the people who live in these districts are aware that their members of Congress are voting for the slaughter of innocent women and children in their names. We would like to expand the program and if you would like to help us do that, please click on the Blue America I.E. committee thermometer on the right and contribute what you can. Will it help? The last time they voted on Yemen, it was really close, 206-203, so, yes, had Nunes and Costa voted to end the genocide, it would have created a 205-204 result-- in favor of stopping the killing. By the way the 4 other Democrats who voted to continue the killing were Collin Peterson (Blue Dog-FL), David Scott (Blue Dog-GA), Al Lawson (New Dem-FL) and Dutch Ruppersberger (MD).

It Would Be Great To See Blue Dog Jim Costa Replaced In Congress-- But Not With Another Blue Dog

Sometimes people ask me who the single worst Democrat in Congress is. Until very recently, I had never even thought it was Pelosi. Last session it was unquestionably Kyrsten Sinema, the genuinely mentally unbalanced Blue Dog from Arizona, who is currently the single worst Democrat in the Senate. This cycle it has been Josh Gottheimer, Blue Dog, grotesquely corrupt Wall Street whore, New Dem, tool of the murderous Saudi regime and chair of the Problem Solvers Caucus. So far this session, Gottheimer's 26.32 ProgressivePunch crucial vote score can be compared to Justin Amash, a Republican until 2 weeks ago when he became an independent and whose score is 60.53.

But looking beyond just raw scores there are always 3 or 4 Blue Dogs on the band side of everything important, Trump enablers and enemies of working families and progressive values, Thank God just one is here in California, sex predator and Blue Dog Jim Costa, who represents the 16th district in the Central Valley. The district has a sweet D+9 PVI and Trump only managed 36.4% there. One of the poorest districts in the country (the 412th poorest out of 435), it is a Latino majority district (59.2%) and only 23.5% white.

Costa, like Devin Nunes, is the grandchild of Portuguese immigrants who went into dairy farming. He was elected to the state Assembly in 1978, where he was widely considered the worst and most right-wing Democrat in the legislature. When he was finally term-limited out in 2002 he became a corporate lobbyist. But then his local New Dem congressman, Cal Dooley, retired 2 years later to become a K Street lobbyist himself. Costa-- despite an arrest for hiring teenage hookers-- one of whom was an undercover cop-- and despite drug paraphernalia found in his home, won the primary.

Costa's congressional district, CA-16, includes most of the city of Fresno, all of Merced County and a piece of Madera County. Aside from Fresno, the population centers are Merced, Madera, Chowchilla and Los Banos. Costa, who engenders zero enthusiasm among Democratic base voters, has been on shaky ground recently. In 2010, Republican Andy Vidak's challenge was so strong that, despite Costa outspending him $2,076,986 to $891,826, it took 3 weeks of recounts before Costa was declared the winner by 3,050 votes. 2014 was even worse for Costa. With no help from the GOP whatsoever, dairyman Johnny Tacherra-- outspent by Costa $1,116,677 to $342,204-- was declared the winner on election night. A shady recount in Fresno handed the final tally to Costa 46,277 (50.7%) to 44,943 (49.3%). Costa's foolish and dysfunctional response to these close calls has been to tack further and further right.

His Trump affinity score is 34.4%, second worst of any Democrats', having voted, for example, to support ICE, to roll back Dodd Frank protections, to allow guns in schools, to allow for racial profiling by auto finance companies, against opening impeachment hearings (twice), reauthorizing warrantless wiretapping of American citizens under FISA, for attempts to repeal Obamacare, removing antitrust exemption for insurance companies, for Trump's scheme to hobble regulatory agencies, for repealing a rule requiring energy companies to reduce waste and emissions, and against Climate Change efforts involving ozone standards... Whenever there are Democrats crossing the aisle to support the GOP, you can always expect Costa to be among them. After he voted for the TPP (which included $700 million in cuts to Medicare), Blue America sent our lovely accountability truck (below) to drive around Modesto, Merced, Atwater, Livingston and Fresno, you know,  to spend a couple of weeks reminding voters in the district what Congressman Costa is all about. We sent the truck out again when he was one of the only Democrats in Congress to continue funding the genocide in Yemen.

So... you'd think it would be a dream come true to see Costa with a primary challenge. And, in a way it is. First I heard Kim Williams, a college professor and former foreign service diplomat was taking him on and more recently Fresno City Council member Esmeralda Soria declared that she's running. (The Republicans have a real estate agent, Kevin Cookingham, in the jungle primary.) I've tried getting in touch with both Williams and Soria but neither has responded. As far as I can tell, Williams is a bit to the left of Costa and Soria is pretty much exactly the same, politically, as he is.





Late last week, the Fresno Bee took a look at Soria's announcement of her campaign. "Fresno City Councilmember Esmeralda Soria," reported Brianna Calix, "announced on Thursday she is running to represent California’s 16th Congressional District. Soria, a Democrat born to Mexican immigrant farm laborers in the Tulare County town of Lindsay, is in her second and final term on the city council. Soria’s political strength in Fresno could make her the most formidable challenge of Costa’s career."

After Soria’s announcement, Costa said he was disappointed in her decision and pointed to her past endorsements. He said in the last eight months they’ve met for lunch, coffee and social events and she never shared any major criticisms or disagreements with him.

Costa said his record will help him win again as it has in prior elections.

“I always work very hard every day to help people in our Valley,” he said in a telephone interview with The Bee. “…I always put my trust and faith in the voters of the Valley. This is my home and this is what my passion is.”

Costa’s victories over the years have come from his strong voter base in Fresno, while he lost ground in Republican-dominated rural areas like Merced County’s west side. Much of Soria’s council district in south-central Fresno falls within the 16th Congressional District, and she’s made allies with the other Democrat council members representing the southern parts of the city.

Soria also enters the race at a time when people of color are gaining traction in Fresno and challenging the political establishment in ways similar to what Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez accomplished in New York through grassroots organizing and community activism.

In an interview with The Bee, Soria never uttered Costa’s name, saying her congressional bid isn’t about her opponent or partisan politics. “I’m focused on who I represent,” she said. “People want a fair shot. They don’t want a handout.”

Costa, a 67-year-old Blue Dog Democrat, has faced one Democratic challenger since his first bid for Congress in the 2004 primary, Steve Hazei n 2010.


...Whether Soria can beat the veteran politician could depend largely on early fundraising. She said she won’t take any corporate money for her campaign.

Meanwhile, Costa in his last election accepted money from PACs and corporations such as Chevron, Google, Comcast, McDonald’s and Wal-Mart, plus various agriculture or labor-related groups. Costa also is likely to receive fundraising support from other longtime and high-profile California Democrats.

Costa touted his long list of endorsements from the state’s top leaders, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris and Attorney General Xavier Becerra, as well as members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Many have committed to coming to the Valley to help him campaign, he said.

Soria may not be well-known outside of Fresno and her hometown in Tulare County, but the 37-year-old millennial said her background as the daughter of immigrants from a rural community will help her connect with voters in Merced and Madera.


Soria said she was inspired to run by her family’s personal stories and the ones she’s heard from city constituents, former interns and students she’s taught as an adjunct faculty member at Fresno City College.

“My family and the thousands of families here in the Valley that continue to struggle, they’ve worked hard, they’ve played by the rules and they give back. Yet, to this date, they’re barely making ends meet,” she said. “Things haven’t changed. The economy has gotten better. Our unemployment rate has decreased, but not enough. There’s still too many families that are struggling to make ends meet.”

On the issue of health care, Soria wants more affordable options, saying everyone should be able to have similar health care plans as representatives in Congress.

Immigration is a top issue for Soria, who once planned to be an immigration attorney. She called the immigration system broken and said she supports a path to citizenship for Dreamers, a guest worker program for seasonal workers, and condemned the current border crisis, saying “we can’t continue to allow these kids to be in cages.”

Affordable college and student loan debt is another top issue for Soria, who said she’s personally saddled with $150,000 debt from law school.

While Soria avoided directly criticizing Costa in her interview with The Bee, she added: “I wouldn’t be running if those issues were fixed.”


Costa pointed to his voting record to support water needs, transportation infrastructure, reducing prescription drug prices and working with state assemblymembers to bring a medical school to the Valley.

She touted her record at City Hall, helping spur job growth and fix neighborhood problems such as paving roads, building parks, advocating for affordable housing and holding more than 40 community meetings.

Soria’s council colleague Garry Bredefeld recently criticized her for a trip to Washington, D.C., where she met with Ocasio-Cortez. “AOC,” as she’s known online, has been described as a Democratic Socialist and also challenged a longtime Democratic incumbent in her district, where she represents Queens and the Bronx in New York.

While Soria vocally supports some progressive issues such as immigration reform and race-related issues, she’s also supported law enforcement and has been recognized for being “business friendly” while on the Fresno City Council.

The idea of Soria painting herself as a progressive is patently absurd. One actual progressive politician in Fresno told me she is basically Costa with a skirt and "every bit another Blue Dog-in-the-making."

American Weapons Transfers Blowback-- Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Iran, al Qaeda, Trump, UAE...

Right now, Blue America has a mobile billboard riding up and down the highways of two adjacent California congressional districts, CA-22 and CA-16, both centered in the Fresno area. Those are Devin Nunes' and Jim Costa's districts, the first a corrupt reactionary Republican and the second a corrupt reactionary Blue Dog Democrat. Both have backed continued U.S. arms sales and logistic support for the Saudi/Emerati genocide in Yemen-- the reason for the mobile billboard:

When Ted Lieu (D-CA) first began working to end the U.S. participation in the civil war in Yemen, it wasn't a popular decision. Most Republicans like wars in general and Democrats only oppose wars when Republicans are leading them. When the U.S. first got involved in Yemen, Obama was president but in 2015 Lieu was already calling attention to the beginnings of what has turned out to be a 21st Century genocide. Long before Trump was elected he had already introduced the first resolution (H.J. RES 90) to provide limitations on the transfer of air-to-ground munitions from the United States to Saudi Arabia and stating flatly that "The United States needs to send a clear message to Saudi Arabia: the continued civilian casualties in Yemen are completely unacceptable. The Saudis need to do everything in their power to eliminate the risk to innocent civilians in this conflict and until they do the U.S. should not be supporting their military actions there." It was a beginning. By 2017 he had introduced legislation to place conditions on all air-to-ground munitions sales to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The three conditions relate to avoiding civilian casualties, facilitating humanitarian aid, and targeting U.S.-designated terrorist organizations such as AQAP and ISIS. The 2018 National Defense Authorization Act signed by Trump includes two of Lieu's provisions on Yemen, one to bring congressional oversight to the conflict there, requiring the Departments of Defense and State to report to Congress on whether the Saudis and Emiratis are abiding by their commitments in Yemen and another one requiring Trump to submit a detailed report that contains a military and diplomatic strategy for Yemen. Last month he followed up with a bill to prohibit the U.S. from conducting aerial refueling of Saudi-coalition jets in support of the Yemen conflict. On top of that, his 2018 bill to give Congress more oversight of arms sales was just reintroduced by Lieu and Jim McGovern as H.R. 332. This morning he told me that "The fact that US weapons have been found in the hands of al-Qaeda terrorists and Iranian-backed rebels should infuriate every American. This is exactly why the US should not be engaged in the Yemeni civil war-- certainly not without congressional authorization. I fail to see how U.S. personnel supporting possible Saudi war crimes in Yemen is in our national interest. Over the past 50 years Congress has slowly and consistently ceded its  war-making power to the Executive Branch. It is long past time we took some of it back."

CNN reported yesterday that the U.S. is, far and away, the top supplier of weapons systems to both countries and without U.S. support, the war against Yemen, now the site of the world's worst humanitarian crisis, would end rapidly. CNN's team reported that "US lawmakers are trying to pass a resolution ending the Trump administration’s support for the coalition. But there is scant evidence that the White House wants to listen, despite evidence that the actions of a key US ally may be making Americans less safe. In the wake of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi murder last year, Trump said it would be foolish for the US to cancel multi-billion dollar arms deals with the Saudis. 'I don't want to lose all of that investment being made into our country,. he said."

The point of the blockbuster CNN report, Sold To An Ally, Lost To An Enemy, addresses an urgent American national security threat that has come to light in regard to these weapons transfers-- the Saudis and Emeratis have been giving U.S. weapons to al Qaeda in violation of their agreements with the United States.

The weapons have also made their way into the hands of Iranian-backed rebels battling the coalition for control of the country, exposing some of America's sensitive military technology to Tehran and potentially endangering the lives of US troops in other conflict zones.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, its main partner in the war, have used the US-manufactured weapons as a form of currency to buy the loyalties of militias or tribes, bolster chosen armed actors, and influence the complex political landscape, according to local commanders on the ground and analysts who spoke to CNN.

By handing off this military equipment to third parties, the Saudi-led coalition is breaking the terms of its arms sales with the US, according to the Department of Defense. After CNN presented its findings, a US defense official confirmed there was an ongoing investigation into the issue.

The revelations raise fresh questions about whether the US has lost control over a key ally presiding over one of the most horrific wars of the past decade, and whether Saudi Arabia is responsible enough to be allowed to continue buying the sophisticated arms and fighting hardware.  Previous CNN investigations established that US-made weapons were used in a series of deadly Saudi coalition attacks that killed dozens of civilians, many of them children.

...[S]ome of America's "beautiful military equipment," as U.S. President Donald Trump once called it, has been passed on, sold, stolen or abandoned in Yemen's state of chaos, where murky alliances and fractured politics mean little hope for any system of accountability or tracking.

Some terror groups have gained from the influx of US arms, with the barrier of entry to advanced weaponry now lowered by the laws of supply and demand. Militia leaders have had ample opportunity to obtain military hardware in exchange for the manpower to fight the Houthi militias. Arms dealers have flourished, with traders offering to buy or sell anything, from a US-manufactured rifle to a tank, to the highest bidder.

And Iran's proxies have captured American weapons they can exploit for vulnerabilities or reverse-engineer for native production.

...Amid the chaos of the broader war, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) made its way to the frontlines in Taiz in 2015, forging advantageous alliances with the pro-Saudi militias they fought alongside.

One of those militias linked to AQAP, the Abu Abbas brigade, now possesses US-made Oshkosh armored vehicles, paraded in a 2015 show of force through the city.

Abu Abbas, the founder, was declared a terrorist by the US in 2017, but the group still enjoys support from the Saudi coalition and was absorbed into the coalition-supported 35th Brigade of the Yemeni army.

“Oshkosh Defense strictly follows all US laws and regulations relating to export control," the firm told CNN.

And there are deadlier forms of weaponry that have made their way into the city. In October 2015, military forces loyal to the government boasted on Saudi- and UAE-backed media that the Saudis had airdropped American-made TOW anti-tank missiles on the same frontline where AQAP had been known to operate at the time.

Local officials confirmed that the airdrop happened, but CNN's attempts to conduct further interviews were blocked and the team was intimidated by the local government. A local activist joked that the weapons had probably been sold on.

..."The United States has not authorized the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates to re-transfer any equipment to parties inside Yemen," Pentagon spokesman Johnny Michael told CNN. "The US government cannot comment on any pending investigations of claims of end-use violations of defense articles and services transferred to our allies and partners."

Last October, Ro Khanna and Elizabeth Warren penned a joint OpEd about the Trump Regime's complicity in the unfolding catastrophe in Yemen. They wrote that "in August, the world watched in horror as a Saudi-led coalition airstrike in Yemen claimed the lives of 40 innocent children. The boys, many under the age of 10, were killed when their school bus was bombed during a class trip. The weapon used in that deadly bombing was made in America."

It was not the first time. In June, airstrikes hit a cholera treatment center run by Doctors Without Borders, even though it was clearly identified as a medical facility.

In April, 20 civilians, many from a single family, were killed while celebrating a wedding in a village in northwest Yemen.

As a result of this conflict, at least 10,000 Yemenis have died, 2 million more are displaced, and 22 million are in need of humanitarian assistance. To make matters worse, a man-made famine has brought nearly 8 million people in Yemen to the brink of starvation.

This humanitarian catastrophe didn't happen overnight. For more than three years, a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates has been bombing Yemen as part of a proxy war to counter the Iran-supported Houthi militias.

During this period, the United States has been quietly providing intelligence and military advice to the Saudi-led coalition. Our government refuels Saudi coalition warplanes in midair. Our government provides advice and assistance. Our government authorizes the sale of US-made bombs and missiles the coalition uses to conduct this war.

There is no doubt that Iran's actions in Yemen are destabilizing. Iran's government supports militias that attack Saudi territory and undermine the internationally recognized central government of Yemen. But we can no longer turn a blind eye to the actions of the Saudi coalition-- or our own role in the suffering of the Yemeni people.

There is a growing push in Washington to seek an end to this civil war. In this year's defense authorization bill, Congress threatened to cut off US support for the Saudi-led coalition's operations in Yemen until the Trump administration certified the coalition was making "an urgent and good faith effort" to reduce civilian casualties, alleviate the humanitarian crisis, and negotiate an end to the civil war.

But rather than using this opportunity as leverage to hold our partners accountable, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo rubber-stamped the Saudi-led coalition's actions. Secretary of Defense James Mattis asserted that the coalition was making "every effort" to prevent civilian casualties-- even as the United Nations reported that the coalition was responsible for the majority of the children killed in Yemen last year.

The administration's decision to double down on US support for the bombing campaign makes a mockery of congressional oversight authority. Overlooking the Saudi-led coalition's apparent disregard for international norms and laws of armed conflict does nothing to improve US standing in the world. And continuing to support an ill-conceived proxy war in Yemen does not make America safer.

The framers of our Constitution believed that the decision to involve ourselves in a conflict like the one in Yemen requires the consent of the people, expressed through their elected representatives. But Congress has never authorized our involvement in this conflict. That's why we have supported bicameral, bipartisan efforts to end the US involvement in Yemen's civil war unless Congress specifically authorizes it.

While counterterrorism operations against al Qaeda and its affiliates would continue, support for the Saudi coalition's military operations against the Houthis would stop.

The crisis in Yemen is worsening, and the United States can do something about it. We can hold the Saudi coalition accountable. We can demand that all parties cease the violence. We can support UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths' peace negotiations.

The Yemeni people are suffering. Instead of supporting more bombing, the United States can help bring peace to the region. Congress has an urgent responsibility to act.

Time Magazine's report about Trump's lack of interest in and ability to comprehend U.S. intelligence reports-- coupled with his kleptocratic self-interest in the name of U.S. foreign policy-- makes these weapons transfers even more dangerous to American national security. John Walcott reported that intelligence officials, citing multiple in-person episodes, say "Trump displays what one called 'willful ignorance' when presented with analyses generated by America’s $81 billion-a-year intelligence services. The officials, who include analysts who prepare Trump’s briefs and the briefers themselves, describe futile attempts to keep his attention by using visual aids, confining some briefing points to two or three sentences, and repeating his name and title as frequently as possible. What is most troubling, say these officials and others in government and on Capitol Hill who have been briefed on the episodes, are Trump’s angry reactions when he is given information that contradicts positions he has taken or beliefs he holds. Two intelligence officers even reported that they have been warned to avoid giving the President intelligence assessments that contradict stances he has taken in public."

Ro Khanna has taken the lead on Yemen de-escalation in the House. When I spoke with him yesterday morning about the the revelations of what the Saudis have been doing with American weapons, he seemed quietly angry and eager to prevent more of that from happening. He jotted me a note a could share here:

One of my first major op-eds as a congressman was with Senator Rand Paul. In our broader case for restraint, we cautioned about the the Saudi-led war in Yemen. In addition to highlighting the awful humanitarian catastrophe the war created, we made the case this war was making the US less safe. We wrote, "What makes matters worse is that the Saudis have formed a temporary alliance of convenience with Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, also known as AQAP, to fight the Houthi rebels. AQAP is our enemy. The group claimed credit for the attack on the USS Cole in 2000, the "underwear bomber" in 2009 and the intercepted plot to send bombs to Jewish organizations in Chicago in 2010."

Today, we learned that not only are the Saudis allied with AQAP, but they are actively giving our weapons to them. This is unconscionable and confirms our original reservations that the Saudis are not to be trusted. They showed their blatant disregard for the truth and human rights when they murdered Khaghoggi and lied to us about what happened. This is just more proof of why we cannot trust them.

I think this news and realization will give our war powers resolutions great momentum and show why we need to end all US involvement with the Saudis in this war. This will be the first time in our nation's history that Congress will take back its war-making powers and pass a war powers resolution through both chambers.