To: The United States Senate

Senate: Don't Imitate "Catch-22." Don't Arm People We're Bombing in Yemen

Co-sponsor SJRes 40 to address Saudi Arabia's Al Qaeda ties before selling Saudi Arabia more weapons.

Why is this important?

General Mattis wants to increase U.S. support for Saudi Arabia's catastrophic war in Yemen [1], which has pushed Yemen to the brink of famine, including by selling Saudi Arabia even more weapons. In addition to producing humanitarian catastrophe, Saudi Arabia's war is helping Al Qaeda in Yemen. Imitating war profiteer Milo Minderbender in Joseph Heller's "Catch-22," who fights on both sides and bombs his own squadron to increase his profits, by selling arms to Saudi Arabia, we indirectly arm Al Qaeda in Yemen, who we're also bombing.

"In their fight against Yemen’s Houthi rebels," Just Security reports, "the government of Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi, and its Saudi backers, have worked with local actors with suspected ties to al-Qaeda. Sometimes this means the targets being tracked by the US are actually cutting deals and getting their hands on weapons thanks to connections they have with the Hadi government and the Saudi-led coalition, to which the US provides support. Laying bare these thorny battlefield alliances in Yemen is crucial as the Trump administration considers stepping up US military involvement in the country." [2]

Senators Murphy, Paul, Durbin and Franken have introduced legislation - SJR 40 -that would require the Administration to certify that Saudi Arabia is fighting Al Qaeda in Yemen, not helping Al Qaeda in Yemen, before the U.S. could sell Saudi Arabia even more weapons. [3]

Urge Senators to co-sponsor SJR 40 by signing our petition.

References:
1. http://thehill.com/policy/defense/330030-trump-admin-weighs-stepping-up-support-for-yemen-fight
2. https://www.justsecurity.org/40200/yemens-complex-battlefield-includes-al-qaeda-links-allies/
3. https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-joint-resolution/40