Shaheen Statement Following Trump Administration's Certification in Support of Saudi-led Coalition

(Washington, DC)—U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) issued the following statement after the Trump administration delivered a certification to Congress, as required by a provision authored by Senators Shaheen and Todd Young (R-IN), that provides for continued U.S. support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.

“We need to hold our allies to a higher standard and, unfortunately, this certification fails in that regard,” said Shaheen. “The Saudi-led coalition’s indiscriminate bombing campaigns are taking scores of innocent lives and compounding the humanitarian situation in Yemen. My legislation with Senator Young established firm benchmarks on avoiding civilian casualties before a certification could be made by the administration. The coalition clearly hasn’t met these goals and it is evident that the administration is deliberately sidestepping congressional oversight. Fortunately, our legislation established additional certification deadlines that ensure the administration is complying with policies that further U.S. national security interests and not simply the interests of partners who are acting irresponsibly. I hope that the administration will take these opportunities to finally use the leverage it has to hold our allies accountable. America’s national security interests and humanitarian values should be the guiding principles for any military action or assistance that the U.S. government pursues, and I am afraid that today’s certification demonstrates otherwise.”