Lawmakers warn that Biden must seek authorization before further strikes on Yemen’s Houthi rebels

WASHINGTON (AP) — A bipartisan group of lawmakers is raising concerns over a series of recent U.S. military strikes against Yemen Houthi rebels, urging the Biden administration to get congressional authorization before taking further military action in the Middle East.

In a letter to President Joe Biden on Friday, a coalition of nearly 30 House members expressed their strong opposition to what they described as “unauthorized” American strikes that have further escalated the biggest confrontation at sea the U.S. Navy has seen in the Middle East in a decade.

“As representatives of the American people, Congress must engage in robust debate before American servicemembers are put in harm’s way and before more U.S. taxpayer dollars are spent on yet another war in the Middle East,” the letter, led by Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, stated. “No President, regardless of political party, has the constitutional authority to bypass Congress on matters of war.”

The lawmakers, who hail from the far-right and far-left of their respective parties, represent a small but growing faction in Congress that is skeptical of the nation’s increasing involvement in the Middle East in recent months.

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