Strikes on Yemen's Houthis draw mixed reactions from US Congress members

WASHINGTON

The strikes against Houthi targets inside Yemen have brought mixed reactions from members of the US Congress, even criticism from some Democrats.

The US and UK launched military strikes late Thursday, following a string of Houthi attacks in the Red Sea that destabilized trading routes.

President Joe Biden said that the airstrikes were against the Houthis in "direct response to unprecedented Houthi attacks against international maritime vessels in the Red Sea – including the use of anti-ship ballistic missiles for the first time in history."

Several Republicans including House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnel welcomed the strikes, while Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene denounced the action.

Johnson, for his part, called the action "long overdue."

"We must hope these operations indicate a true shift in the Biden Administration’s approach to Iran and its proxies that are engaging in such evil and wreaking such havoc," he said in a statement.

McConnell said that Biden's decision to "use military force against these Iranian proxies is overdue."

"I am hopeful these operations mark an enduring shift in the Biden Administration’s approach to Iran and its proxies," he wrote in a separate statement.

Greene called the Biden administration "insanely out of control".

"The President must come to Congress for permission before going to war. Biden can not solely decide to bomb Yemen," she wrote on X.

In a statement, Republican Senator Jim Risch defended the strikes but said "credible deterrence has not been restored."

"The United States needs a strong policy of sanctions and other actions that end Iran’s support for proxy attacks across the region," said Risch, a ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Democratic Senator Ben Cardin, who is the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, threw his support behind the decision to strike Houthi targets.

"I look forward to continued consultation with the Administration on this decision, as required by law, and encourage the President to persist in his efforts to keep this conflict from spreading further in the region," Cardin said in a statement.

- Criticism from Progressives

Progressive Pramila Jayapal, the representative of Washington's 7th congressional district, said the decision was “an unacceptable violation of the Constitution”.

“Article 1 requires that military action be authorized by Congress,” she wrote on X.

Rashida Tlaib, the representative of Michigan, and Cori Bush, representative of Missouri, echoed Jayapal, saying that the airstrikes are violating Article I of the Constitution.

"The President needs to come to Congress before launching a strike against the Houthis in Yemen and involving us in another middle east conflict. That is Article I of the Constitution. I will stand up for that regardless of whether a Democrat or Republican is in the White House," California Rep. Ro Khanna wrote on X.

Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota retweeted Khanna's post while Republican Senator Mike Lee and Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz agreed with him.

"The Constitution matters, regardless of party affiliation," Lee responded to Khanna's post.