National Security and Foreign Affairs
HOLY CYBER, BATMAN — So … that happened. At Monday night’s presidential debate, there was a whole segment dedicated to cybersecurity. For those long immersed in the cyber world, it was a watershed moment, even if no new major ground was covered. Jeff Greene, senior policy counsel for major tech firm Symantec, recalled that “in 2009, when I joined the team working on comprehensive cybersecurity legislation, we could barely get staffers to come to a briefing.” Three years later, cyber first snuck into President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address.
Two Democrats are pushing a bill that would bar the president from launching a nuclear strike without prior approval from Congress, tying it to concerns about Donald Trump having control of nukes.
Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), who introduced the House version of the bill Tuesday, voiced concerns about Trump's comments on nuclear weapons at Monday night's first presidential debate.
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A Democratic congressman is urging the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations to support a resolution that would call for an independent investigation into human rights abuses in Yemen.
“The repeated killing of civilians by the Saudi coalition, done with U.S. assistance, violates not just our moral conscience but degrades our reputation and standing in the world,” Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) wrote to Ambassador Samantha Power on Monday.
Obama Administration’s $1.15 billion arms sales offer to Saudi Arabia has shocked a bipartisan group of 64 lawmakers who are concerned about rising civilian casualties in the war in Yemen where a coalition led by Saudi Arabia is fighting Iran-allied Houthi rebels. They want the US to withdraw support to Riyadh which is intentionally targeting civilians or deliberately indifferent in executing its military operations.
Washington – The Senate plans to vote Wednesday on a resolution sponsored by Sen. Chris Murphy that would block a $1.15 billion arms sale to Saudi Arabia.
It’s a long shot. But Murphy says he’ll win something even if he loses the vote.
The Connecticut Democrat has launched a campaign to stop the Saudi sale, with the help of Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., because of the number of civilian casualties in Yemen, victims of the Saudi led- coalition forces and U.S.-made weapons.
Saudi Arabia launched a military campaign against Yemeni rebels last year.
After a series of Saudi-led airstrikes that reportedly killed and wounded civilians in Yemen, members of both the House and the Senate have introduced legislation to block a $1.15 billion arms sale that would supply the longtime American ally with a fresh contingent of tanks.
The U.S. Senate will vote on Wednesday on a measure to block the sale of tanks and other military equipment worth $1.15 billion to Saudi Arabia, but the measure is not expected to pass despite lawmakers' growing frustration with the longtime U.S. ally.
The Senate's Republican Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell, said on Tuesday he would "aggressively" oppose the effort.
A bipartisan pair of lawmakers introduced a House resolution Tuesday that would block a $1.15 billion arms sale to Saudi Arabia amid concerns that U.S. weapons are being used against civilians in Yemen.
“There is overwhelming evidence that the Saudi-led Coalition in Yemen is bombing innocent civilians in Yemen,” Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) said in a written statement. “When hospitals and schools become military targets, this is cause for serious concern, not just for our national security but also for our moral standing around the world.”
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