WASHINGTON, April 16 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday vetoed a congressional resolution calling for an end to U.S. support for Saudi Arabia-led coalition's war in Yemen.
In a veto statement to the Senate, Trump called the resolution "an unnecessary, dangerous attempt to weaken my constitutional authorities, endangering the lives of American citizens and brave service members."
The resolution, which was approved by the Senate last month in a vote of 54 to 46 and the House early April in a vote of 247 to 175, directs the president to remove U.S. armed forces from hostilities in or affecting Yemen within 30 days unless they are fighting al-Qaeda.
Neither the House nor the Senate vote was enough to override the veto.
"With this veto, President Trump shows the world he is determined to keep aiding a Saudi-backed war that has killed thousands of civilians and pushed millions more to the brink of starvation," Democratic Senator Tim Kaine said in a statement.
Trump's Tuesday move also marks the second veto of his presidency. He issued the first veto last month on a resolution that would have blocked his national emergency declaration to build a border wall.
The Saudi-led military coalition intervened in Yemen in March 2015 to support the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi after Houthi rebels forced him into exile and seized much of the country's north, including the capital Sanaa and Hodeidah.
The four-year civil war has killed more than 10,000 people, mostly civilians, displaced 3 million others, and pushed the country to the brink of famine.
