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[Pages S2560-S2561]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Yemen
Ms. STABENOW. Mr. President, I rise today to speak about a true
humanitarian crisis. This is a crisis that is close to my heart, and
that is because it is close to the hearts of so many wonderful people
in the State of Michigan.
Michigan is home to a large and welcoming Yemeni American community--
one of the Nation's largest--and we are so proud and happy that they
are part of our community. Right now these Michigan residents are
horrified to watch what is happening to a country where many of them
have family members and friends.
More than 4 years ago, war broke out in Yemen. Imagine 4 years of
going to bed every night, wondering if this will be the night that a
bomb or rocket will hit your home and destroy everything you have,
including your family; 4 years of being unable to send your children to
school because it is simply not safe for them to be outside; 4 years of
deadly disease outbreaks with little access to medical care or even
safe drinking water; perhaps worst of all, 4 years of sending your
children to bed hungry every night because there is simply not enough
food.
It is bad enough to think about being a parent under those
circumstances. Imagine what it is like to be a child. You are 4 years
old. You don't understand what is going on. You just know that you
can't go outside, you can't sleep at night, and you are hungry all the
time. There are 4-year-olds in Yemen today who have never lived in a
country that wasn't at war.
Sadly, there are 4-year-olds in Yemen today who will never see their
fifth birthday. About 1.2 million children are living in active
conflict zones, meaning that a stray bullet or rocket could end their
life at any moment. It is estimated that a child in Yemen dies every 10
minutes--the length of my speaking today on the floor, every 10
minutes--from a lack of food or diseases that can be prevented with
adequate medical care, including vaccinations.
Overall, the United Nations estimates that no matter what we do at
this moment--no matter what we do--250,000 Yemeni people will die
within the next year due to malnutrition, dehydration, and by diseases
like cholera.
[[Page S2561]]
That is astounding and horrible--250,000 people in addition to the
estimated 60,000 people whose lives have been cut short due to bombings
and violence.
If you are having trouble picturing 250,000 people, it is as if a
fully loaded jumbo jet crashed every day for a year and then kept
crashing, one per day, until late August.
If these dire circumstances don't change soon, that number could
reach 10 million people by this time next year--10 million people. It
is astounding. We should all feel a sense of urgency about the United
States playing a positive, not a negative, role in stopping this.
I want to say again that 10 million people could die from a
combination of famine, dehydration, and disease. That is like the
entire populations of New York City and San Antonio being wiped off the
map.
We simply cannot sit by and let this humanitarian disaster continue.
I was pleased back in March when the Senate passed the bipartisan
resolution to direct the U.S. Armed Forces be removed from hostilities
in Yemen. I have supported this resolution since the very beginning,
the first time it was on the floor. It has been gaining momentum,
gaining more and more support from the Senate, and I am thankful that
it finally got to the Senate.
Unfortunately, the administration chose to veto the resolution and
allow the suffering to continue.
Taking action to end this suffering is more than just the right thing
to do; it is our moral obligation as fellow human beings. That is why I
am calling on all of the Members in the Chamber, all of the Members in
the Senate to stand together to override the veto and end the U.S.
support for this conflict. We need a clear strategy on how to take an
active role in deescalating the conflict and addressing the
accompanying humanitarian crisis.
We should be leading the international response--leading the
international response and working with international partners to find
a solution, not contributing to the problem.
We should be supporting peace talks that involve all parties, all of
which are contributing to this horrible, horrible humanitarian crisis.
We know who not to blame for all of this--those scared and hungry 4-
year-olds who have spent every day of their lives just trying to stay
alive. Can you imagine how their parents are feeling about this
situation that their children are in as well?
Ending this conflict and humanitarian crisis is where we should be
focusing our policies and our political might.
I will be voting to override this Presidential veto, and I encourage
every Member of the Chamber to join me--join us, together, in doing the
right thing. It is time to do the right thing for those 4-year-olds,
for all of the people in Yemen who just want to be able to feed their
families, send their children to school, have a safe home, and be able
to carry on with their lives.
I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order
for the quorum call be rescinded.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so
ordered.
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