Senate rejects bid to end US involvement in Yemen

The US Senate on Tuesday killed a resolution seeking an end to US involvement in Yemen.

The Senate voted 55-44 to dismiss the resolution, which sought for the first time to take advantage of a provision in the 1973 War Powers Act that allows any senator to introduce a resolution on whether to withdraw US armed forces from a conflict not authorized by Congress.

Senator Mike Lee, a Republican backer of the resolution, stressed that it had been in the works for some time, and was not timed "in any way, shape or form" to coincide with the Saudi crown prince's visit.

"Saudi Arabia is an indispensable partner in the region, without which the United States would be less successful," Lee said.

The vote was largely along party lines, although a handful of Democrats voted with the majority Republicans to kill the measure, and a handful of Republicans supported the failed effort to let it move ahead.