I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 910 

To prohibit the use of funds to provide for in-flight refueling of Saudi 

or Saudi-led coalition aircraft conducting missions as part of the ongoing 

coalition intervention in Yemen. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 30, 2019 

Mr. TED LIEU of California (for himself, Mr. YOHO, and Mr. MALINOWSKI) 

introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 

Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Armed Services, for 

a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 

consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To prohibit the use of funds to provide for in-flight refueling 

of Saudi or Saudi-led coalition aircraft conducting missions as part of the ongoing coalition intervention in 

Yemen. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Yemen Refueling Pro5 hibition Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

2 Congress finds the following: 

3 (1) From April 2015 to November 2018 the 

4 United States provided in-flight refueling to the mili5 taries of the Saudi-led coalition in support of the 

6 coalition’s air strikes in Yemen. 

7 (2) A 2018 report by the United Nations-con8 vened Group of International and Regional Eminent 

9 Experts on Yemen found that during this timeframe, 

10 most of the 6,600 civilians deaths and 10,563 civil11 ian injuries officially reported in Yemen were due to 

12 Saudi-led coalition airstrikes. The report indicated 

13 that the real numbers were likely significantly high14 er. 

15 (3) Due to the repeated failures of the Saudi16 led coalition to avoid civilian casualties, the Obama 

17 administration suspended the sale of precision-guid18 ed munitions to Saudi Arabia in December 2016. 

19 (4) In May 2017, then-Saudi Foreign Minister 

20 Adel al-Jubeir sent a letter to then-Secretary of 

21 State Rex Tillerson outlining the steps the Saudi 

22 military was taking to change its operational con23 duct, mitigate civilian harm and avoid civilian cas24 ualties in Yemen. 


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1 (5) In June 2017, the Trump administration 

2 announced its intention to resume the sale of preci3 sion-guided munitions to Saudi Arabia. 

4 (6) Despite the Saudi Foreign Minister’s assur5 ances, from June 2017 to November 2018, airstrike6 caused civilian deaths continued, including— 

7 (A) over a 10-day period in December 

8 2017, the United Nations recorded at least 109 

9 civilians killed by airstrikes, including 54 civil10 ians killed at a market in Taiz province and 14 

11 members of one family killed in Hudaydah 

12 province; 

13 (B) in April 2018, more than 20 civilians 

14 were killed at a wedding party in Hajjah prov15 ince; and 

16 (C) in August 2018, a Saudi-led coalition 

17 airstrike hit a school bus in a market in 

18 Dahyan, killing 51 people, 40 of whom were 

19 children. 

20 (7) On November 9, 2018, the United States 

21 announced its decision to halt all refueling assist22 ance to the Saudi-led coalition. 


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1 SEC. 3. PROHIBITION ON IN-FLIGHT REFUELING OF SAUDI 

2 OR SAUDI-LED COALITION AIRCRAFT OPER3 ATING IN YEMEN. 

4 Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no Fed5 eral funds may be obligated or expended to provide for 

6 in-flight refueling of Saudi or Saudi-led coalition aircraft 

7 conducting missions as part of the ongoing coalition inter8 vention in Yemen. 

Æ 


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