Letter 2

United States Department of State Washington, D.C. 20520 May 28, 2021 The Honorable Ro Khanna House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 Dear Mr. Khanna: Thank you for your April 23 letter regarding U.S. policy on Yemen. The Biden administration has been clear about its commitment to recalibrating our relationship with Saudi Arabia, bringing an end to the conflict and humanitarian crisis in Yemen, and taking steps to prevent civilian casualties and civilian harm. As the President announced on February 4, the United States has ceased support for Saudi-led Coalition offensive operations in Yemen. The Department has made material shifts to our security assistance to Saudi Arabia, including by indefinitely suspending two major arms sales. With increasing cross-border attacks in the region, the Department continues to approve defensive military support to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf partners. The details of this policy were briefed to Congressional staff on April 8. The U.S. government has not assisted with aerial refueling of aircraft used in the war in Yemen since November 2018. The Department continues to adjudicate license requests, including those for logistics, spare parts, maintenance, and other support for Saudi-led coalition aircraft, in accordance with the President’s February 4 guidance and the Conventional Arms Transfer policy. These aircraft play an important role in defending Saudi Arabia against cross-border attacks, including an onslaught of armed UAVs. The United States continues to press the Republic of Yemen Government and the Saudis to ensure the free flow of goods into Yemen through all points of entry, including Hudaydah port, and continually calls on the Houthis and all other parties to allow the free flow of goods throughout the country. Special Envoy Lenderking’s diplomatic efforts with both Republic of Yemen Government and Saudi officials have succeeded in gaining expedited access for several fuel shipments into Hudaydah. More action is needed to improve humanitarian conditions inside Yemen, and we will continue to raise this issue at senior levels.

-2- We hope this information is helpful to you. Please let us know if we may be of further assistance. Sincerely, Naz oP Durakoglu Acting Assistant Secretary Bureau of Legislative Affairs