After repeated calls from members of Congress for a strong U.S. response, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis briefed the Senate behind closed doors about Saudi Arabia, the October 2 murder of Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, and on the civil war in Yemen.

"And of course Saudi Arabia is absolutely crucial for that goal, and I'm ready to discuss it with the crown prince or with any other Saudi officials because I believe it is a very important objective at the present moment", Guterres told reporters.

"If that briefing is not given soon, it's going to be hard for me to vote for any spending bill", Graham began, following a meeting on Wednesday between senators and Defense Secretary James Mattis and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

The Senate is considering a vote on a resolution that would end USA support for Saudi Arabia's proxy war with Iran in Yemen.

Two senior U.S. Cabinet members urged senators on Wednesday not to downgrade ties with Saudi Arabia over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, but lawmakers from both parties said they could not turn a blind eye to reports that the country's de facto ruler was involved in last month's killing. We understand that Saudi Arabia is an ally, of sorts, and a semi-important country. "But degrading US-Saudi ties would be a grave mistake for the national security of the US and its allies", Pompeo wrote in the Wall Street Journal.

A bipartisan group of senators has proposed a spectrum of sanctions focused against the Saudi-led coalition and any other entity fomenting unrest in Yemen.

That was before the October 2 death of Khashoggi, the USA -educated journalist who was publicly critical of the Saudi crown prince.

Haspel's absence at the briefing on Wednesday morning was described as uncommon, with a US Senate staffer telling The Guardian that the decision to exclude a US intelligence official "is totally unprecedented and should be interpreted as nothing less than the Trump administration trying to silence the intelligence community". Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) that demands the policy be ended within 30 days. Afterward, Democratic Whip Sen.

"Things changed", Manchin said.

"I don't think there's anybody in that room that doesn't believe he was responsible for it", said Sen.

The Senate is due to hold a procedural vote later on Wednesday on a measure that would end United States support for the conflict in Yemen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., the chairman of the committee.

However, Pompeo and Mattis did not seem to sway leading Senate foreign policy voices, including some of Trump's fellow Republicans, who said they believed taking no action would send a more risky message to the world. Even top Republicans expressed frustration so strong that some would join Democrats and vote to advance that bill on the US role in Yemen - with a vote scheduled for 4 p.m. Wednesday.

Khashoggi was killed in what US officials have described as an elaborate plot at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, which he had visited for marriage paperwork.

Several GOP senators, including Lindsey Graham of SC and Rand Paul of Kentucky, have publicly questioned Trump's handling of the situation.

"If you don't draw the line here, where do you draw the line?"

"We also have a crown prince that is out of control; A blockade of Qatar, the arrest of a Prime Minister of Lebanon, the killing of a journalist", he added.