On the recordJuly 14, 2017
I appreciate the majority for including my amendment in this bloc. My amendment is straightforward, Mr. Chairman. It recognizes that any U.S. strategy for Syria must acknowledge and respond to the tremendous suffering of civilians, including the millions who have been forced from their homes, who face starvation, cholera, a lack of access to adequate healthcare and education, not as an afterthought, but as an active imperative. The Trump administration has already used the suffering created by the use of chemical weapons as a reason for expanding U.S. involvement in Syria and to launch attacks against the Syrian Government. My amendment would ask the administration for a description of the legal authority relied upon or needed for the use of U.S. military force in Syria, information which is even more critical now, given the recent attacks by U.S. forces against the Syrian Government and reports that we may continue to send more troops into Syria. It is foolhardy and unwise for us to think that the suffering being imposed upon innocent civilians in Syria should not be a consideration in any U.S. response or strategy outlining how military forces or aid will be used there. The humanitarian crisis spawned by conflict directly impacts our national security efforts. We ignore it at our own peril.
