Alex Mooney: “On May 1 of last year, I came to this floor to speak on behalf of the Syrian people. I called for stronger leadership…”

“On May 1 of last year, I came to this floor to speak on behalf of the Syrian people. I called for stronger leadership from our Commander in Chief, President Barack Obama, in the Syrian conflict. Specifically, I urged the President to establish no-fly zones to protect innocent lives. At that time, 200,000 Syrians had already died. The administration has failed to act, and, today, Syria remains in crisis. The number of Syrians killed through the civil war has now doubled to 400,000. Many of these casualties are civilians: women, children, doctors, and teachers. So, Mr. Speaker, I come to this floor again to say that this slaughter of innocent human life must end, and it will not end unless the United States takes the lead fearlessly and immediately. I meet regularly with Syrian Americans who live in my congressional district in Charleston, West Virginia. They have told me the stories of their friends and families in the city of Aleppo, which is a financial and cultural center in Syria. Aleppo is now on fire and under siege. Just last week, a civilian bus was the victim of an airstrike where 10 were killed, including three women and two children. Sadly, this type of violence is a daily occurrence in Aleppo and elsewhere in Syria. Hospitals, markets, schools, bus stations, warehouses: none of these places are off limits for bombings and destruction.…”