Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) introduced a bill requiring the President to explain its strategy to combat threats facing the United States, Israel, and other allies from the conflict in Syria. The U.S. has spent $14 billion to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), while lacking a plan to secure military gains against ISIS. The conflict in Syria has resulted in half a million deaths and the largest refugee crisis the world has seen since World War II.
“We cannot turn a blind eye to the absolute human horrors of the conflict in Syria. And with the amount of money we spent to fight ISIS in that country, it is imperative that the President present Congress with a clear, descriptive strategy on how it will secure that victory. Iran is expanding its presence throughout Syria, and every day that the President fails to present a strategy is another day that Iran gets stronger.”
A copy of the bill can be found HERE. If passed, this bill would:
- Require the President to submit a strategy for Syria to Congress, as was required in the FY18 National Defense Authorization Act.
- Make 1/3 of the funds for the Department of Defense’s Syria Train and Equip program contingent on the President submitting the strategy to Congress.
- Emphasize the national security risks Iran, Al Qaeda and ISIS pose in Syria, both to the U.S. and to our allies like Israel.
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