Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–September 18, 2014. Yesterday, Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth (IL-08) voted against the amendment to fund, train and equip Syrian rebels. She released the following statement.
“ISIS poses a real and immediate threat to U.S. interests and potentially to our homeland if left unchecked. They must be contained and destroyed. I am not opposed to military action in Iraq and I think that to destroy ISIS, we will ultimately have to follow them into Syria to deny them any sanctuary.”
“The amendment that I just voted against would allow for a reprogramming of $500 million in the Defense budget in order to train and arm Syrian rebel groups over the next twelve weeks. Having sat through numerous briefings from Pentagon, Department of State and Administration officials, too many questions remain about our vetting process and the ability to identify reliable partners, many of whom have questionable allegiances. There are too many questions about the long term implications of arming and equipping rebel forces and how this action fits into our broader strategy in destroying ISIS. I believe supporting these Syrian rebels – who ultimately want to remove Assad from power – will lead to a much longer and costly level of engagement. Congress has failed to properly discuss and weigh the long term consequences of this military action and because of this, I cannot support it. As a Member of Congress, it’s my responsibility to make sure we don’t commit resources, the most precious of which are our men and women in uniform, with no comprehensive plan for our involvement.”
“I am also disappointed by the failure of Congressional leadership to have an honest debate and vote on the overall strategy to defeat ISIS. We should not be holding a vote on one part of the strategy in the region that will have irreversible long term consequences in the form of an amendment to a stop gap spending bill. This is no way to govern. It is a failure on the part of Congress to do its job. There are no easy answers to this discussion, but as a Veteran, a Member of Congress, and an American citizen, I strongly believe that Congress must have the courage to have the difficult debate and yes, a difficult vote, on authorization that sets clear parameters and clear support for our military. Congress needs to debate and develop a new Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) before voting on authority for one piece of that strategy that will inevitably lead to further involvement across multiple national borders. As they have done for three hundred years, the men and women who wear our country’s uniform will execute our plans though it may cost them the last full measure. Congress owes them an honest debate and a clear plan.”
Source: duckworth.house.gov
