The Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) is urging all of its members in the House of Representatives to vote “yes” on a Syria War Powers Resolution introduced by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) scheduled to be voted on Wednesday. The resolution would direct President Biden to withdraw all US troops from Syria within 180 days.
According to The Intercept, the CPC circulated a message to its 100 members in the House. The message said that the effort is “largely consistent with previous bipartisan efforts led by CPC Members to terminate such unauthorized military presence within one year, for which 130 House Democrats voted yes last year.”
In July 2022, Rep. Jamal Bowman (D-NY) introduced an amendment to the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act to cut funding for the presence in Syria if not authorized within one year. The amendment failed but was supported by 60% of House Democrats, while only 25 Republicans voted in favor.
Robert Ford, who served as the ambassador to Syria during the Obama administration, supports Gaetz’s resolution and is urging representatives to vote yes. “We owe our soldiers serving there in harm’s way a serious debate about whether their mission is, in fact, achievable,” Ford said in a letter to Congress.
According to The Intercept, Ford argued that the withdrawal would force negotiations that could bring stability to the region, including the US-backed Kurdish forces negotiating a power-sharing deal with the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Americans can contact their representatives and urge them to support Gaetz’s resolution (H.Con.Res.21). Click here to find your representative, or call the House switchboard operator at (202) 224-3121. The vote is scheduled for 5:30 PM EST on Wednesday.
The US has about 900 troops stationed in eastern Syria. Nominally, the presence is about fighting ISIS, but it serves as part of the economic campaign against government-controlled territories of Syria, as the area under US control is where most of the country’s oil resources are located.
The US also has crippling economic sanctions imposed on Syria, which the House just overwhelmingly voted to maintain after Syria and Turkey were hit by a devastating earthquake. Ford, who favored heavy US intervention in Syria during the Obama administration, said sanctions were a separate issue from the US troop presence but acknowledged it was time to start rethinking the strategy.
“I would just say two things. First, the sanctions are not delivering political concessions from Bashar al-Assad. And then the second thing I would say is, it’s disingenuous for those who justify the sanctions to say that they don’t harm ordinary Syrians living in government-controlled territories. They obviously do,” Ford told The Intercept. “All I can say is we’re inflicting pain without getting much for it.”
What’s the catch?
Ever noticed that once the US established a base somewhere, they never leave?
President Assad’s popularity in Syria is about the same as President Putin’s popularity in Russia, 80% or so. This is after consecutive elections going back before the War on Syria.
80 % us a hell of a lot greater then Bidens even among Democrats.What a loser.Biden is to America as Nero and Caligula were to Rome.
How can anyone speak freely in a police state?
That settles it. If CPC votes yes, most Republicans will vote No. It’s a disgusting game they play on American voters.
I didn’t have much hope of it passing either way…
Fingers crossed.
Once the American military is out of Syria then the CIA and National Endowment for Democracy will subvert the Syrian government behind the scenes and stab the Syrian people in the back.
Once again the US will be fomenting a coup against a foreign government.
The Non Government Wing of the American Intelligence Community
The National Endowment for Democracy – NED, which is an arm of the American government, has their fingerprints over opposition groups being trained to foment coups in the guise of Color Revolutions.
The NED on the surface is billed as a Non Government Organization – NGO, but that is dubious. The NED is not only actively pushing coups in the guise of Color Revolution worldwide they were active in Ukraine in 2014.
This same NGO the NED is also active in fomenting a Color
Revolution in Georgia in order to open a second front against Russia on the Black Sea.
There are deep ties between the National Endowment for Democracy and the CIA.
Yes, if they couldn’t oppose the War Party on the matter of sacrificing 100’s of thousand lives, billions of $’s, and jeopardy of nuclear annihilation, what are the chances they’re all of a sudden growing a spine?
Yes, and with us out of harms way, Israel can then really lower the boom.
Perhaps we need to paint a scarlet letter on Samantha Power’s forehead so they’re warned what she brings wherever she goes.
Finally! Now do the same with Ukraine funding and China hawking.
FfC means Fat Fu—-g Chance.
And divert the funds to public infrastructure projects.
Better yet; Reduce working family’s taxes and divert war funding to infrastructure projects approved by the people and for the people.
Better yet, how about paying down the National Debt?
Great idea. Though I’d raise taxes on wealthy people who have profited from deficit spending to reduce the debt.
A balanced budget amendment would also help drbt addicts recover and live within their means.
Not all wealthy people have profited from deficit spending. It would be unfair to raise taxes on those that have not profited. Some wealthy people have earned their money the old fashioned way, through wise decisions, hard work, saving, and investing. Don’t punish them for their success.
This will happen when pigs fly or we get invaded by aliens.
I wonder what the US will do and when they will start a war with China. I also wonder what they will do after an Aircraft Carrier or two,the image of Imperialism get blown up by Hypersonic missiles causing much loss of life of American sailors dumb enough to join the Navy thinking it was safe,Many yellow ribbons.
It may take an aircraft carrier or two getting sunk to get the US off the “let’s keep building more of those obsolete platforms” carrier craze. In fact, the pro-war camp might see that as a feature rather than a bug.
Obviously,those ships will have to be replaced at taxpayer expense.
The US never had a mandate to be in Syria who has repeatedly – politely and diplomatically – asked the US to leave.
Troops out is one thing – private armies and their ilk should also be made to leave.
The resolution would direct President Biden to withdraw all US troops from Syria within 180 days.
right then. if Bush jr wasn’t hiding his life away, he would probably have some words of wisdom re: withdrawing the troops – “Mission Accomplishist”
WTF what comes around goes around
The US military are like mice and roaches Once they are in they never leave.As in Afghanistan and Irag.I will be surprised if troops don’t hit the ground in Africa and Ukraine increasing American popularity greatly among the third world.
“Show me the way to go home, i’m tired and I want to go to bed…”
The Russian MOD is fighting a very successful war of attrition disarming NATO (Ukraine was disarmed in March), tank by tank, artillery by artillery, air defense by air defense.
NATO overall has accumulated the following equipment losses;
398 Aircraft, 217 helicopters, 3361 UAV’s, 410 Anti Aircraft systems, 8222 tanks inc. APC’s, 1055 multiple rocket launchers, 4300 rocket launchers and 8798 military automotive equipment.
What the empire looses in the Ukraine, they loose for the final Russian attack on NATO. Remember Russia attacked Ukraine just as NATO was about to unleash in the Donbass. Russia has shown they will pre-emptively attack to defend the Motherland when the time is dictated by events on the ground.
This is funny and unreal….! Did the House along CPC just vote to keep the sanctions on Syria last week…?! I guess these are two separate matters…!
A little perspective right there.
Tobias Ellwood, head of the UK Defence Select Committee, honestly claimed that the United Kingdom is now at war in Europe and should “face Russia directly”
“We are now at war in Europe, we need to move to a war footing, we are involved in that, we have mobilized our procurement processes, we are gifting equipment [to Ukraine]. We need to face Russia directly rather than leaving Ukraine to do all the work,” he said in an interview with UK broadcaster.
Did i miss the UK declaration of war on Russia? Gutless Cowards.