[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 46 (Thursday, March 15, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H1646]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         OUR FAILURE TO STOP THE SLAUGHTER IN SYRIA IS SHAMEFUL

  (Mr. McGOVERN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, today, the brutal conflict in Syria enters 
its eighth year. As we meet, safe and secure in this Chamber, the 
Syrian regime, with the support of its principal ally, Russia, is 
pulverizing Eastern Ghouta.
  On February 24, the U.N. Security Council unanimously passed a 
resolution demanding a 30-day cease-fire across Syria. This was 
supposed to permit a ``durable humanitarian pause'' so that aid could 
be delivered and people who are critically sick and wounded could be 
evacuated.
  It hasn't worked. Instead, a brutal campaign of airstrikes, shelling, 
and ground offensives has intensified. Populated areas remain under 
siege. The targeting of civilians continues, and hundreds more men, 
women, and children have been killed.
  In the words of the U.N. Secretary General: ``Syria is bleeding 
inside and out.''
  Mr. Speaker, our failure to stop this terrible slaughter is shameful. 
It is unacceptable. We must urgently work with our allies, put an end 
to this nightmare, and find a path forward.

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