[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 66 (Tuesday, April 24, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H3470-H3474]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
NO ASSISTANCE FOR ASSAD ACT
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
pass the bill (H.R. 4681) to limit assistance for areas of Syria
controlled by the Government of Syria or associated forces, and for
other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 4681
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
[[Page H3471]]
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``No Assistance for Assad
Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Seven years into the conflict in Syria, over 11 million
Syrians have been displaced from their homes and more than
400,000 have been killed.
(2) Since the conflict in Syria began, the United States
has provided more than $7.6 billion to meet humanitarian
needs of the Syrian people, making the United States the
world's single largest donor to the Syrian humanitarian
response.
(3) It is estimated that the reconstruction of Syria could
cost between $200 and $350 billion.
(4) According to the 2016 Transparency International
Corruption Index, Syria is among the most corrupt countries
in the world.
(5) In October 2015, a visiting Russian delegation to Syria
announced that Russian firms would lead in the effort to
rebuild Syria, and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad
reportedly said, ``Syria is ready to provide Russian
companies with all the contracts worth hundreds of billions
of dollars.''.
(6) In August 2017, the Government of the People's Republic
of China hosted a trade fair in Syria, and a Chinese-Arab
business group announced a $2,000,000,000 commitment from the
Chinese government to fund the construction of industrial
parks in Syria.
SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY.
It is the policy of the United States that United States
foreign assistance made available for early recovery,
reconstruction, or stabilization in Syria should be used only
in a democratic Syria or in areas of Syria not controlled by
a government led by Bashar al-Assad or associated forces.
SEC. 4. LIMITATION ON ASSISTANCE FOR AREAS OF SYRIA
CONTROLLED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF SYRIA OR
ASSOCIATED FORCES.
(a) Limitation.--
(1) In general.--Except as provided in subsection (c), for
each of the fiscal years 2019 through 2023, amounts
authorized to be appropriated or otherwise made available for
assistance described in paragraph (2) may not be provided,
directly or indirectly, for any area of Syria controlled by
the Government of Syria or associated forces, as determined
by the Secretary of State, unless a certification described
in subsection (b) is in effect.
(2) Assistance described.--Assistance referred to in
paragraph (1) is the following:
(A) Assistance to carry out stabilization activities for
the relevant area.
(B) Assistance to carry out reconstruction activities for
the relevant area.
(b) Certification.--
(1) In general.--A certification described in this
subsection is a certification submitted by the President to
the appropriate congressional committees that contains a
determination that the Government of Syria--
(A) has ceased attacks against civilians and civilian
infrastructure as such, including attacks against medical
facilities and personnel, and the indiscriminate use of
weapons, including through shelling and aerial bombardment,
as demanded in United Nations Security Council Resolution
2254 (2015);
(B) is taking verifiable steps to release all political
prisoners and is providing full access to Syrian prisons for
investigations by appropriate international human rights
organizations;
(C) is taking verifiable steps to remove from government
positions senior officials of the Government of Syria who are
complicit in the planning or commission of war crimes, crimes
against humanity, or human rights abuses, as well as any
government official subject to sanctions under any provision
of law;
(D) is organizing free and fair elections for a new
government to be held in a timely manner and under the
supervision of United Nations observers, with all Syrians,
including members of the diaspora, eligible to participate,
as supported in United Nations Security Council Resolution
2254 (2015);
(E) is making tangible progress toward establishing an
independent judiciary;
(F) is demonstrating respect for and compliance with
internationally recognized human rights and basic freedoms as
specified in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;
(G) is taking steps to verifiably fulfill its commitments
under the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development,
Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on
their Destruction and the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of
Nuclear Weapons, is making tangible progress toward becoming
a signatory to the Convention on the Prohibition of the
Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological
(Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction, and
adhering to the Missile Technology Control Regime and other
control lists, as necessary;
(H) has halted the development and deployment of ballistic
and cruise missiles;
(I) is taking verifiable steps to remove from positions of
authority within the military, intelligence, and security
services those individuals who were in a position of
authority or responsibility during the conflict, or who are
in a position of authority or responsibility during a
transition, who are determined to be responsible for or
complicit in the torture, extrajudicial killing, or execution
of civilians, to include those who were involved the planning
or execution of plans to use chemical weapons;
(J) is making verifiable progress in reforming the Syrian
military and security services so as to minimize the
Government of Syria's reliance on Iran and Iranian proxy
forces to act on behalf or in support of Syria; and
(K) is in the process of organizing the safe and voluntary
return of Syrian refugees and internally displaced persons to
their homes so that Syrians may return without fear of
retribution by the Government of Syria or associated forces.
(2) Effective period.--A certification shall be in effect
under this subsection for a period of 90 days beginning on
the date on which the President submits the certification to
the appropriate congressional committees.
(3) Renewal or report.--Not later than 90 days after the
date on which the President submits to the appropriate
congressional committees a certification under this
subsection the President shall submit to the appropriate
congressional committees either--
(A) a new certification under this subsection indicating
that the conditions described in paragraph (1) are continuing
to be met; or
(B) a report that--
(i) describes why the President is unable to make a new
certification under this subsection; and
(ii) contains a certification that no funds will be
obligated or expended to provide assistance described in
subsection (a) in contravention of subsection (a).
(c) Exception.--
(1) In general.--The limitation on assistance under
subsection (a) shall not apply with respect to--
(A) assistance for projects to be administered by local
organizations that reflect the aims, needs, and priorities of
local communities in Syria;
(B) assistance for projects to meet basic human needs in
Syria, including--
(i) drought relief;
(ii) assistance to refugees, internally displaced persons,
and conflict victims;
(iii) the distribution of food and medicine; and
(iv) the provision of health services; and
(C) assistance to carry out the activities described in
subsection (b)(1)(G).
(2) Report and determination.--The President shall submit
to the appropriate congressional committees a report and
determination for each of the fiscal years 2019 through 2023
on each project with respect to which this subsection applies
during the preceding fiscal year, including--
(A) a description of the project;
(B) a description of how United States funds with respect
to the project were used;
(C) the geographic location or locations of the project;
and
(D) a determination with respect to whether the project
benefited an official of the Assad regime.
(3) Sense of congress.--It is the sense of Congress that,
to the greatest extent practicable, the United States should
not fund projects described in this subsection with respect
to which the Government of Syria, any official of the
Government of Syria, and any immediate family member of an
official of the Government of Syria have a financial or
material interest or are affiliated with the implementing
partner of the project.
(d) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on
Appropriations of the House of Representatives; and
(B) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on
Appropriations of the Senate.
(2) Associated forces.--The term ``associated forces''
includes forces of the Government of the Russian Federation,
the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Iranian-
backed proxy militias, and Hezbollah.
(3) Directly or indirectly.--The term ``directly or
indirectly'' includes assistance to multilateral institutions
and international governmental organizations, such as the
United Nations and related agencies, the International
Monetary Fund, and the World Bank.
SEC. 5. REPORT ON DELIVERY OF UNITED STATES HUMANITARIAN
ASSISTANCE TO SYRIA.
(a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State and the
Administrator of the United States Agency for International
Development shall submit to the appropriate congressional
committees a report on delivery of United States humanitarian
assistance to Syria.
(b) Matters To Be Included.--The report required by
subsection (a) shall include the following:
(1) A description of the challenges of access to areas of
Syria controlled by the Government of Syria or associated
forces for purposes of providing United States humanitarian
assistance, including assistance funded through multilateral
institutions and international governmental organizations.
(2) A description of where such United States humanitarian
assistance has been able to be delivered in such areas.
(3) A description of where such United States humanitarian
assistance has been denied access in such areas.
[[Page H3472]]
(4) A description of how the United States Government is
working to improve access to such areas.
(5) A description of the roles and responsibilities of
United States allies and partners and other countries in the
region in ensuring access to such areas.
(6) A description of how such United States humanitarian
assistance and implementing partners of such assistance are
monitored and evaluated.
(7) A description of the major challenges that the United
States faces in monitoring such United States humanitarian
assistance and how the United States is working to overcome
such challenges.
(8) A description of the strategy of the United States to
deliver humanitarian assistance to areas of Syria controlled
by the Government of Syria or associated forces and in which
the Government of Syria or associated forces is impeding
access to such areas.
(c) Definitions.--In this section, the term ``appropriate
congressional committees'' and ``associated forces'' have the
meanings given such terms in section 4(f).
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
California (Mr. Royce) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.
General Leave
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that
all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their
remarks and to include extraneous material in the Record.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from California?
There was no objection.
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Mr. Speaker, this bill comes at a very critical time. After 7 years
of devastating civil war, the destruction inflicted on the Syrian
people by the Assad regime and its allies is catastrophic. By
catastrophic, we mean a half million dead and we mean 14 million souls
pushed out of their homes in that civil war.
Even now, Iranian-backed militias are engaged in sectarian cleansing.
Ethnic cleansing was supposed to be something of the past. They are
forcing people from their homes, and Russian warplanes continue to drop
bombs on hospitals. Just 2 weeks ago, the regime again used chemical
weapons outside of Damascus as part of an operation that has displaced
55,000 people in this latest operation.
Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the ranking member of our committee,
Mr. Eliot Engel, because during this period of time--and we have
assisted in this effort--but during this period of time, he has tried
to lead in getting a solution to the problem of that civil unrest in
Syria, which began with people on the streets in Damascus marching,
saying: ``Peaceful, peaceful.'' From day one, he has led an effort to
try to focus us on trying to resolve this crisis.
Unfortunately, as the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum noted in a
recent report, the situation on the ground is getting even worse in
Syria, and the worst, they say, is probably yet to come.
At the same time as this carnage is going on, representatives of
Syria, Iran, and Russia have spread out across the international
community trying to gin up reconstruction money. They will not find it
here.
It would be unconscionable for U.S. Government function to be used
for stabilization or reconstruction in the areas under control of the
illegitimate Assad regime and its proxies, and I will tell you why:
because the people in those areas that they have taken over are being
pushed out. And the militia that are being brought in are militia--
whether it is Hezbollah or other militia--that are not indigenous to
those communities. We are not going to support the building of
infrastructure that is going to benefit Hezbollah, Iran's revolutionary
guards, or foreign militias recruited and paid for by the Iranian
regime.
If or when the day comes that the Government of Syria is no longer
led by Bashar al-Assad and his proxies, then the U.S. can once again
look at the prospect for assistance, if the day comes when people are
allowed to return to their homes. We do have an interest in seeing a
stable and secure--and not hostile--Syria one day.
But until then, murder, industrial level torture, starvation,
deliberate targeting of schools, hospitals, and markets, and the
shameless use of chemical weapons cannot be in the remotest way
possible supported by U.S. funding.
Mr. Speaker, I ask that Members join with us to ensure no U.S.
funding makes it into the hands of the Assad regime and his proxies.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
House of Representatives,
Committee on Financial Services,
Washington, DC, April 16, 2018.
Hon. Ed Royce,
Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs,
Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Royce: I am writing concerning H.R. 4681, the
No Assistance for Assad Act.
As a result of your having consulted with the Committee on
Financial Services concerning provisions in the bill that
fall within our Rule X jurisdiction, I agree to forgo action
on the bill so that it may proceed expeditiously to the House
Floor. The Committee on Financial Services takes this action
with our mutual understanding that, by foregoing
consideration of H.R. 4681, at this time, we do not waive any
jurisdiction over the subject matter contained in this or
similar legislation, and that our Committee will be
appropriately consulted and involved as this or similar
legislation moves forward so that we may address any
remaining issues that fall within our Rule X jurisdiction.
Our Committee also reserves the right to seek appointment of
an appropriate number of conferees to any House-Senate
conference involving this or similar legislation, and
requests your support for any such request.
Finally, I would appreciate your response to this letter
confirming this understanding with respect to H.R. 4681 and
would ask that a copy of our exchange of letters on this
matter be included in the Congressional Record during floor
consideration thereof.
Sincerely,
Jeb Hensarling,
Chairman.
____
House of Representatives,
Committee on Foreign Affairs,
Washington, DC, April 17, 2018.
Hon. Jeb Hensarling,
Chairman, Committee on Financial Services,
Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Hensarling: Thank you for consulting with the
Foreign Affairs Committee and agreeing to be discharged from
further consideration of H.R. 4681, the No Assistance for
Assad Act, so that the bill may proceed expeditiously to the
House floor.
I agree that your forgoing further action on this measure
does not in any way diminish or alter the jurisdiction of
your committee, or prejudice its jurisdictional prerogatives
on this resolution or similar legislation in the future. I
would support your effort to seek appointment of an
appropriate number of conferees from your committee to any
House-Senate conference on this legislation.
I will seek to place our letters on H.R. 4681 into the
Congressional Record during floor consideration of the bill.
I appreciate your cooperation regarding this legislation and
look forward to continuing to work together as this measure
moves through the legislative process.
Sincerely,
Edward R. Royce,
Chairman.
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise in support of the No Assistance for Assad Act.
This act, H.R. 4681, was written by me. I am proud to be the lead
sponsor in this bill. And I am proud of the bipartisan support that we
have gotten from Chairman Royce and others on both sides of the aisle.
Mr. Speaker, every time we think that the crisis in Syria could not
get any worse, the Assad regime manages to plunge the country into even
deeper depths. Children living in besieged Madaya could not get food,
so they resort to eating leaves. A 7-year-old and her mother tweeted
good-bye messages from Aleppo under siege. What has happened recently
in eastern Ghouta is just unfathomable.
The White Helmets--first responders--rushing to the scene of an
aerial attack, have been targeted themselves once they arrived to
render aid. And the regime has continued using chemical weapons, which
the world swore we would never use again. But no matter how Assad's
victims have met their ends--from nerve gas or barrel bombs or at the
hands of Assad's Russian or Iranian patrons--the loss of innocent life
is staggering.
My heart really bleeds for the people of Syria. What they have had to
endure should not be endured by anyone. The United States needs to be
vocal and we need to take action.
As we continue to find some way to end the bloodshed, we also need to
start thinking about what will come down the road.
[[Page H3473]]
This bill says that American assistance for reconstruction in Syria
should be available in areas controlled by Assad only if the regime
stops indiscriminate use of weapons, ends attacks on civilians and
civilian facilities, releases political prisoners, allows human rights
organizations access to the prisons, and removes senior officials
complicit in human rights abuses.
If Bashar al-Assad--the butcher of Syria--wants to destroy his own
country and then expects the United States to pick up the pieces, he is
sorely mistaken. That simply won't happen. He and Russia and Iran broke
Syria, and now they have to buy it.
We were careful in crafting this legislation to ensure that these
limitations won't affect locally administered projects. And the bill
permits humanitarian assistance to all in need.
Recovery in Syria will be a slow and painful process. But we cannot
allow those responsible for hundreds of thousands of murders to control
American dollars meant to help the country rebuild.
Who in the Foreign Affairs Committee can forget those horrendous
pictures taken of all these dead corpses lying one by one right next to
each other? Who could ever forget those atrocities that are being put
up with by the people of Syria each and every day?
I am grateful for the bipartisan support this bill has already
received. I particularly want to thank Congressman Kinzinger,
Congressman Boyle, and Chairman Royce for their partnership in crafting
this legislation.
This legislation sends a message--particularly after the Assad regime
again used chemical weapons--that we are closely watching the
developments in Syria and that the United States will not assist those
who are party to such heinous war crimes.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I
reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Kinzinger), the primary Republican
cosponsor of this bill.
Mr. KINZINGER. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Royce, Ranking Member
Engel, and the co-chair of the Friends of a Free, Stable, and
Democratic Syria Caucus with me, Representative Boyle, for their work
on this bill.
In the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011, we thought it was going
to be peaceful. Since then, 500,000 Syrians are dead--50,000 of which
are children--at the hands of the brutal Assad regime.
Assad, his regime, Russia, and Iran have committed genocide across
Syria. They have targeted hospitals and schools, and they have
destroyed critical infrastructure with indiscriminate barrel bombs and
airstrikes. They reduced much of the country to rubble. As long as
Assad is in power, they should be fully responsible for rebuilding.
The No Assistance for Assad Act would place conditions on American
non-humanitarian assistance in Syrian territories controlled by the
Assad regime or their allies.
By limiting our reconstruction assistance to Assad, we send a strong
message that the American people will not support any efforts to
legitimize or bolster the barbaric Assad regime--a regime that uses
chemical weapons on its own innocent civilians, as we saw especially
recently.
We have seen far too many horrifying images of the bloody and
besieged children across Syria, suffering at the hands of an evil war
criminal.
As of January 2018, the United States has provided more than $7.7
billion in humanitarian assistance to the people of Syria. We will
continue to support the innocent victims with emergency food, safe
drinking water, shelter, and other vital resources that they
desperately need.
Separately, this legislation places strict conditions on the non-
humanitarian assistance for things like early recovery, stabilization,
and reconstruction in the Assad-controlled Syrian territories.
The release of all political prisoners and providing full access to
Syrian prisoners for human rights investigations and removing those
human rights abusers from positions of authority are just two of the
conditions included in this bill. The Syrian Government must also end
all attacks against civilians and halt the development and deployment
of ballistic and cruise missiles.
For our own national security and that of our allies, we must do all
we can now to prevent the next generation of terrorists down the road.
{time} 1700
Without hope and opportunity, the people of Syria and those across
the Middle East will become prime recruits for groups like ISIS,
Hezbollah, and others.
The United States of America must take a stand against the genocide
in Syria, the inhumane war crimes against the innocent people of Syria,
and the oppressive strongmen, those like Assad.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 4681,
the No Assistance for Assad Act.
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe), the chairman of the Committee on
Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade.
Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
I also want to thank and express my support for Ranking Member
Engel's bill, H.R. 4681, the No Assistance for Assad Act. As he said,
Assad is a butcher, a butcher of his own people.
Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad continues to murder the Syrians en
masse and destroy what was once a great ancient land. Because of the
world's inaction, he is close to victory. He has proven that evil
triumphs when good men and women do nothing.
Now Syria is in ruins and it must be rebuilt, but in the lands that
Assad and his thugs control, we should play no part in helping his
regime look like the saviors of the country. He and his Russian and
Iranian backers must foot the bill for the destruction they brought
upon Syria. Assad and his murderous supporters will try to use any
reconstruction to cover up for their crimes.
That is why it is important we pass H.R. 4681, to restrict any U.S.-
funded reconstruction assistance to areas the Syrian regime controls.
The American people are kind; they are generous and will always help
those in need. We always have--history proves it--but we will not pay
for a propaganda win for brutal dictators like Assad.
Let Assad and his buddies, the Iranians and the Russians, rebuild
Assad's territory. His regime has weaponized humanitarian aid
throughout the war, and we can only expect him to continue to do so as
he tries to retake territory.
So, for now, let Assad rule over the ruins of the old Syria, the
Syria he destroyed, and no U.S. money should ever go to Assad. One day,
the Assads will be gone, but until then, we should not provide a dime
of American money to strengthen his rule and grip over that land.
And that is just the way it is.
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, in closing, reconstruction and stabilization of a post-
ISIS Syria is estimated to cost in the neighborhood of $300 billion.
And, by the way, I wish I could say a post-Assad Syria, because he is
the one who really should go.
The Syrian regime has spent the last 6 years destroying civilian
infrastructure and driving people from their homes. It is simply not
the role of the United States to support reconstruction in Syria,
especially if the Assad regime continues to suppress the Syrian people
and there is no accountability for his war crimes.
For those who are considering investing in Syrian reconstruction in
Assad-controlled territories, just know that Syria is one of the most
corrupt countries in the world. Therefore, it should be expected that
reconstruction money would be syphoned off to those who have
perpetrated war crimes and those who facilitate terrorism. We must
prevent this.
Again, we must not forget the plight of the Syrian people. We must
continue to stand with the Syrian people. We must demand that there is
an end to all chemical weapons and all weapons killing civilians with
barrel bombs, with people trying to get out of the way, little children
dying with their mothers, in their mother's hands. This cannot
continue.
[[Page H3474]]
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
In closing, I would like to thank Ranking Member Engel and
Representative Kinzinger for their exceptional work on this important
bill. This bill will keep taxpayer dollars out of the hands of a
murderous regime and its proxies.
Time and again, Mr. Eliot Engel has been this body's conscience on
the issue of Syria. We have acted many times, passing the Caesar Syria
Civilian Protection Act twice; adopting H. Con. Res. 121, which
expressed the sense of the Congress supporting the establishment of a
tribunal in Syria to try Assad's war crimes, another measure we had
passed.
While we have made important progress in the military campaign
against ISIS, there is no end in sight to the misery inflicted on the
people of Syria by Assad and his proxies. Now is not the time to turn
away. As we engage, we cannot allow U.S. taxpayer money to reward war
crimes.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4681,
the No Assistance for Assad Act, introduced by my good friend Rep.
Engel, the Ranking Member of our committee. I commend Rep. Engel and
Rep. Kinzinger for advancing this important measure in a bipartisan
manner to demonstrate the broad agreement in this House that Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad has no future as the legitimate leader of the
Syrian people.
Mr. Speaker, this bill would effectively block most categories of
U.S. assistance to areas of Syria controlled by the Assad regime unless
it is delivered through trusted local partners or serves basic
humanitarian needs. In creating strict conditions for the provisions of
U.S. assistance to regime-controlled areas, this bill ensures that the
United States will not help those responsible for destroying Syria to
profit from rebuilding it.
Mr. Speaker, the Syrian regime, Russia, and Iran have played both
arsonist and firefighter in Syria's devastating civil war--and now they
want to play the role of predatory developer, sopping up reconstruction
contracts to pad their pockets and further determine Syria's future in
line with their narrow political agendas.
Mr. Speaker, Assad long ago surrendered his last shred of legitimacy
as president of Syria. His regime's horrific chemical attack this month
in Douma placed this fact once again in high relief. The Trump
Administration was right to respond decisively to this barbaric attack
with targeted strikes to punish and deter such atrocities perpetrated
with chemical weapons.
Mr. Speaker, I have long advocated concrete steps that would ensure
the Assad regime, jihadi groups, and others responsible for mass
atrocities in Syria face justice for their crimes. This bill rightly
insists on the removal of war criminals from the Syrian government as
one condition among many for releasing U.S. aid to the regime.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this timely and
important measure.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from California (Mr. Royce) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 4681, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________