[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 200 (Wednesday, December 19, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S7887]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  UNANIMOUS CONSENT REQUEST--H.R. 1677

  Mr. RISCH. Mr. President, I come here today to talk about an issue 
that has been talked about quite a bit here on the floor today, and 
that is the situation in Syria. I know there has been a lot of debate 
today about what is happening there and what happened today in Syria.
  But I bring to the floor today something that I think should get the 
unanimous consent of everyone. The House passed this resolution some 
time ago. It was by voice vote--no recorded ``no'' votes. It was 
essentially a unanimous consent bill.
  When I am through with this, I am hoping everyone here will agree 
with me that this is the right thing to do and something that will 
actually address the situation that is taking place in Syria.
  This bill declares that it is U.S. policy to use all diplomatic and 
economic means to compel the government of Bashar al-Assad to stop the 
slaughter of the Syrian people and work toward a democratic government. 
The use of sanctions are a critical tool of U.S. foreign policy, and 
that is what we are talking about here today--the implementation of 
additional sanctions. They often allow the United States to have a 
strong impact on a country and serve the U.S. national security 
interests without having to implement military measures and put U.S. 
troops in harm's way.
  I believe--and most of us believe--that H.R. 1677 helps meet those 
interests. How does it work? Here is how it works. First of all, it 
imposes fresh sanctions on entities conducting business with the Assad 
regime and its military and intelligence agencies. A number of regime-
controlled industries--including in the airline, telecommunications, 
and energy sectors--will also be targeted.
  It aims to encourage negotiations by allowing the President to waive 
sanctions if the parties are engaged in meaningful negotiations and the 
violence against civilians has ceased.
  The bill also authorizes the Secretary of State to support entities 
that are collecting and preserving evidence for the eventual 
prosecution of those who committed war crimes and crimes against 
humanity in Syria from March 2011 to the present and requires the 
President to report to Congress on the identity of those who are 
responsible for or complicit with gross violations of human rights of 
the Syrian people.
  There is no doubt that we are going to get to that point. It is not 
going to happen tomorrow, and it is not going to happen the next day, 
but no one on Earth can do the kinds of things that Assad has done to 
his own people.
  We all know that there have been poisonous substances used and 
weapons of mass destruction used by Assad against his people. 
Eventually, those who are responsible are going to have to face the 
music for that, and they are going to have to be prosecuted for that.
  This bill helps to preserve the evidence and the identity of those 
who are involved in that. As I noted, the House passed this some time 
ago, and virtually without resistance. On November 30, the 
administration issued a White House statement supporting H.R. 1677. The 
administration said:

       The bill would add to a robust set of tools at the 
     Administration's disposal to help bring to an end the 
     heartbreaking ongoing tragedy in Syria and to hold Syrian 
     officials accountable for the slaughter of civilians and 
     other atrocities. This bill will help provide additional 
     leverage to achieve the United States government's objective 
     to de-escalate the military conflict and support the United 
     Nations-led peace process and a transition to a government in 
     Syria that honors the will of the Syrian people, respects the 
     rule of law and human rights, and peacefully co-exists with 
     its neighbors in the region.

  The bill effectively targets the Assad regime and its supporters with 
additional financial sanctions and some crippling economic tools. We 
have all seen some very recent examples of how well our sanctions have 
worked because of the United States' position in the banking industry 
and, indeed, in the world economic structure.
  In order for us to get the Iranians out of Syria and help bring a 
permanent defeat of ISIS, we must pursue a politically negotiated 
solution that will have a major change in the current Syrian regime 
structure. The Syrian people are a noble people. Their culture has been 
an organization that has existed since Biblical times. These are a 
noble people, a good people as a population, and they do not deserve 
this. From a humanitarian perspective, this legislation expresses the 
long overdue outrage for the 500,000 Syrians killed by the Syrian 
dictator, Iranian forces, and their allies.
  Dictators are evil. Whether they are religious or secular, royals or 
oligarchs, they are evil.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the 
immediate consideration of Calendar No. 620, H.R. 1677; that the 
committee-reported amendment be agreed to, the bill, as amended, be 
considered read a third time and passed, and the motion to reconsider 
be considered made and laid upon the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  The Senator from Kentucky.
  Mr. PAUL. Reserving the right to object, today President Trump 
announced that we have won the war against ISIS in Syria. Our troops 
are coming home. Thank you, Mr. President.
  The Syrian civil war is largely over, but Syria is a mess and 
desperately needs reconstruction. These sanctions will delay--and 
possibly prevent--the reconstruction of Syria and the beginning of a 
healing time. Now is the time for diplomacy.
  There are many actors--including Russia, Iran, Turkey, the United 
States, and others--but this is the time for diplomacy, not for new 
sanctions. So I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
  The Senator from Idaho.
  Mr. RISCH. Mr. President, to respond briefly, with all due respect to 
my friend and colleague, the Senator from Kentucky, I respectfully urge 
that this is exactly what is needed to encourage the diplomacy that he 
wants, that I want, that all of us want.
  As far as discouraging that, this resolution actually gives the 
President the authority to grant waivers when and if they finally get 
to the diplomatic track.
  So with all due respect, I disagree with that. I understand he has 
the right to object to this. It is unfortunate. We had the 435 members 
of the House hotline this here. There are 99 Members here who signed 
off on this legislation. It is very unfortunate.
  The Syrian people do not deserve the treatment they are getting from 
Assad, and this resolution is aimed directly at stopping it.
  Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. LANKFORD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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