[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 201 (Thursday, December 20, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H10340]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                 SYRIA

  (Mr. HILL asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise on the House floor to object to 
President Trump's decision to withdraw all U.S. troops from Syria.
  I encourage the President to remember the poor decision of the Obama 
administration in 2011, when the United States announced its withdrawal 
from a ``stable Iraq.'' ISIS is not defeated and may have as many as 
30,000 fighters remaining in Syria. Atrocities being committed by the 
brutal dictator, Assad, and his henchmen, including Russia and Iran, 
will now continue with impunity. This opens the door for Iran to 
consolidate gains.
  I am especially concerned with the tragic consequences this will have 
months and years down the road. The United States policy in Syria must 
ensure the lasting defeat of ISIS, roll back Iranian influence, and 
achieve a political solution to the crisis.
  I echo the late John McCain and his message from 2011, as it applies 
today. This decision is a ``sad case of political expediency 
supplanting military necessity.''

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