[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 60 (Monday, April 8, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S2287]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                              Tice Family

  Madam President, on a final matter, several families were in 
Washington this last week to advocate for the release of their loved 
ones by two rogue regimes. One of the men being held captive in Syria 
is Austin Tice.
  There are many ways you can describe Austin. He is a seventh-
generation Texan, a decorated Marine Corps veteran, an Eagle Scout, and 
an award-winning journalist. Yet, to Austin's family, he is so much 
more than his impressive list of accomplishments. He is their beloved 
son, brother, and friend whom they have not seen or heard from for 6\1/
2\ years.
  In the summer of 2012, Austin was getting ready to enter his final 
year of law school at Georgetown University. Instead of spending the 
summer working at a law firm, he chose to do something few were brave 
enough to do at the time, which was to report on the Syrian civil war 
from the inside. Austin always had a passion for storytelling, and he 
was frustrated by the lack of reporting on the impact this vicious 
violence was having on the Syrian people.
  In demonstrating his courage and tenacity gained during his time in 
the Marine Corps, Austin got on a plane that May to fly to Turkey. Over 
the summer, his photos and stories illuminated the human cost of this 
conflict until one day in August of 2012 his stories abruptly stopped. 
The following month, a shocking video surfaced that showed Austin's 
having been blindfolded, bound, and surrounded by unidentified, armed 
men. Austin was just a few days from returning to the United States 
when he was abducted, and to this day, we have no specific information 
about his captors or the conditions for his release.
  Austin's family--particularly Marc and Debra, his parents--has worked 
tirelessly over these last 6\1/2\ years to locate Austin and to bring 
him home. I have had the privilege of meeting with them multiple times, 
and I can only imagine what an impact this has had on them and on their 
entire family. I have tremendous respect for Marc, Debra, and their 
family. I wonder if others could stand up under this pressure as well 
as they have, lo these many years, during their steadfast advocacy for 
their son's safe return. Yet they do have a sort of serene confidence 
that comes across when you talk to them in that one day, Austin will 
return home.
  Once again, I join the Tice family in calling on Austin's captors to 
release him immediately. I also continue to call on the administration 
to make sure that Austin is kept in mind when there are any discussions 
with the Syrian Government and future decisions to remove U.S. forces 
from Syria. I assure Austin's family that our resolve has not weakened; 
it has only grown stronger. I will do everything possible to press for 
his release, and I will continue to urge the administration to do the 
same.