[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 166 (Monday, October 21, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H8263-H8264]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             CONSEQUENCES OF ABANDONING OUR KURDISH ALLIES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Schneider) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. SCHNEIDER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in great sadness and 
profound concern over President Trump's inexplicable abandonment of our 
Kurdish allies in Syria who sacrificed more than 11,000 of their sons 
and daughters in our joint fight against ISIS.
  The President's impulsive and abrupt decision not only betrays our 
allies, but it betrays our values. It immediately compromises our 
national security, dramatically undermines American credibility, and 
will have negative strategic implications for generations to come.
  It is not just me saying this. These are the words of Senate Majority 
Leader Mitch McConnell: ``Withdrawing U.S. forces from Syria is a grave 
strategic mistake. It will leave the American people and homeland less 
safe, embolden our enemies, and weaken important alliances.''
  While we should all welcome the announced 5-day pause in the Turkish 
assault, we should not be celebrating. Turkey has not recognized the 
cease-fire but, rather, just a pause in fighting. Reports from the area 
indicate that Turkish-affiliated forces are still attacking, and the 
pause is scheduled to end tomorrow. We can likely expect the carnage to 
then resume with a new ferocity.
  Regarding the deal with Turkey, The Wall Street Journal this morning 
notes: ``Critics have said the agreement was a wholesale concession to 
Ankara, giving it control of an area in Syria it has coveted for years 
and freeing it from U.S. sanctions in return for pausing an offensive 
it had no international backing for. While President Trump hailed the 
pact as a diplomatic victory, U.S.-allied Kurds have likened it to a 
surrender on their part.''
  Unsurprisingly, our Kurdish allies have now aligned their forces with 
Assad's army. Assad has, thus, instantly made significant territorial 
gains in just a few days, effectively controlling lands that the U.S. 
and allied forces have spent years seeking to defend.
  So, let's review.
  In the weeks following the President's decision to walk away from our 
allies, Turkish forces and allied fighters, many of which are Islamic 
extremists, have crossed the border into Syria.
  U.S. forces have abandoned forward operating bases and then sent U.S. 
planes to destroy those bases. But before those bases could be 
destroyed, celebrating Russian troops posted selfies in some of these 
former American strongholds.
  Turkey is not just targeting Kurdish forces, they are attacking 
entire towns, and civilians are literally being murdered in the 
streets.
  The expansion of control by Russian and Syrian forces is not just a 
win for those countries in Syria but also threatens our allies in the 
region--in particular, Israel.
  Iran's sense of emboldenment will likely lead it to expand programs 
to deliver advanced weapons to Hezbollah, increasing the already 
significant threat to Israel--only now from Syria as well as Lebanon.
  As already noted, Assad has consolidated his power over virtually all 
of Syria at no political or military cost.
  Finally, many ISIS prisoners have escaped to join the fight, and 
thousands more are at risk of release, giving ISIS a greater ability to 
reorganize.
  One more thing: Today, there are reports that President Erdogan now 
wants Turkey to acquire nuclear weapons. The last thing this region 
needs is a nuclear arms race.
  Here is the bottom line. Last Thursday, the American Vice President 
and Secretary of State stood at a podium and announced the 
administration's effective capitulation and surrender. Turkey will 
complete its ethnic cleansing, and the U.S. will lift all sanctions.
  Assad has full control in Syria, under the tutelage of his Russian 
and Iranian masters.
  Turkey, Syria, Russia, and Iran are the winners. The Kurds are, once 
more, on the losing end.
  The United States, under President Trump, is sadly diminished--so 
much so that Syrians are throwing rotten food at retreating U.S. 
troops.

[[Page H8264]]

  The administration's policies are tragic for reasons beyond the human 
suffering it has unleashed. They weaken our national security, 
undermine our fight against terrorism, and diminish American 
credibility.
  We are so much better than this.
  I call on my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to speak out and 
condemn the actions of this administration. Congress must pass 
sanctions on Turkey and seek to compel Erdogan to stop Turkey's assault 
on the Kurds. We must compel this administration to live up to our 
Nation's values, to stand by our allies, and to confront our enemies.

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