[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 167 (Tuesday, October 22, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5973-S5974]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. McCONNELL (for himself, Mr. Burr, Mr. Graham, Mr. Inhofe, 
        Mr. Risch, Ms. Collins, Mr. Barrasso, Mr. Rubio, Mr. Isakson, 
        Mrs. Blackburn, Ms. McSally, Mr. Blunt, Mrs. Capito, Mr. Cruz, 
        and Mr. Wicker):
  S.J. Res. 59. A joint resolution expressing the sense of Congress on 
the precipitous withdrawal of United States Armed Forces from Syria and

[[Page S5974]]

Afghanistan, and Turkey's unprovoked incursion into Syria; read the 
first time.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text 
of the bill be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                              S.J. Res. 59

       Whereas the Islamic State of Iraq and al Sham, better known 
     by its acronym ISIS, flourished in the chaos unleashed by the 
     civil war in Syria and at one point controlled extensive 
     territory in Iraq and Syria;
       Whereas ISIS murdered thousands of innocent civilians, 
     including Americans, and sought to ethnically cleanse the 
     territory it controlled of religious minorities;
       Whereas the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, which is 
     composed of Kurdish and Arab fighters, remains an essential 
     United States partner in the successful campaign to destroy 
     ISIS' so-called ``caliphate'';
       Whereas, backed by the United States and United States 
     allies, the Syrian Democratic Forces liberated millions of 
     Syrians from ISIS' terrorist regime, and sustained 
     approximately 11,000 casualties in the fight;
       Whereas ISIS, al Qaeda, and their affiliates have proven 
     resilient and have regrouped when the United States and its 
     partners have withdrawn from the fight against them;
       Whereas Turkey's unprovoked incursion into northeastern 
     Syria, which began on October 9, 2019, has displaced more 
     than 166,000 civilians, according to the United Nations High 
     Commissioner on Refugees, and dozens of civilians have been 
     killed on both sides;
       Whereas, as a result of Turkey's incursion into 
     northeastern Syria and the withdrawal of United States Armed 
     Forces, the Syrian Democratic Forces have turned to Russia 
     and the brutal Assad regime for support, while more than a 
     hundred ISIS-affiliated detainees have escaped from detention 
     facilities; and
       Whereas the Assad regime is responsible for murdering at 
     least 500,000 civilians and displacing at least 12,000,000 
     Syrians, or roughly half the country's population at the time 
     that the civil war began in 2011, and the regime's return to 
     northeastern Syria through its new partnership with the 
     Syrian Democratic Forces will allow the regime to extend its 
     murderous campaign and again subjugate the Kurdish, Sunni 
     Arab, and religious minorities of northeastern Syria: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
     United States of America in Congress assembled, That 
     Congress--
       (1) condemns in the strongest terms the Government of 
     Turkey's escalating hostilities against Kurdish partners of 
     the United States in Syria, while recognizing the Government 
     of Turkey's legitimate humanitarian, economic, and security 
     concerns emanating from the conflict in Syria;
       (2) calls upon the United States Government to pressure the 
     Government of Turkey, including through sanctions, to act 
     with restraint, provide accountability for human rights 
     abuses conducted by militias acting in support of Turkish 
     military operations, and curtail its hostilities against 
     United States partner forces in Syria;
       (3) reiterates United States opposition to the forced 
     repatriation of refugees from third countries into Syria, and 
     calls upon all refugee returns to be safe, dignified, and 
     voluntary;
       (4) urges the President to rescind his invitation to the 
     White House to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan until a 
     more enduring cease-fire has been established between Turkish 
     and Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria;
       (5) calls upon the United States Government to continue 
     supporting liberated Syrian Kurdish and Arab communities in 
     northeast Syria through humanitarian support, including those 
     displaced or otherwise affected by ongoing violence in Syria, 
     and calls upon other nations to increase support to 
     stabilization efforts in northeastern Syria;
       (6) strongly opposes any abandonment of our Kurdish and 
     Arab partners in Syria;
       (7) calls for a halt to the withdrawal of United States 
     Armed Forces from Syria where practical, and calls for the 
     continued use of air power to target ISIS and provide 
     protection of ethnic and religious minorities in northeastern 
     Syria;
       (8) expresses support for a continued United States 
     military presence in Iraq, along with efforts to help Iraqi 
     forces control their border, protect their sovereignty, and 
     counter ISIS;
       (9) recognizes the continuing threat to United States and 
     United States allies posed by al Qaeda and ISIS, which 
     maintain an ability to operate in Syria and Afghanistan;
       (10) warns that a precipitous withdrawal of United States 
     forces from the ongoing fight against these groups, without 
     effective, countervailing efforts to secure gains in Syria 
     and Afghanistan, could allow terrorists to regroup, 
     destabilize critical regions, and create vacuums that could 
     be filled by Iran or Russia, to the detriment of United 
     States interests and those of our allies;
       (11) recognizes that an unbroken chain of Iranian-
     controlled territory across Syria poses a significant threat 
     to Israel;
       (12) reiterates support for international diplomatic 
     efforts to facilitate peaceful, negotiated resolutions to the 
     ongoing conflicts in Syria and Afghanistan on terms that 
     respect the rights of innocent civilians and deny safe havens 
     to terrorists;
       (13) encourages close collaboration between the executive 
     branch and the legislative branch to ensure continuing 
     strong, bipartisan support for United States military 
     operations in Syria and Afghanistan; and
       (14) calls upon the President to certify whether conditions 
     have been met for the enduring defeat of al Qaeda and ISIS 
     before initiating any further significant withdrawal of 
     United States forces from the region.

                          ____________________