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Representative Massie Introduces Bill to Block Unauthorized U.S. Military Aid to Syrian Rebels
Massie joined by Reps. Amash, Jones, Yoho, Roe, Brooks, Pitts, Meadows, DesJarlais, and Gohmert
WASHINGTON –
Today, Representative Massie and nine other House members introduced
legislation to block unauthorized U.S. military aid to Syrian rebels.
Article
1, Section 8 of the Constitution gives Congress—not the President—the
power to declare war. But the President recently announced his intention
to send arms to the rebels in Syria fighting President Bashar
al-Assad’s regime. H.R. 2507, the War Powers Protection Act of 2013,
prohibits any military assistance to Syrian opposition forces unless
Congress issues a formal declaration of war pursuant to Article 1,
Section 8 of the Constitution.
“Since our national security interests in Syria are unclear, we risk giving money and military assistance to our enemies,” said Rep. Massie.
“Additionally, all military action must be authorized by Congress. The
American people deserve open debate by their elected officials.”
“America can no longer
afford to be the world’s policeman, particularly where our sacrifices of
American lives and treasury are not properly appreciated. America
should not have intervened in Libya’s civil war and should not intervene
in Syria’s civil war. America’s involvement in Middle Eastern civil
wars creates fertile recruiting grounds for terrorists who seek to kill
Americans. At least four Americans are dead in Libya, in part, because
of America’s intervention in their internal strife. The unanswered
question is how many Americans will die because of terrorist enemies we
create or empower in Syria,” said Rep. Brooks (AL-05).
“The
Constitution empowers Congress—and only Congress—to declare war.
Congress has not declared war against Syria or otherwise authorized
force in that country, yet the President unilaterally has decided to arm
the Syrian rebels. His action is unconstitutional and must be
stopped,” said Rep. Amash (MI-03).
“I
am deeply concerned over President Obama’s unilateral decision to arm
the Syrian rebels. While Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s actions are
nothing short of reprehensible, we simply do not know enough about the
goals and objectives of the rebel factions to justify intervention by
the United States. We could very well be jeopardizing our national
security interests by sending weapons to a group with reported ties to
the Muslim Brotherhood and Al-Qaeda. History has shown us too often that
when we arm extremist groups in the Middle East, we can expect to have
those weapons used against us or our allies at a later date,” said Rep. DesJarlais (TN-04).
“If
we had acted earlier, it may have been different, but now there is a
tyrant on one side and al-Qaeda backed rebels on the other, which is a
no-win situation. Neither our troops nor funding nor weapons should be
wedged into the middle of a no-win situation,” said Rep. Gohmert (TX-01).
“We cannot continue to spend American money overseas without a vote of approval from Congress,” said Rep. Jones (NC-03).
“For too long, the legislature’s responsibility to authorize military
force has been overlooked. It is time that we uphold the Constitution,
which makes it clear in Article 1, Section 8 that Congress alone holds
the power to declare war.”
“To
think we can guarantee any assistance we provide won't come to the aid
of the groups that mean us harm is naïve at best and fatal at worst.
Solidifying Congress’s War Powers authority will force transparency and
accountability in the president's Syria policy,” said Rep. Yoho (FL-03).
View the War Powers Protection Act of 2013 in its entirety here.
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