In response to the Obama administration’s announcement Thursday night that it has conclusive evidence that Syria’s Assad regime used chemical weapons against opposition forces, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) urged the president in a statement “to exercise restraint and to consult closely with Congress before undertaking any course of action to commit American military resources to Syrian opposition forces.”
Full text below:
Tonight, the Administration announced that the Assad regime has used chemical weapons against the Syrian people, and that the Administration intends to expand U.S. assistance to Syrian opposition forces. I condemn the Assad regime’s actions, which are in blatant violation of international norms.
When I voted last week against a Senate resolution authorizing the provision of military assistance, I expressed deep reservations about committing U.S. military resources to support these opposition forces, which remain dangerously splintered and hold demonstrable ties to terrorist organizations. I explained that the United States should be wary of becoming drawn into a complicated proxy war that could bog our country down for years at a potentially incalculable cost to U.S. taxpayers and America’s reputation.
There are many actions that the United States can take to increase our humanitarian assistance to refugee populations and opposition groups, short of injecting more weapons into the conflict.
I urge the President to exercise restraint and to consult closely with Congress before undertaking any course of action to commit American military resources to Syrian opposition forces.
