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Congressman Sherman Responds to U.S. Strike on Assad Regime

April 7, 2017

Sherman Oaks –Congressman Brad Sherman, a senior Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee released the following statement in response to Syrian chemical attack on Khan Shaykhun and the American response on Shayrat Air Base.

"We should have three goals in Syria:

  1. Protect the Syrian people
  2. Destroy ISIS
  3. Preserve the Chemical Weapons Convention that bans poison gas and chemical weapons.

"All while limiting the risks of U.S. causalities or a wider war with Russia.

"Our recent attack was a reasonable and prudent effort to achieve the third objective. Assad must realize that his use of illegal weapons will not further his objectives. Other tyrants will realize there is a heavy price to pay for employing chemical weapons.

"Even if we stop Assad from using chemical weapons, this will do only a little to protect the Syrian people. Only a very small portion of the nearly 500,000 civilian deaths caused by Assad resulted from his use of chemicals.

"Since the House adopted the Sherman amendment on July 7, 2011, I have been a leader in protecting the role of Congress in authorizing the use of force. However it seems that, under the War Powers Act, the President could undertake yesterday's action without congressional authorization. In contrast, Obama's many months of bombing Libya without a congressional AUMF (Authorization for Use of Military Force) probably did violate the War Powers Act.

"We owe a debt to President Obama. Under his leadership 1,300 tons of chemical weapons agents were turned over by Assad to international authorities and destroyed in 2013-2014."

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