FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October 17, 2019
Contact: Press@paul.senate.gov, 202-224-4343
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Shortly before U.S. Vice President Mike Pence announced a ceasefire agreement between the United States and Turkey regarding Syria, U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) stood up against efforts to keep America bogged down in endless conflict in the Middle East.
Speaking on the Senate floor, Dr. Paul objected to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s attempt to pass the U.S. House-passed resolution condemning President Trump for removing American troops from northern Syria, instead offering binding legislation to indefinitely end arms sales to Turkey.
“The Constitution is quite clear. No authorization has ever been given for the use of force in Syria. No authorization of declaration of war. No permission to be there at all. So if they want to insert themselves into this civil war, by all means, let’s have a debate. Let’s have the constitutional debate. But I, for one, am not willing to send one young man or one young woman — one soldier — over there without a clear mission. There is no clear mission,” Dr. Paul said on the floor.
Following his objection, Dr. Paul sought to pass his bill, which was opposed.
You can watch Dr. Paul’s objection HERE and his remarks when offering his legislation HERE. You can find Dr. Paul’s bill below.
This afternoon, Dr. Paul also offered his support for the Trump administration’s diplomatic efforts, tweeting, “Thanks @realdonaldtrump for achieving a quick diplomatic breakthrough in the Turkey-Syria conflict.”