TURKEY AND SYRIA; Congressional Record Vol. 165, No. 164

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TURKEY AND SYRIA

Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, on an entirely different matter, I

was encouraged to see yesterday's display of bipartisan concern in the

House of Representatives for sustaining America's global leadership

and, specifically, over the damaging impact of hastily withdrawing that

leadership from Syria.

Back in January, I led a forward-looking debate here in the Senate on

these very issues. I sponsored an amendment to \[S. 1\](https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/1) that earned the

support of a bipartisan supermajority--70 Senators. We went on the

record as opposing a premature exit from Syria or Afghanistan and

emphasized the need for sustained American leadership in the fight

against terrorism.

I was disappointed when a number of leading Democrats, including my

counterpart, the Democratic leader, and most of our colleagues who are

running for President, voted against this bipartisan consensus, but,

overall, a huge majority of the Senate spoke up strongly.

I know many of us are keen on engaging in these important issues

further in light of recent events. As the Senate debates our Middle

East policy and contemplates what action to take, I believe it is

important that we make a strong, forward-looking, strategic statement.

For that reason, my preference would be for something even stronger

than the resolution the House passed yesterday, which has some serious

weaknesses. It is so narrowly drafted that it fails to address the

plight of imperiled Sunni Arab and minority Christian communities in

Syria. It is backward-looking, and it is curiously silent on the issue

of whether to actually sustain a U.S. military presence in Syria,

perhaps to spare the Democrats from having to go on the record on this

key question.

So my first preference is for something stronger than the House

resolution. I look forward to continuing to engage with my colleagues

on both sides of the aisle as we chart the right course, and I expect

many of us will have much more to say on the subject very soon.

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