Representative Matt Gaetz, R-Fl. introduced a House resolution on Tuesday that would require President Biden to withdraw all U.S. troops from Syria.
The presence of American soldiers in the country has been kept relatively quiet as there have been accusations that the Pentagon played ‘shell games’ with the number of troops in the country to prevent elected officials from knowing the extent of the U.S. presence there.
Gaetz announced the introduction of the resolution on Twitter, asking Biden to defend the presence of soldiers in Syria publicly or withdraw them from the country.
What are we trying to win in Syria?
If Biden has a plan worthy of risking American lives, he should tell it to congress.
I haven’t heard one. https://t.co/r8lnm1xVx7
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) February 22, 2023
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Gaetz said that members of Congress should have to publicly vote if the United States continues its ‘entanglement’ in Syria.
“Since the invasion of Ukraine, we seem to have turned our attention away from some of America’s entanglement in Syria,” Gaetz told Fox News Digital. “And the purpose of my legislation is to force members of Congress to vote on record regarding whether they think we ought to continue Obama’s war in Syria. President Obama kicked off our involvement … and now we still find ourselves in the middle of a Syrian civil war with Russia and Turkey and Iran, all present in a very confined neighborhood.”
He also said that his resolution aligned with an America First agenda that would put the interests of the United States over the ‘Military Industrial Complex.’
“Congress has never authorized the use of military force in Syria. America First means actually putting the people of our country first — not the interests of the Military Industrial Complex.”
Congress has never authorized the use of military force in Syria.
The United States is currently not in a war with or against Syria.
If Joe Biden wants to keep U.S. troops in the Syrian conflict, he should have to explain to us why, what the goal is, https://t.co/shbaFZBjfj… https://t.co/0crT0gFNs8
— Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) February 22, 2023
Gaetz said Syria could be a ‘powder keg’ that would escalate.
“It strikes me as a powder keg for very dangerous escalation. And as we find ourselves here in 2023, we ought to ask ourselves, ‘Do we really want to continue the Obama-era policy of engaging in a Syrian civil war?’ I don’t think we should,” the Florida congressman continued.
Even more concerning, he claimed that Russian and American soldiers were in ‘very close’ proximity to each other, meaning that one miscommunication or accident could lead to them firing at each other.
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“I’ve heard reports as recently as today from people who’ve spent time in the Syria theater, indicating that Russian and U.S. personnel get into very close proximity to one another, close enough to take photos and wave,” Gaetz said of potential escalation in the region.
Gaetz’s report has been corroborated by journalists who took pictures of American and Russian soldiers together as their patrol routes intersected.
In Syria, the Russian and American militaries have cordial relations | American soldiers in NE Syria exchange friendly greetings with Russian soldiers as their patrol routes intersect in an oil field near al-Qahtaniyah in Hasakah province. pic.twitter.com/0YDL35RACF
— Mike (@Doranimated) October 9, 2022
“The risk of an accident or miscalculation or just misuse of authority could lead to direct kinetic conflict between the United States and Russia in Syria. And we ought to really think about whether or not that risk is worth whatever it is we’re fighting for in Syria.” He said.
Gaetz also criticized members of the so-called ‘Squad,’ progressive members of Congress such as Representative Alexandria Occasio Cortez, D-Ny. and Representative Rashida Tlaib, D-Mi. for being ‘cheerleaders’ of foreign wars.
“One of my great disappointments in the 118th Congress is that people who I thought were anti-war Democrats seem to be consumed, have become cheerleaders for our armed conflict,” Gaetz said. “‘The Squad’ used to be anti-war. Now, they’re waving their pom poms for NATO. And, so, I’m sort of looking for where the anti-war coalition currently resides in the Congress.”
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