Shaheen Statement on Syria Airstrikes

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) issued the following statement in response to President Donald Trump’s decision to launch U.S. airstrikes on Syrian military forces in reaction to recent chemical weapons attacks on Syrian civilians:

"The Assad regime's brutality cannot go unanswered," said Shaheen. "With the assistance of Russia and Iran, Bashar al-Assad has committed mass murder against his own people. I support these air strikes, done in coordination with our allies, but remain adamant that the administration must develop a comprehensive strategy for ending the Syrian civil war. Tonight, I once again call on the White House to issue a clear policy on Syria and urge the Senate to pass legislation to this effect."

In 2013, Senator Shaheen voted in favor of an Authorization for Use of Military Force to respond to the Assad regime’s use of chemical weapons. Senator Shaheen, a member of both the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees, helped passed a key proposal through the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last year that would establish a bipartisan panel to complete a comprehensive strategic review of American policy in Syria. Shaheen has urged the leadership of the Senate State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Subcommittee, as well as the leadership of the Senate Armed Services Committee, to move forward and establish a Syria Study Group. Last year, Shaheen helped introduce the bipartisan Syrian War Crimes Accountability Act, which would instruct the Secretary of State to report on war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in Syria. It would also authorize assistance for investigations and other credible transitional justice efforts to hold Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad and his regime accountable for its crimes.