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[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S.J. Res. 59 Placed on Calendar Senate (PCS)]

<DOC>

                                                       Calendar No. 259
116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. J. RES. 59

   Expressing the sense of Congress on the precipitous withdrawal of 
  United States Armed Forces from Syria and Afghanistan, and Turkey's 
                    unprovoked incursion into Syria.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            October 22, 2019

   Mr. McConnell (for himself, Mr. Burr, Mr. Graham, Mr. Inhofe, Mr. 
    Risch, Ms. Collins, Mr. Barrasso, Mr. Rubio, Mr. Isakson, Mrs. 
 Blackburn, Ms. McSally, Mr. Blunt, Mrs. Capito, Mr. Cruz, Mr. Wicker, 
 Mr. Lankford, Mr. Toomey, Mr. Sullivan, Ms. Ernst, Mrs. Fischer, and 
Mr. Roberts) introduced the following joint resolution; which was read 
                             the first time

                            October 23, 2019

            Read the second time and placed on the calendar

_______________________________________________________________________

                            JOINT RESOLUTION

 
   Expressing the sense of Congress on the precipitous withdrawal of 
  United States Armed Forces from Syria and Afghanistan, and Turkey's 
                    unprovoked incursion into Syria.

Whereas the Islamic State of Iraq and al Sham, better known by its acronym ISIS, 
        flourished in the chaos unleashed by the civil war in Syria and at one 
        point controlled extensive territory in Iraq and Syria;
Whereas ISIS murdered thousands of innocent civilians, including Americans, and 
        sought to ethnically cleanse the territory it controlled of religious 
        minorities;
Whereas the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, which is composed of Kurdish 
        and Arab fighters, remains an essential United States partner in the 
        successful campaign to destroy ISIS' so-called ``caliphate'';
Whereas, backed by the United States and United States allies, the Syrian 
        Democratic Forces liberated millions of Syrians from ISIS' terrorist 
        regime, and sustained approximately 11,000 casualties in the fight;
Whereas ISIS, al Qaeda, and their affiliates have proven resilient and have 
        regrouped when the United States and its partners have withdrawn from 
        the fight against them;
Whereas Turkey's unprovoked incursion into northeastern Syria, which began on 
        October 9, 2019, has displaced more than 166,000 civilians, according to 
        the United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees, and dozens of 
        civilians have been killed on both sides;
Whereas, as a result of Turkey's incursion into northeastern Syria and the 
        withdrawal of United States Armed Forces, the Syrian Democratic Forces 
        have turned to Russia and the brutal Assad regime for support, while 
        more than a hundred ISIS-affiliated detainees have escaped from 
        detention facilities; and
Whereas the Assad regime is responsible for murdering at least 500,000 civilians 
        and displacing at least 12,000,000 Syrians, or roughly half the 
        country's population at the time that the civil war began in 2011, and 
        the regime's return to northeastern Syria through its new partnership 
        with the Syrian Democratic Forces will allow the regime to extend its 
        murderous campaign and again subjugate the Kurdish, Sunni Arab, and 
        religious minorities of northeastern Syria: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United 
States of America in Congress assembled, That Congress--
            (1) condemns in the strongest terms the Government of 
        Turkey's escalating hostilities against Kurdish partners of the 
        United States in Syria, while recognizing the Government of 
        Turkey's legitimate humanitarian, economic, and security 
        concerns emanating from the conflict in Syria;
            (2) calls upon the United States Government to pressure the 
        Government of Turkey, including through sanctions, to act with 
        restraint, provide accountability for human rights abuses 
        conducted by militias acting in support of Turkish military 
        operations, and curtail its hostilities against United States 
        partner forces in Syria;
            (3) reiterates United States opposition to the forced 
        repatriation of refugees from third countries into Syria, and 
        calls upon all refugee returns to be safe, dignified, and 
        voluntary;
            (4) urges the President to rescind his invitation to the 
        White House to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan until a 
        more enduring cease-fire has been established between Turkish 
        and Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria;
            (5) calls upon the United States Government to continue 
        supporting liberated Syrian Kurdish and Arab communities in 
        northeast Syria through humanitarian support, including those 
        displaced or otherwise affected by ongoing violence in Syria, 
        and calls upon other nations to increase support to 
        stabilization efforts in northeastern Syria;
            (6) strongly opposes any abandonment of our Kurdish and 
        Arab partners in Syria;
            (7) calls for a halt to the withdrawal of United States 
        Armed Forces from Syria where practical, and calls for the 
        continued use of air power to target ISIS and provide 
        protection of ethnic and religious minorities in northeastern 
        Syria;
            (8) expresses support for a continued United States 
        military presence in Iraq, along with efforts to help Iraqi 
        forces control their border, protect their sovereignty, and 
        counter ISIS;
            (9) recognizes the continuing threat to United States and 
        United States allies posed by al Qaeda and ISIS, which maintain 
        an ability to operate in Syria and Afghanistan;
            (10) warns that a precipitous withdrawal of United States 
        forces from the ongoing fight against these groups, without 
        effective, countervailing efforts to secure gains in Syria and 
        Afghanistan, could allow terrorists to regroup, destabilize 
        critical regions, and create vacuums that could be filled by 
        Iran or Russia, to the detriment of United States interests and 
        those of our allies;
            (11) recognizes that an unbroken chain of Iranian-
        controlled territory across Syria poses a significant threat to 
        Israel;
            (12) reiterates support for international diplomatic 
        efforts to facilitate peaceful, negotiated resolutions to the 
        ongoing conflicts in Syria and Afghanistan on terms that 
        respect the rights of innocent civilians and deny safe havens 
        to terrorists;
            (13) encourages close collaboration between the executive 
        branch and the legislative branch to ensure continuing strong, 
        bipartisan support for United States military operations in 
        Syria and Afghanistan; and
            (14) calls upon the President to certify whether conditions 
        have been met for the enduring defeat of al Qaeda and ISIS 
        before initiating any further significant withdrawal of United 
        States forces from the region.

                                                       Calendar No. 259

116th CONGRESS

  1st Session

                             S. J. RES. 59

_______________________________________________________________________

                            JOINT RESOLUTION

   Expressing the sense of Congress on the precipitous withdrawal of 
  United States Armed Forces from Syria and Afghanistan, and Turkey's 
                    unprovoked incursion into Syria.

_______________________________________________________________________

                            October 23, 2019

            Read the second time and placed on the calendar
```