Politics

Congressional Progressives Join Matt Gaetz In Call To Pull Troops From Syria

After Two Days Of Failing To Elect A Speaker, House Continues To Hold Votes

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Robert McGreevy Contributor
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The Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) has joined Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz in calling for Congressional approval over long-term troop deployments in Syria.
Gaetz’s War Powers Resolution Act goes to a vote Wednesday afternoon. It would bring US troops home within 180 days unless Congress votes to authorize a longer deployment, according to a letter from former Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford.

The Progressive Caucus’ leadership urged members to support the bill, according to The Intercept. The CPC told its members, a group consisting of over 100 members, the bill was “largely consistent with previous bipartisan efforts led by CPC Members to terminate such unauthorized military presence within one year, for which 130 House Democrats voted yes last year.”
Democratic New York Rep. Jamaal Bowman previously introduced similar legislation in 2022 and got 155 votes, including 25 from breakaway Republicans.

Ford, an Obama era Ambassador to Syria, has supported Gaetz’s bill saying the U.S. goal was to stop the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), which he says has been largely accomplished. “US special forces and Syrian militia allies, led by an extremist leftist Kurdish faction, captured the last ISIS territory in Syria in March 2019,” he said.
Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar expressed support for the bill as well, saying, “I wish Gaetz had worked more closely with the coalition of groups that have been working on this and the CPC. Nonetheless, I am a yes on the resolution.”