[W]ASHINGTON — Vermont’s congressional delegation condemned the brutal chemical attacks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and called on President Donald Trump to consult with Congress before committing the American military to future action in the region.
On Tuesday, Syria released a sarin chemical attack in Idlib Province that left more than 80 people dead, according to intelligence officials who spoke with The New York Times.
Russian and Syrian officials contend that the attack was carried out by terrorists, and that the government possesses no such weapons.
Trump’s Syria strikes targeted the same base officials said. The strikes were directed at destroying Syrian aircraft, air defense systems and other military infrastructure. According to on-the-ground reports from local news agencies, six soldiers and nine civilians were killed.
Vermont’s three D.C. representatives urged restraint.
U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., called Assad a “war criminal” who “must be held accountable.”
“When brutality, like we have seen against the citizens of Syria by their own government, shocks our consciences, the desire to act decisively is strong,” Leahy said. “We must keep in mind that we have learned that there are grave risks and unintended consequences in the use of military force, especially unilateral military force. When used it should be in self-defense or part of a larger strategy in conjunction with our international partners, and with the broad support of the American people.”
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., also accused Assad of being a war criminal, saying his slaying of civilians is “in violation of all international conventions and moral standards.”
“If there’s anything we should’ve learned from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, in which the lives of thousands of brave American men and women and hundreds of thousands of Iraqi and Afghan civilians have been lost and trillions of dollars spent, it’s that it’s easier to get into a war than get out of one,” Sanders warned. “I’m deeply concerned that these strikes could lead to the United States once again being dragged back into the quagmire of long-term military engagement in the Middle East. If the last 15 years have shown anything, it’s that such engagements are disastrous for American security, for the American economy and for the American people.”
U.S. Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., said Trump’s Syria strike “underscores the inescapable fact that the United States is already involved in the Syrian civil war.”
“There are American boots on the ground in the region and our military is conducting regular air strikes,” Welch continued. “Yet, under our Constitution, only Congress has the power to declare war.
Welch urged Trump to submit a plan to Congress detailing his military strategy to defeat ISIS in Syria.
“Congress must get off the sidelines and do its job by debating and voting on his plan,” Welch said.
Leahy and Sanders made similar requests to the president.
Leahy cited the requirements under the War Powers Act, asserting that senators must weigh a plan while Sanders said “the Trump administration must explain to the American people exactly what this military escalation in Syria is intended to achieve, and how it fits into the broader goal of a political solution.
“As the Constitution requires, the president must come to Congress to authorize any further use of force against the Assad regime,” Leahy said.
