“I rise in support of HR 1828, the Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act, and I want to thank my colleague from New York, Eliot Engel, for his long-standing leadership on this issue. He has really been the one insisting that we hold Syria's feet to the fire, and I thank him.

“It is time that Congress send a strong and clear message to Syria – we will no longer tolerate your support of terrorism. We will not allow you to further destabilize the Middle East – a region so crucial to the national security of the United States. We will not risk the undermining of our efforts to secure peace and stability in Iraq and the region.

“Syria had its chance. It had the opportunity to reform its political environment and become a positive force in the region. Instead, it has remained as it was – a closed society and haven for terrorists. Many terrorist groups, including Hezbollah and Hamas, have offices or training camps in Syria or Syrian-occupied Lebanon. These groups remain heavily active, even after Secretary of State Powell met with President Assad earlier this year and urged him to shut them down.

“These groups thwart efforts for peace in Israel by destabilizing the Israeli-Lebanese border. They are the groups that might very well be sending terrorists over the Iraqi border, to commit terrorist acts against our soldiers and the Iraqis brave enough to work with us to create a stable, democratic country. Indeed, at a recent hearing of the House Middle East Subcommittee, the State Department confirmed that Syria is allowing "volunteers" and others to enter Iraq to attack and kill Americans.

“Congress must send the message – it is time to end the terror. HR 1828 is heavily supported on both sides of the aisle. It imposes a variety of penalties upon Syria until it ends its support of terrorism, withdraws its armed forces from Lebanon, halts development of weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles, and stops facilitating terrorism in Iraq. It is necessary, appropriate, and in my judgment, long overdue.

“I strongly support HR 1828.”