Williams’ statement on CR and McKeon amendment to arm Syrian rebels

Today, Congressman Roger Williams (TX-25) released the following statement after the House passed a Continuing Resolution (CR) to fund the government along with House Armed Services Chairman Buck McKeon’s (R-CA) amendment to equip the Free Syrian Army.

“The Obama Administration has not laid out a clearly defined strategy for dealing with ISIL. Without a defined plan, an exit strategy and a cost estimate for this conflict, I cannot support President Obama’s near-sighted plans to throw money and weapons at this growing problem. We have little idea who we are helping, and we have no guarantee that any arms we send to these rebels will not be used against our men and women in uniform in the future. I hope the President will work quickly with top military commanders to define exactly what role the U.S. should play before he asks Congress to approve any legislation that will escalate our involvement.

“I’m disappointed that this amendment was ultimately attached to the CR - two incredibly important issues that deserve appropriate debate and separate votes. With the inclusion of this language, I was unable to support the CR.”

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