Statement from Congressman Chris Collins on Potential Military Action in Syria

Congressman Chris Collins (NY-27) released the following statement today on potential military action in Syria:

 

“Today I signed a letter from Representative Scott Rigell (VA-2) to President Obama urging the President to consult and receive authorization from Congress before ordering the use of U.S. military force in Syria.

 

The images coming out of Syria are deeply troubling. There is also no question that the circumstances on the ground are complex and any military response by the United States will not only impact the ongoing civil war within Syria but possibly have ramifications throughout the region.  For those reasons alone, I believe the President has an obligation to consult Congress and communicate with the American people about what our response should be.

 

President Obama himself wrote that ‘the President does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation’ in a 2007 response to a Boston Globe questionnaire.

 

It is my hope that President Obama will remember these words and call for Congress to reconvene for discussion should he deem military action in Syria necessary.”