Congress set for showdown with Trump over Kurds

The Hill ^ | 10/09/19 06:11 PM EDT | JORDAIN CARNEY AND REBECCA KHEEL

[robowombat]

President Trump is barreling toward a showdown with Congress over his decision to pull back U.S. troops in northern Syria despite widespread opposition.

The announcement, which caught leadership and traditional GOP allies flatfooted, sparked a wave of condemnation, with Republicans calling it a “disaster in the making,” a “catastrophic mistake” and a “terrible decision.”

Lawmakers are already weighing how to respond to Trump’s decision, setting the stage for a high-profile clash with Trump as soon as Congress returns from a two-week break on Monday.

“Congress must and will act to limit the catastrophic impact of this decision,” said Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), a member of House GOP leadership, adding that Trump’s decision was having “sickening and predictable consequences.”

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) warned that unless Turkey changes its behavior “everything is on the table,” including “suspending arms sales, to suspending economic aid to even considering their status in NATO.”

Lawmakers, scattered across the country for a two-week break, are having behind-the-scenes talks about potential legislative action and publicly throwing out a myriad of ideas ranging from a resolution opposing Trump’s actions to sanctions against Turkey to inserting language into a mammoth defense policy bill.

“Multiple committees are looking at possible legislative efforts to put the House on record against the President’s outrageous decision,” a House Democratic leadership aide told The Hill.

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y) separately predicted that “Congress will take some form of action” given the “broad condemnation” sparked by Trump’s decision.

Lawmakers are under growing pressure to mount a formal response after Turkey began airstrikes and shelling against Kurdish forces in northern Syria and, hours later, moved ground troops into the country after Trump pulled back U.S. troops. Lawmakers have warned for days that Trump’s decision could endanger the Kurds, who were integral to the U.S.-led fight against ISIS.

Trump on Wednesday tried to distance himself from Turkey’s actions, saying the United States “does not endorse this attack and has made it clear to Turkey that this operation is a bad idea.” But he also said the United States should not be part of “endless, senseless wars.”

Trump reiterated that the U.S. stance is that it is now Turkey’s responsibility to ensure ISIS prisoners being held by the Syrian Democratic Forces do not escape and further claimed Ankara has committed to “protecting civilians” and “ ensuring no humanitarian crisis takes place.”

That’s done little to stem the flow of criticism from Capitol Hill.

“I said that President Trump's decision to abandon the Kurds ... was terribly unwise. Today, we are seeing the consequences of that terrible decision. If the reports of Turkish strikes in Syria are accurate, I fear our allies the Kurds could be slaughtered,” said Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine).

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) lamented the “tragic loss of life among friends shamefully betrayed.”

One option under discussion would be to slap new sanctions on Turkey for invading Syria.

Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said after Turkey’s actions that they have reached an agreement on sanctions legislation. The bill would target Turkey’s energy sector and military. It also includes visa restrictions for Turkish leadership, including President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and would sanction any assets they have within U.S. jurisdiction.

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BY ABBVIE “I am pleased to have reached a bipartisan agreement with Senator Van Hollen on severe sanctions against Turkey for their invasion of Syria. While the Administration refuses to act against Turkey, I expect strong bipartisan support,” Graham said.

“Most Members of Congress believe it would be wrong to abandon the Kurds who have been strong allies against ISIS,” he added.

Van Hollen said the sanctions bill will be introduced next week and that they want a quick vote.

“Will ask for an immediate vote to send a clear message to Turkey that it must cease and desist its military action, withdraw its fighters from the areas under attack, and stop the tragic loss of life,” he said.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), who has aligned herself closely with Trump, said on Wednesday that she will support new financial penalties.

“I condemn in the strongest possible terms any U.S. policy that will result in endangerment of the Kurds who have sacrificed so much blood and treasure alongside American forces. ... Turkey must pay the price for its aggression toward our Kurdish partners,” Blackburn said.

Trump downplayed the potential pushback, saying he thinks “it’s OK” if Congress imposes sanctions on Turkey even as he disagreed with Graham’s desire to stay in Syria and dismissed the Kurds because they “didn't help us in the Second World War.”

“I think Lindsey would like to stay there for the next 200 years and maybe add a couple a hundred of thousand people every place, but I disagree with Lindsey on that,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “But I will tell you that I do agree on sanctions, but I actually think much tougher than sanctions if [Erdogan] doesn’t do it in as humane a way as possible.”

Graham is also crafting a resolution formally opposing Trump’s decision, adding that he expects “it will receive strong bipartisan support.” A spokesman for Graham told The Hill this week that they were in the process of drafting the resolution.

It would mark the second time the Senate has rebuked Trump on Syria after providing veto-proof support for an amendment from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) warning the president against withdrawing troops from Syria or Afghanistan earlier this year.

McConnell sent a warning shot on Monday saying that “the conditions that produced that bipartisan vote still exist today.”

Lawmakers could also slip language into a mammoth defense bill, known as the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). House and Senate lawmakers are negotiating on a final version of the legislation.

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) called Turkey’s actions “unacceptable” and warned that Ankara will face “serious economic, diplomatic and security consequences.”

“Erdoğan’s actions risk undermining our bilateral relationship, destabilizing northeastern Syria, squandering hard-won progress against ISIS, creating a new humanitarian crisis and harming our Kurdish partners,” Inhofe said.

A spokeswoman for Inhofe said because “the NDAA is currently in the conference process” she “couldn’t speculate” on whether it will include a response to the Syria situation.

A House Armed Services Committee spokeswoman told The Hill that lawmakers, led by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), are working on legislation related to the issue separately from the NDAA, but could not immediately provide more detail. A House Foreign Affairs spokesman did not respond to a request for comment.

More than 50 House Democrats, led by Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.), sent a letter to Trump on Wednesday afternoon demanding he answer 10 questions about his Syria policy, including how the United States will ensure the Kurds’ protection and what Trump considers to be “off limits” for Turkey to do.

“This decision jeopardizes decades of trust in American solidarity and will only serve to undermine current and future alliances,” they wrote.

In the meantime, calls are mounting for the Trump administration to testify about the decision, providing a high-stakes setting where they would likely face a bipartisan grilling.

Romney and Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) are urging Senate Foreign Relations Committee leadership to have administration officials testify before the panel and “explain to the American people how betraying an ally and ceding influence to terrorists and adversaries is not disastrous for our national security interests.”

Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), the top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, also called for Defense Secretary Mark Esper to testify before Congress “as soon as possible.”

“I would hope Secretary of State [Mike] Pompeo and Acting Director of National Intelligence [Joseph] Maguire will be called before the respective oversight committees as well,” Reed said.

“We need a full accounting and there is no time to waste. Congress must send a clear, bipartisan signal to this president that we do not condone his decision,” he added. “And it has to go beyond tweets and statements. We need action.”

[MrEdd]

Again, was war ever declared and funded by congress?

None of the bovine excrement you are dropping has any validity of any kind unless that has happened.

[nikos1121]

yep

[DrPretorius]

“Whatever side one comes down on the merits, no one can seriously dispute that the process was appallingly mishandled by this administration. The president should have sold his decision to congressional leaders, even Democrats, instead of leaving himself vulnerable on the eve of impeachment so unnecessarily.”

Nonsense! The president ran on getting the US the hell out of asinine foreign wars. His decision to withdraw our forces would have been bitched about by the Deep State and its Marxocrat and neo-con RINO cronies in CONgress in any case. The impeachment farce will move forward regardless of what Trump does, but he has now shored up his voter base by fulfilling another election promise. This neutralizes the ability of the CONgress to proceed with their impeachment farce without considering its electoral consequences for Marxocrats in Trump-friendly districts.

[nathanbedford]

Selling a decision to withdraw troops from a place where they were never supposed to be in the first place is preposterous.

The president has implacable enemies in the house and Senate, they are called Democrats. The president has very unreliable allies in both those Houses and they are called Republicans. The president did not take the steps that virtually every president in this situation would have taken to at least give his allies in Congress a heads up and, where possible, secure their assent.

The failure to enlist Congress, the circumstances in which it was announced, the fact that it is on the eve of impeachment, the reaction of our allies in Europe, the implications for enlisting Muslims to fight and die against crazed Moslems, the impact on the Kurds, and the fact that the egotistical old lions in the Senate don't think that it is "preposterous" that he come to them and kiss rings, suggests this matter was bungled even if we approve on the merits.

[KobraKai]

“Whatever side one comes down on the merits, no one can seriously dispute that the process was appallingly mishandled by this administration. The president should have sold his decision to congressional leaders, even Democrats, instead of leaving himself vulnerable on the eve of impeachment so unnecessarily.”

That would have been a complete waste of time. The globalists, which are still the majority, would disagree and disapprove any argument Trump would or will make going forward anyway. Trump just ripped the band-aid off.

[TTFlyer]

Moar dead and crippled American soldiers! Moar trillions in American treasure! Moar Islamic “refugees!” Moar, Moar, Moar!!

If Congress and the Deep State want war then declare it - or STFU!

[nathanbedford]

Please see reply #24.

[JonPreston]

Our congressional bums will fight tooth and nail for the safety of the Kurds in Syria, but the Angel Moms & decent citizens of sanctuary cities can go to hell thanks to illegal immigration. Our politicians, except Trump, are disgusting.

[wasnt_me_it_was_the_dog]

Which faction of the Kurds, the commie ones?

If Congress wants to warmonger, then declare war formally and allocate the funds.

I am not buying into this whole mess being about the Kurds, it is about pipelines and a suspect few middle eastern countries want to use the United States military as their mercenaries.

F’em.

[babble-on]

You’re right.

[BradyLS]

In the 70’s, we might have taken in Kurdish refugees to resettle in the US as some kind of acknowledgement of our thanks for the dangers shared together. We took in Vietnamese and Cubans during that time.

Given the climate in today’s politics, that may not fly. And it wouldn’t take many bad apples to turn our sympathy into ashes. But of all the peoples I’ve read about, the Kurds seem the sort that would be most appreciative of the chance to be out of harm’s way, if they can’t secure their long-standing dream of an independent state of their own.

But on the whole, I think divesting ourselves from Syria while the getting is good to be a wise move.

[one guy in new jersey]

Trump is both unpredictable AND a strong leader willing to stick to his guns on federal government policy decisions in the face of near-unanimous disagreement among Washington D.C. policy wonks and political figures who are not and probably never will be POTUS. This decision burnishes those credentials. If utter disaster quickly befalls the Kurds in northern Syria, and if the currently-confined ISIS fighters and their “friends and family” numbering in their tens of thousands are freed from custody and melt back into society as a result of the Trump-ordered pullout, current naysayers will feel justified and probably not hesitate to condemn Trump. Time will tell how things play out, but in the meantime Trump benefits by appearing decisive and pointing with pride at his relatively rapid and, from all accounts, total battlefield victory over ISIS while avoiding undue conflit with Putin’s Russia (no mean feats).

[LeoWindhorse]

Wack Erdogan = end of problem

[LeoWindhorse]

We should have taken in white Rhodesians

[Zathras]

We have been involved in that area for 30 years.
Nothing has changed.
Waste of time, effort, money and lives.

[BradyLS]

...Scratch “wise move.” I don’t know that it’s wise. Maybe a good idea but at a bad time.

Trump probably should have consulted with Congressional allies before announcing the decision. But does he have any that can keep their mouths shut long enough for him to consider a decision before the issue is fodder being discussed nightly by the enemedia?

[JonPreston]

Which faction of the Kurds, the commie ones?

The PKK. Have the neocons on this thread distinguished between the Kurdish factions, or are they all blinded by the bloodlust of General Lindsey Graham?

[McGruff]

The United States was supposed to be in Syria for 30 days, that was many years ago. We stayed and got deeper and deeper into battle with no aim in sight. When I arrived in Washington, ISIS was running rampant in the area. We quickly defeated 100% of the ISIS Caliphate,.....

....including capturing thousands of ISIS fighters, mostly from Europe. But Europe did not want them back, they said you keep them USA! I said “NO, we did you a great favor and now you want us to hold them in U.S. prisons at tremendous cost. They are yours for trials.” They.....

.....again said “NO,” thinking, as usual, that the U.S. is always the “sucker,” on NATO, on Trade, on everything. The Kurds fought with us, but were paid massive amounts of money and equipment to do so. They have been fighting Turkey for decades. I held off this fight for....

....almost 3 years, but it is time for us to get out of these ridiculous Endless Wars, many of them tribal, and bring our soldiers home. WE WILL FIGHT WHERE IT IS TO OUR BENEFIT, AND ONLY FIGHT TO WIN. Turkey, Europe, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Russia and the Kurds will now have to.....

...figure the situation out, and what they want to do with the captured ISIS fighters in their “neighborhood.” They all hate ISIS, have been enemies for years. We are 7000 miles away and will crush ISIS again if they come anywhere near us!

Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump
7:40 AM · Oct 7, 2019

[BradyLS]

That has been the irony of our foreign and domestic policies for decades now. I agree. It’s madness.

[nathanbedford]

Please see the remarks of Lieutenant General Keane, retired former vice Chief of Staff, who observes that with 1000 troops we leveraged 60,000 troops to fight against ISIS, and won. In the course of that struggle, in which we and our European allies, 2000 and all, operated as advisors the Kurds lost 10,000 dead and 20,000 wounded.

By maintaining only 1000 troops in advisory positions, we leveraged 60,000 Syrian troops who suppressed ISIS. General Keane thinks that is a very cheap price to pay for a very positive result.

General Keane notes that the president should have insisted the ongoing diplomatic process which the Turkish leader sought to displace with violence should continue.

The video is available here .