Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz, who has introduced the “Ukraine Fatigue Act” to cut off all U.S. funding of the war in Ukraine, forced a vote today in the House of Representatives on his House Concurrent Resolution 21 (H.Con.Res.21), a privileged resolution under the War Powers Resolution, directing the President to remove all U.S. troops from Syria within 180 days of the passage of the resolution. Gaetz had characterized the vote as a means to test “where the anti-war movement in Congress stands.”
Although the resolution failed by a vote of 321-103, with 56 Democrats and 47 Republicans voting for it, it was significant in that it drew opposition to the global war policy, which is threatening the world with nuclear war, out into the open on a bipartisan basis, and forced the entire Congress to go on the record on this critical issue.
According to Dave DeCamp, writing in AntiWar.com: “In a statement after the vote, Gaetz vowed to continue his effort to end U.S. involvement in Syria.
“‘There is no role for the United States of America in Syria. We are not a Middle Eastern power. We have tried to build a democracy out of sand, blood, and Arab militias. Time and again, the work we do does not reduce chaos. Oftentimes, it causes chaos—the very chaos that then subsequently leads to terrorism. While today’s vote may have failed, my fight to end forever wars and bring our troops home has only just begun,’ he said.
“The resolution was led by Gaetz and cosponsored by four other Republicans, including Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Paul Gosar (R-AZ), and Matt Rosendale (R-MT). It also received support from some progressive Democrats, including Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), and Ro Khanna (D-CA).” (https://news.antiwar.com/2023/03/08/house-votes-down-resolution-to-withdraw-troops-from-syria/)
