Today, Representative John Curtis (R-UT), member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, introduced legislation in regards to Turkish military movement against the Kurdish forces in Northern Syria.

“The Kurds have been some of our strongest allies in that fight and have served as a bulwark against the incursion of Russia, Iran, and the Assad regime. Abandoning them to the will of Turkey sends a devastating signal to partners around the world and is harmful not only to the Kurds but to American interests in the region,” said Curtis. “I am pleased to introduce the Countering Turkish Aggression Act, which will sanction specific Turkish officials and any foreign person who provides support to Turkish Armed Forces, prohibit U.S. military assistance to the Turkish armed forces, and define Turkey’s recent purchase of S-400 missiles from Russia as punishable under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act. I have also cosponsored, H.J.Res. 77, a resolution disapproving of the policy decision by the Administration and calling for the Turkish President to immediately end military action.”

Background

Countering Turkish Aggression Act of 2019: The Congressman joined House GOP Conference Chair Liz Cheney (R-WY) and over 90 of his Republican colleagues in the House to introduce a bill that seeks to impose sanctions against Turkey in response to Ankara’s military offensive against US-allied Kurdish forces in Northern Syria. This move follows similar efforts led by Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) in the Senate. In addition to Congresswoman Cheney, the following members have signed on to this legislation as original co-sponsors: Republican Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy, Republican Whip Rep. Steve Scalise, HASC Ranking Member Rep. Mac Thornberry, and others. The text can be found here.

H.J. Res. 77: This bipartisan resolution opposes the decision to end certain United States efforts to prevent Turkish military operations against Syrian Kurdish forces in Northeast Syria. It passed the House this afternoon 354 to 60. Full text available here.

###