This week, the U.S. House passed a continuing resolution to fund the federal government including an amendment arming Syrian rebels.
Instead of a party lines vote, the continuing resolution and the Syrian rebels amendment divided both the Republicans and the Democrats and that was reflected in how the Florida delegation voted.
The continuing resolution, which will keep the federal government going for three months, passed 319-108 with 176 Republicans and 143 Democrats backing it while 53 Republicans and 55 Democrats voted against it. The amendment arming the Syrian rebels passed 273-156 with 159 Republicans and 114 Democrats voting for it and 85 Republicans and 71 Democrats standing against it.
The Florida delegation mirrored the chamber with Republicans and Democrats from the Sunshine State divided over the votes. On the continuing resolution, Republicans Gus Bilirakis, Vern Buchanan, Ander Crenshaw, Mario Diaz-Balart, David Jolly, John Mica, Jeff Miller, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Dennis Ross, Steve Southerland and Dan Webster, and Democrats Corrine Brown, Kathy Castor, Ted Deutch, Joe Garcia, Alan Grayson, Patrick Murphy, Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Frederica Wilson, voted for it. Republicans Curt Clawson, Ron DeSantis, Rich Nugent, Bill Posey, Tom Rooney and Ted Yoho voted against the continuing resolution as did Democrats Lois Frankel and Alcee Hastings.
The vote on the amendment arming the Syrian rebels saw most of the delegation casting their votes the same way as they would on the continuing resolution, with three exceptions. Grayson joined Frankel and Hastings in voting against it but, despite his opposition to arming the Syrian rebels, he would later vote to pass the continuing resolution. So would Jolly and Miller on the Republican side. Miller, the chairman of the U.S. House Veterans Affairs Committee, was the highest ranking Republican in the chamber to vote against arming the Syrian rebels.
Ross, the senior deputy majority whip, explained his rationale for backing the resolution and insisted arming the Syrian rebels would help eliminate Islamic State (IS) terrorist forces in the Middle East.
Im pleased that my colleagues and I were able to work together to pass this critical piece of legislation to fund the government, preventing another shutdown, and more importantly authorizing the president to take the initial steps necessary to eliminate IS altogether, said Ross. While I voted in favor of the amendment authorizing President Obama to begin facilitating Syrian rebel combat training, this was not my ideal strategy for how to defeat IS. This amendment is a step in the right direction, but the time has come to make the next move. Every day that President Obama does not take bold and aggressive action toward demolishing IS, is another day that our national security and American lives are in jeopardy.
Bilirakis, the vice chairman under Miller on Veterans Affairs, insisted the continuing resolution was a victory for fiscal conservatism.
First and foremost, this resolution will continue to fund the government in a fiscally responsible manner, Bilirakis noted. Since Republicans took control of the House in 2010, for the first time since the Korean War, spending has been cut four years in a row.
I also voted in favor of training appropriately vetted opposition forces to fight IS, Bilirakis added. This amendment will allow carefully vetted and scrutinized opposition forces to be trained to fight IS under the direction of American Special Forces. That, in combination with the full weight of the United States Air Force executing airstrikes, is an appropriate step at this juncture, given the immediate threat IS represents to both America and her allies. It is important to remember America will not be going it alone I am hopeful a robust international coalition will ensure the successful destruction of IS.
Yoho did not share Bilirakis faith that passing the continuing resolution would help put the federal budget in order.
I could not, in good faith, vote for a continuing resolution that is basically kicking the fiscal can down the road, Yoho said. The House has been doing its job, passing seven appropriations bills that would fund the federal government. These bills are sitting in Harry Reids Senate collecting dust. Because the Senate is failing to do their job, we are forced to pass a resolution to keep the government running for 72 days? There is no reason we should have reached this point. It is unacceptable.
Yoho, who sits on the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, also said that while he opposed IS, he did not think the Syrian rebels should be armed.
I also could not support the amendment funding the Syrian opposition forces, because it does not address the true threat the Islamic State, Yoho said. Instead, it creates the potential to involve the U.S. more deeply in the Syrian civil war. Furthermore, the amendment was too vague in how it would vet the Free Syrian Army members who receive our equipment, much less what equipment they would receive.
Make no mistake, IS must be stopped, Yoho added. However, I felt the amendment will just repeat a history in which we fund, arm and train fighters because we believe that the enemy of my enemy is my friend, only to see those supposed friends later turn those weapons and training on us. Instead, I believe the president should seek new congressional authority that is narrow in focus, duration and scope coupled with a strategy that will defeat IS and not embroil the U.S. in a seemingly endless, larger conflict. A component of this strategy must be border security. I am introducing a security bill to aid in the prevention of people with Western passports with known affiliations or ties to foreign terrorist groups from entering the U.S. The world has a moral obligation to stop such evil. An evil, if left unchecked, will eventually wind up on our shores.
Democrats also split on the wisdom of arming the Syrian rebels.
At a time when so many Americans rightly want Congress to focus on the economic issues that matter to their families, I know that the last thing people want is for the United States to become involved in yet another foreign intervention, said Deutch, the ranking Democrat on the U.S. House North Africa and Middle East Subcommittee. Thats exactly why its so important that we authorize this training and provide moderate Syrians with the capabilities they need to take on this fight themselves and hold their own against the brutal extremists marching under IS.
"Stopping IS from destabilizing the entire Middle East and jeopardizing the lives of Americans throughout the world -- without committing U.S. troops on the ground -- requires the United States and its allies to promote a viable, moderate Syrian opposition that is capable of fighting this battle. It is, after all, their battle to fight, Deutch added.
Frankel did not agree with Deutch, arguing the funding for the Syrian rebels was rushed through Congress.
IS represents a clear threat to the security of Iraq and Syria, to the broader Middle East, and ultimately to the U.S. home front, Frankel said. The president has put together a comprehensive strategy to address this growing threat that includes strong engagement from moderate Muslim allies, increased technical assistance and air support for indigenous forces fighting IS on the ground in Iraq and Syria, tighter border controls to prevent the free flow of terrorists, and coordinated efforts to disrupt IS's financial lifelines.
While I support this plan in concept, todays vote on training and equipping the moderate Syrian opposition has been rushed by Congress and requires further deliberation and debate as to the long-term consequences and full scope of U.S. involvement, Frankel added. For this reason I voted no.
The resolution headed to the Senate where it was passed on Thursday.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
