This week, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., teamed up with U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Penn., to bring out a proposal imposing sanctions on foreign individuals who look to make the situations in Iraq and Syria worse.
Rubio, who sits on the U.S. Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, and Casey brought out the “Preventing Destabilization of Iraq and Syria Act” on Thursday. The bill proposes to impose “sanctions on persons that threaten the peace or stability of Iraq or the government of Iraq and to address the emergency in Syria.”
As they unveiled the bill, Rubio and Casey explained why it was needed.
“Russia and Iran have continued to bolster and prop up the brutal Assad regime in Syria, which has fueled a conflict that now threatens us here at home,” said Rubio. “By enabling Assad, the Russians and Iranians are partially responsible for the utter devastation of Aleppo and other rebel-held areas, and the heartbreaking loss of thousands of innocent Syrians. The United States must punish those responsible for undermining efforts to promote peace, stability and development in Syria and Iraq.”
“The situation in Syria is growing worse each day, and we have to hold those responsible accountable for war crimes and human rights abuses,” said Casey. “This bill sends an important signal to the Assad regime and its Russian and Iranian backers. I look forward to working with Senator Rubio to advance this legislation in the new Congress."
The U.S. House passed a similar proposal from U.S. Rep. Eliot Engel, D-NY, the ranking Democrat on the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, last month.
The House bill was co-sponsored by U.S. Rep. Ed Royce, R-Calif., the chairman of the U.S. Foreign Affairs Committee, and nine members of the Florida delegation. U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., the chairwoman of the U.S. House Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee, was an original co-sponsor of the proposal as was U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Fla., the ranking Democrat on that subcommittee. Other sponsors from Florida include Republican U.S. Reps. Gus Bilirakis, Carlos Curbelo, Mario Diaz-Balart, Dennis Ross and Ted Yoho and Democrats U.S. Reps. Lois Frankel and Alcee Hastings.
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