Matt Gaetz Introduces Resolution to Withdraw US Armed Forces From Syria

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference 2022 (CPAC) in Orlando, Florida, on Feb. 26, 2022. Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) filed a resolution on Feb. 21 to withdraw U.S. armed forces from Syria.

Gaetz filed the war powers resolution following a Feb. 16 helicopter raid in northeastern Syria where four U.S. servicemembers and one working dog were wounded in an explosion. The raid resulted in the killing of ISIS senior leader Hamza al-Homsi.

The resolution would require President Joe Biden to withdraw U.S. forces from Syria within 15 days of its enactment.

There are approximately 900 U.S. troops in Syria. U.S. troops have mainly been there to fight the ISIS.

“Congress has never authorized the use of military force in Syria. The United States is currently not in a war with or against Syria, so why are we conducting dangerous military operations there? President Biden must remove all U.S. Armed Forces from Syria. America First means actually putting the people of our country first—not the interests of the Military Industrial Complex,” said Gaetz in a Feb. 22 press release.

Gaetz argued that since only Congress can declare war and that Congress has not authorized U.S. kinetic action in Syria, American forces have no business being there.

The House of Representatives will have to vote on the resolution within the next 17 days as war powers resolutions must be voted on within 18 days of introduction.

“Since the invasion of Ukraine, we seem to have turned our attention away from some of America’s entanglement in Syria,” Gaetz told Fox News Digital. “And the purpose of my legislation is to force members of Congress to vote on record regarding whether they think we ought to continue Obama’s war in Syria. President [Barack] Obama kicked off our involvement … and now we still find ourselves in the middle of a Syrian civil war with Russia and Turkey and Iran, all present in a very confined neighborhood.”

Gaetz introduced on Feb. 9 a resolution for U.S. military and financial assistance to Ukraine to cease.

“And it strikes me as a powder keg for very dangerous escalation,” added Gaetz. “And as we find ourselves here in 2023, we ought to ask ourselves, ‘Do we really want to continue the Obama-era policy of engaging in a Syrian civil war?’ I don’t think we should.”

While president, Donald Trump withdrew U.S. troops from northeastern Syria in October 2019 in what was criticized as a betrayal to Kurdish allies. Following the withdrawal, Turkey invaded northeastern Syria to go after the Kurds.