https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRtznPEc4RA
January 13, 2017 -- Rep. Tulsi Gabbard argued on the floor of the House for support of the bipartisan Stop Arming Terrorists Act (H.R.608).
Rep. Gabbard recently sponsored the the bill with the purpose of ending American taxpayer funding of “weapons, training, and intelligence support to groups like the Levant Front, Fursan al Ha and other allies of Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, al-Qaeda and ISIS, or to countries who are providing direct or indirect support to those same groups.”
The bill has some historical precedent in the form of the Boland Amendment which prohibited funding and support for CIA backed-Nicaraguan Contras during the 1980’s.
This is an issue close to Congresswoman Gabbard, a combat veteran, whose opinion on the issue was impacted by her travels to Syria and Lebanon in January to speak with the people living in these conflict zones:
“Their (the Syrians) message to the American people was powerful and consistent: There is no difference between 'moderate' rebels and al-Qaeda (al-Nusra) or ISIS — they are all the same. This is a war between terrorists under the command of groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda and the Syrian government. They cry out for the U.S. and other countries to stop supporting those who are destroying Syria and her people.”
Gabbard has taken to Twitter to express her passion for the bill:
https://twitter.com/TulsiGabbard/status/833868345099296771
https://twitter.com/TulsiGabbard/status/832807352986275840
This bipartisan legislation is cosponsored by a couple Democrats and several Republicans. It is also endorsed by Progressive Democrats of America and the U.S. Peace Council.
So who are the cosponsors?
The Democrats
Rep. Peter Welch [D-VT]
Rep. Barbara Lee [D-CA]
The Republicans
Rep. Thomas Massie [R-KY]
Rep. Walter B. Jones, Jr. [R-NC]
Rep. Thomas A. Garrett, Jr. [R-VA]
Rep. Ted S. Yoho [R-FL]
Rep. Paul A. Gosar [R-AZ]
If you support or oppose this bill and would like to contact your Representative, call 202-224-3121.
Image Source: Flickr / Tulsi Gabbard
