Recognizing Global Coalition to Defeat Isis

Floor Speech

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Ms. SLOTKIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about a bipartisan resolution I am introducing today, together with a group of Democrats and Republicans, recognizing the global coalition to defeat ISIS.

This resolution recognizes the critical contributions of the counter- ISIS coalition partners; the value of those partnerships to countering threats, both today and tomorrow; and the importance of building and maintaining trust among partners for the sake of future fights--as well as reaffirming Congress' commitment to defeating ISIS.

It is important to remember how this coalition of 60-plus countries came together in the first place. Take yourself back 5 years. ISIS had taken over wide swaths of Iraq and Syria. They had huge amounts of territory. They were systematically slaughtering the opposition. They were targeting ethnic groups. They were targeting Christians. They were targeting Yazidis. They were systematically raping women. They were setting up bureaucratic structures, charging taxes, and extorting people.

They were projecting violence and threats out of that territory into places like Europe, into places like Russia, and into places like the United States. So the Department of Defense and the Department of State pieced together 60 nations to contribute to a coalition.

Some of those countries provide F-16 air cover. Some provide overhead imagery. Some provide human intelligence. Some train the Iraqi security forces and police. Everyone has a part to play.

Today, as I speak, Secretary Pompeo is convening the counter-ISIS coalition at the highest levels in an emergency session to discuss the future of the counter-ISIS mission, following President Trump's decision to pull out U.S. forces from northern Syria.

Our allies and partners are rightfully questioning the future of this coalition. The President surprised these nations, all 60 of them, with the pullout. Many of our partners found out about the pullout, in which they are involved, via tweet and via the media.

As the counter-ISIS coalition partners come to Washington, I, therefore, want to take a moment to recognize their partnership, their contributions, and their commitment to the counter-ISIS fight.

Why is it important to have a coalition? Why is it important that 60 nations come together to fight this terrorist group? It is not just for show. For every airman, marine, soldier, or sailor from the U.K., Spain, France, or Norway who comes to contribute to the fight, that is one fewer soldier, airman, marine, or naval officer who needs to come from the United States. For every piece of intelligence that they risk their lives to collect, that is one fewer piece that we need to collect and risk our lives for.

Most importantly, working in coalition keeps the American homeland safer than it would be simply if it were up to us to defend. In an era of globalized threats that can come from anywhere, we need a global coalition before the threats land on our shores.

As we know in Michigan, our handshake is our bond; our word is our reputation; and we are stronger together than we are apart.

I am, therefore, proud to be introducing this resolution, together with a bipartisan group, as a signal of our appreciation and our word and as a sign of our commitment to our counter-ISIS partners today and into the future.

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