Hearing of the House Armed Services Committee - Consequences of U.S. Military Strikes in Syria

Hearing

During today's House Armed Services Committee hearing with Secretary of State John Kerry, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, and General Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter (NH-01) expressed her concern about the consequences of U.S. military strikes in Syria.

"I do believe the intelligence, but I'm also concerned that we're going to swap chaos for chaos," Shea-Porter said. "Assad is murderous, he's evil, he's all those things we've talked about, but the rebels have a problem also. They've got up to 25 percent Al Qaeda and other extremists, according to the Secretary of State, and I'm very concerned about that."

Shea-Porter, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, has attended more than half a dozen classified briefings on Syria over the last week. She has consistently called on the United States and international community to work towards a negotiated political solution to the crisis in Syria.

Below are Congresswoman Shea-Porter's questions as prepared for delivery:

"I've been to a number of classified briefings this week and last, and I do believe the intelligence that points to Assad using chemical weapons. But I'm also concerned that we're going to swap chaos for chaos. Assad is a murderer, he's evil, and he's lost all credibility as the leader of Syria. But the rebels have a real problem also. And that problem is, according to the Secretary of State, 25 percent of their forces are al-Qaeda and other extremists. I'm very concerned about that.

"The Administration has been clear that they don't plan to topple Assad. You've said that you basically want to eliminate some capacity and degrade and deter his ability and incentive to use chemical weapons. But what if Assad does fall? We don't really know what will happen amongst that chaos. Even the best military plans sometimes go astray. Who is going to contain and control these chemical weapons?

"Also, I'm concerned about the death of more innocent people. We know that videos and images will spread across the internet and the United States will be blamed for those deaths.

"How does this air strike, if it occurs, play out in the region? We have Sunni, Shiite, Alawite, and Christian religions. There are a number of different religions, causes, and attitudes. How would this play out in the region for the United States and the other forces in the region?

"I would like to see the additional countries in the region step up and pledge military support, financial support, and increased humanitarian aid. The United States is once again leading the way, and I'm proud of that, but what we're also hearing from constituents is that someone else needs to step up and provide more humanitarian aid and increased resources for the region

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