Damon Paul Nelson and Matthew Young Pollard Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Years and 2020

Floor Speech

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Mr. SCHNEIDER. Madam Chair, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment, though I am not opposed to it.

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Mr. SCHNEIDER. Madam Chair, I rise in support of the Murphy-Schneider amendment that makes abundantly clear it is of the utmost importance to prevent Iran from establishing any enduring presence in Syria.

The amendment also requires the Director of National Intelligence to report on Iran's efforts to establish a foothold in Syria on the threat this poses to the United States and our allies, in particular Israel.

Madam Chair, I stood before Congress in the last Congress urging support for my amendment to require a report on Iran's support for proxy forces in Syria and Lebanon, and I am pleased that this report remains in this bill. Today we are building on this important effort with the Murphy-Schneider amendment.

I thank my good friend from Florida, Stephanie Murphy, for her leadership on this issue.

Iran is a bad actor that has spread its maligned influence and continued to engage in destabilizing activities throughout the Middle East region, as well as beyond. The Iranian regime has and continues to establish deep ties within Syria through military, political, economic, social, and cultural means. This is a dangerous behavior that must be checked. Iran must not be allowed to maintain a permanent foothold in Syria that threatens our allies and stability in the region.

To stand up to Iran, we must first understand the full extent of Iran's activities in Syria, and that is what this amendment does. I look forward to seeing this report and engaging on how we can prevent Iran from maintaining a permanent presence in Syria.

I hope my colleagues will join me in supporting this important amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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