Congressman Bera Questions Secretary Hagel on Syria
Press Release
Congressman Ami Bera, M.D. participated in a House Committee on Foreign Affairs hearing today about the crisis in Syria where key members of the President's national security team testified, including Secretary of State John Kerry, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey.
During the hearing, Bera questioned Secretary Hagel about the goals and objectives of the proposed plan in Syria.
"It is of critical importance that we are having this discussion," said Bera. "I applaud the President for including Congress in this debate. I agree that we have to show resolve and we have to show that we are committed to our allies, but my constituents and I still need to be convinced, not that atrocities occurred--we all are unanimous in our condemnation of what Assad has done--but we need to know exactly what our goals are and our objectives, because this is increasingly a complex situation.
When I was home in Sacramento County this past weekend people were stopping me in the grocery store, my neighbors were pulling me aside on the street. I think all of my colleagues have been inundated with phone calls, emails, and almost unanimously, people don't want us to strike Syria. They're fatigued. And I answer to these people. These are the people that I represent. My question, Secretary Hagel, is what can I tell my constituents about why these strikes are in our national security interest?... How do I effectively communicate what the plan is?"
Hagel responded that he understood the responsibility Bera has to the people he represents, and that the potential for chemical weapon use to become a "norm, jeopardizes our country, our homeland, our troops, our people all over the world."
Watch the full exchange between Bera and Hagel: http://youtu.be/vqzmkvuqz4E
Congressman Ami Bera, M.D. represents Sacramento County. Born and raised in California, Bera is a physician and the only Indian American currently serving in Congress. He's fighting to rebuild an economy that works for middle class families and to reduce our country's debt in a responsible way. One of Bera's first acts in Congress was to help lead the effort to pass the No Budget No Pay Act, which says if members of Congress don't pass a budget, they don't get paid. As a co-chair of No Labels' Problem Solvers, he's working with people from both parties to find bipartisan solutions to our nation's challenges. He and his wife Janine live in Elk Grove with their daughter Sydra. For more updates on Rep. Bera follow @RepBera on Twitter, like Congressman Bera on Facebook, or visit http://www.bera.house.gov.
Source