Foreign Affairs

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement on his vote in favor of the McKeon Amendment to the Continuing Resolution, authorizing the Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the Secretary of State, to train and equip appropriately vetted elements of the Syrian opposition and other appropriately vetted Syrian groups or individuals to combat ISIL. “The McKeon Amendment is not a formal authorization for this President or future presidents to use American military force in Syria. It has been argued that the President already has such authorization pursuant to the 2001 and 2002 Authorizations of Use of Military Force. I do not, however, believe these are sufficient authorizations to target terrorist groups that may not have even existed 13 years ago.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the President’s address to the nation on ISIL: “After the execution of two American journalists and numerous human rights violations against Syrian and Iraqi civilians, it is clear that ISIL poses a serious and dangerous threat to the stability of the region and potentially to the United States itself. Tonight, the President laid out a thoughtful but narrowly defined strategy to deal with this immediate threat that includes a broad international coalition of our allies and no American ground troops. The President’s strategy will continue to protect U.S. military and non-military personnel, civilians, and those providing humanitarian assistance in the region. Any additional action, however, should be taken only with the authorization of Congress.

NEWPORT NEWS, VA – Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott issued the following statement regarding the President’s recent actions in Iraq: “As the President clearly stated last night, there is no American military solution to the crisis in Iraq and the only lasting solution is reconciliation among Iraqi communities and a stronger, stable Iraqi government. The President has described the humanitarian aid and limited airstrikes as necessary to protect American troops in northern Iraq and assist Iraqi civilians fleeing the horrific threats of violence from the ISIL terrorist group.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement on his opposition to H.R. 5230, the Supplemental Appropriations Related to the Humanitarian Crisis at the Southwest Border, and H.R. 5272, the No New DREAMers Act: "Tonight, after hours of delay, the House will vote on two bills that do nothing to address the humanitarian crisis at the Southwest border. Tens of thousands of children are fleeing Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala because of the extreme violence in these countries. The influx of these refugees is not a problem unique to the United States. Asylum applications from children from these countries are up a staggering 712 percent in neighboring Mexico, Panama, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Belize. Sadly, the leadership of the House of Representatives has refused to work with Democrats and the President to responsibly and humanely address this regional problem.