A Democratic lawmaker is introducing a bill to block additional U.S. forces from being sent into Syria after an amphibious task force of Marines landed in Syria for the first time.
“The bill I am introducing today prohibits the Department of Defense from funding any attempt by the administration to expand our presence in Syria by putting U.S. combat boots on the ground,” Lee told The Hill in a statement.
Her bill has reportedly been sponsored by 15 Democrats and one Republican – Rep. Walter Jones.
The legislation comes after news outlets started reporting late Wednesday that Marines from 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit had left their ships in the Middle East to deploy on the ground in Syria ahead of the fight to retake Raqqa from ISIS. The Marines are there to provide artillery fire.
Lee was the only lawmaker who voted against the authorization for the use of military force (AUMF) in the days following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that killed 3,000 people. The AUMF has given ongoing authority to the U.S. military to continue to fight radical Islamic terror around the globe in all of its incarnations, including the Islamic State in Syria.
Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, a retired United States Marine Corps General who served as the 11th Commander of the United States Central Command and has experience in the Middle East, Northeast Africa, and Central Asia, said during his confirmation hearing that the campaign to retake Raqqa should be accelerated.