Colorado's Congressmen and Senators responded to President Trump's Syria strike along party lines, with Republicans praising his leadership and Democrats demanding the administration seek Congressional approval for future strikes.
Dozens of Syrian civilians died last week in a chemical weapons attack perpetrated by the Bashar al Assad regime in Syria. In response, President Donald Trump fired 59 Tomahawk missiles – collectively, more than 50,000 pounds of explosives – at the Syrian air base linked to the gas attack. Here is how Colorado’s Congressional delegation responded to the strike.Senator Michael Bennet (D)
Sen. Bennet came out in support of the strike against the Syrian airbase responsible for launching last week’s chemical weapons attack, reiterated that Syrian President Bashar al Assad cannot be the country’s future, and urged the Trump administration to seek Congressional authorization for further strikes. https://twitter.com/SenBennetCO/status/850196160962637825Senator Cory Gardner (R)
Sen. Gardner – member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations – praised the administration’s actions last week and declared that Assad’s use of chemical weapons showed the world “the dark edge of humanity.” Gardner believed that the strike is in line with the United States’ national security goals and called on our allies to rally around America’s leadership. https://twitter.com/SenCoryGardner/status/850172166851244032 On the Fox Business channel, Senator Gardner began an interview declaring that the “era of [America] leading from behind is over.”Congresswoman Diana Degette (D)
Rep. Degette decried the use of chemical weapons against civilians but questioned whether the Trump administration has a comprehensive Syria strategy. She demanded that the President consult Congress for an updated Authorization for Use of Military Force if he intends to take any further action, and called on the administration to ease restrictions on Syrian refugees entering the United States. https://twitter.com/RepDianaDeGette/status/850432785861029889Congressman Mike Coffman (R)
Rep. Coffman released a single sentence statement following the news of the Syria: “Tonight’s actions in Syria come after Assad’s horrific actions against his own people. America must show leadership and I’m thankful for what appears to be an effective response by our military.” https://twitter.com/RepMikeCoffman/status/850201280030973952Congressman Scott Tipton (R)
Rep. Tipton addressed a crowd in Colorado Springs on Saturday and responded to the administration's Syria strike. While he said that he and his colleagues “got no heads-up” ahead of the operation, he praised the administration’s response. “The era of leading from behind is over,” Tipton told the crowd, “where President Obama drew a red line, President Trump actually did shoot missiles." Congressman Tipton concluded that North Korean Dictator Kim Jong Un would do well to take note of the strike.Congressman Doug Lamborn (R)
Rep. Lamborn released a press release on his congressional website praising the response to Assad’s use of chemical weapons."Syrian President Assad continues to act far beyond the norms of civilized leaders ... President Trump is willing to send a clear signal of U.S. opposition to crimes against humanity. We hope and pray that this display of strength will prevent chemical attacks against innocent civilians in the future."
