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[Page H8833]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
RECOGNIZING GLOBAL COALITION TO DEFEAT ISIS
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from
Michigan (Ms. Slotkin) for 5 minutes.
Ms. SLOTKIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about a bipartisan
resolution I am introducing today, together with a group of Democrats
and Republicans, recognizing the global coalition to defeat ISIS.
This resolution recognizes the critical contributions of the counter-
ISIS coalition partners; the value of those partnerships to countering
threats, both today and tomorrow; and the importance of building and
maintaining trust among partners for the sake of future fights--as well
as reaffirming Congress' commitment to defeating ISIS.
It is important to remember how this coalition of 60-plus countries
came together in the first place. Take yourself back 5 years. ISIS had
taken over wide swaths of Iraq and Syria. They had huge amounts of
territory. They were systematically slaughtering the opposition. They
were targeting ethnic groups. They were targeting Christians. They were
targeting Yazidis. They were systematically raping women. They were
setting up bureaucratic structures, charging taxes, and
extorting people.
They were projecting violence and threats out of that territory into
places like Europe, into places like Russia, and into places like the
United States. So the Department of Defense and the Department of State
pieced together 60 nations to contribute to a coalition.
Some of those countries provide F-16 air cover. Some provide overhead
imagery. Some provide human intelligence. Some train the Iraqi security
forces and police. Everyone has a part to play.
Today, as I speak, Secretary Pompeo is convening the counter-ISIS
coalition at the highest levels in an emergency session to discuss the
future of the counter-ISIS mission, following President Trump's
decision to pull out U.S. forces from northern Syria.
Our allies and partners are rightfully questioning the future of this
coalition. The President surprised these nations, all 60 of them, with
the pullout. Many of our partners found out about the pullout, in which
they are involved, via tweet and via the media.
As the counter-ISIS coalition partners come to Washington, I,
therefore, want to take a moment to recognize their partnership, their
contributions, and their commitment to the counter-ISIS fight.
Why is it important to have a coalition? Why is it important that 60
nations come together to fight this terrorist group? It is not just for
show. For every airman, marine, soldier, or sailor from the U.K.,
Spain, France, or Norway who comes to contribute to the fight, that is
one fewer soldier, airman, marine, or naval officer who needs to come
from the United States. For every piece of intelligence that they risk
their lives to collect, that is one fewer piece that we need to collect
and risk our lives for.
Most importantly, working in coalition keeps the American homeland
safer than it would be simply if it were up to us to defend. In an era
of globalized threats that can come from anywhere, we need a global
coalition before the threats land on our shores.
As we know in Michigan, our handshake is our bond; our word is our
reputation; and we are stronger together than we are apart.
I am, therefore, proud to be introducing this resolution, together
with a bipartisan group, as a signal of our appreciation and our word
and as a sign of our commitment to our counter-ISIS partners today and
into the future.
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