Senator Bob Corker on Thursday issued the following statement after voting for a three-month authorization to arm and train the moderate Syrian opposition in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS):
“Thus far, the administration has been sophomoric, vague and unprepared to define an approach to ISIS that meets any test of seriousness. I am willing to give the administration three months to try to develop a training program in hopes it can be a small seed for a building block to create the coalition they have cited. By Dec. 11, we will know if the administration has developed a more realistic effort. At that time, I believe they will be exercising extremely poor judgment if they do not seek explicit authorization from Congress for the campaign they develop to deal with ISIS.”
Senator Corker has long been a supporter of the U.S. providing limited lethal and non-lethal assistance and training to vetted, moderate rebels against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. In May 2013, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed the Syria Transition Support Act, by a vote of 15-3, legislation introduced by Senator Corker and committee Chairman Senator Robert Menendez (D-N.J.). Training the moderate opposition in an effort dedicated to ISIS is a very different undertaking, officials said.
The legislation passed the Senate 78 to 22 and will be sent to the president to be signed into law.