In the News

Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Chair Marcia L. Fudge (OH-11) released the following statement today following the CBC’s classified briefing with National Security Advisor Susan Rice on Syria at the White House. President Barack Obama, who was not originally scheduled to attend the meeting, provided remarks and answered questions from Members of the CBC:

“Since 2011, more than 100,000 people have died in Syria’s civil conflict while more than two million Syrians have fled to neighboring countries as refugees. The tragedy of war is that even one innocent life is far too many to lose, and as we continue to witness the horror occurring in Syria there is no doubt many want the international community to intervene.

“President Obama has asked Members of Congress to authorize a military strike on Syria for violating international law in the use of chemical weapons by the government on its people; a request that requires each of us to thoroughly examine the evidence and exhaustively consider the consequences of military action.

“As Members of Congress, our job is to make decisions that are in the best interests of this country and our responsibility is to carefully consider the position of the people we represent. This is also a vote of conscience and I encourage Members of the Congressional Black Caucus to be extremely deliberate and thoughtful.

“I thank the President and Susan Rice for engaging the CBC on this matter. I look forward to reviewing the joint resolution that comes before the House of Representatives and to participating in what will be a vigorous debate on how the United States should respond.”

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