Congressman Benishek urges President to seek congressional approval on Syria

WASHINGTON, DC: Dr. Dan Benishek (MI-01) today urged the Obama Administration to attain Congressional approval before any possible American military strike in Syria. Benishek represents the north portion of Mason County.

“Before waging any new military conflict in Syria, I believe President Obama should first seek approval from Congress. The loss of innocent life in Syria has been appalling, but the Constitution gives the power of declaring war to Congress, not the president. This decision needs to be debated in front of the American people with their elected representatives. Frankly, I don’t think we need to get involved in another war in the Middle East,” said Dr. Benishek, a general surgeon from Iron River.

The Obama Administration is reportedly looking into carrying out possible military airstrikes against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces.Dr. Benishek joined a bipartisan coalition of 116 lawmakers in the House who sent a letter to President Obama urging him to gain Congressional approval as prescribed in the Constitution and the War Powers Resolution of 1973.

“After a decade of American involvement in the Middle East, I believe a majority of Northern Michigan’s citizens have grown tired of war and are weary of getting involved in another nation’s civil war. That’s exactly why no action should be taken without the president first consulting Congress and presenting his case to the American people,” added Dr. Benishek.

Since coming to Congress in 2011, Dr. Benishek has been supportive of efforts to reduce America’s military presence overseas and bring the War in Afghanistan to an end as soon as possible.