A bill calling for an end to U.S. efforts to push Syrian President Bashar al-Assad out of power was introduced Thursday by Hawaii Democratic Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard and Georgia Republican Rep. Austin Scott.

In a press release issued by Gabbard’s office, she states her bill calls for “an immediate end to the illegal, counter-productive war to overthrow the Syrian government of Assad.”

She goes on:

“The war to overthrow Assad is counter-productive because it actually helps ISIS and other Islamic extremists achieve their goal of overthrowing the Syrian government of Assad and taking control of all of Syria — which will simply increase human suffering in the region, exacerbate the refugee crisis, and pose a greater threat to the world.  Also, the war to overthrow Assad is illegal because Congress never authorized it.”

The embattled Assad said this week that new elections in his country will not happen while terrorism still threatens the region.

Gabbard has been a prior critic of efforts to oust Assad, and a frequent critic of other foreign policies of the Obama administration.

Propaganda posters depicting President Bashar al-Assad are common in portions of the country he still controls.
Propaganda posters depicting President Bashar al-Assad are common in portions of the country he still controls. Watchsmart/Flickr.com

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