Rep. Matt Gaetz tries and fails to end U.S. involvement in Syria

A measure brought by U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz that would have forced the U.S. to withdraw troops from Syria was soundly defeated in the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday.

Despite failing to pass, Gaetz's proposal drew support from factions in both the Republican and Democratic parties.

The proposal would have required all U.S. troops to be out of Syria within 180 days, but it was rejected, with 321 members voting against it versus 103 members voting in support.

The U.S. has approximately 900 soldiers deployed to the country, which has been splintered for 12 years in a brutal civil war. U.S. special forces began deploying to Syria in 2015 to fight ISIS forces that had entered the country from Iraq. Both the Obama and Trump administrations deployed additional forces to the country, and the Biden administration has kept a U.S. presence in the country.

Four U.S. service members were wounded in a joint operation with Syrian Democratic Forces in February that resulted in the death of a senior ISIS leader.

Gaetz filed the measure in response to the news that servicemembers had been wounded.

Gaetz said the U.S. has no interest in being in Syria, and ISIS forces in Syria pose no threat to America.

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"Since we have been there, we have seen Americans die. We have seen tens of billions of dollars wasted," Gaetz said.

Gaetz's proposal drew more support from Democrats than Republicans with only 47 members of the GOP voting in favor, while 56 Democrats supported the resolution.

During the debate over the bill, Gaetz slammed "neo-conservatives" for using the authorization of military force passed after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to justify turning "an Arabian desert into a Jeffersonian democracy."

"I do not believe what stands between a caliphate and not a caliphate are the 900 Americans who have been sent to this hellscape with no definition of victory, no clear objective, and purely existing as a vestige to the regime-change, failed foreign policies of multiple former presidents," Gaetz said.

U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, defended U.S. operations in Syria arguing they were necessary for U.S. security, and the majority of the House backed McCaul's view.

"If we withdraw our troops from Syria now, we could see a resurgence of ISIS or another legal successor in a short time," McCaul said. "Withdraw of this legal authorized U.S. troop deployment must be based on the total defeat of ISIS."

Gaetz said despite the vote, he would continue fighting aginst "forever wars."

"We have tried to build a democracy out of sand, blood and Arab militias," Gaetz said in a written statement after the vote. "Time and again, the work we do does not reduce chaos. Oftentimes, it causes chaos – the very chaos that then subsequently leads to terrorism. While today’s vote may have failed, my fight to end forever wars and bring our troops home has only just begun."

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Rep. Matt Gaetz tries and fails to end U.S. involvement in Syria