South Dakota delegation concerned about President’s decision

WASHINGTON, D.C. (KELO.com) — Congressman Dusty Johnson (R-SD) is part of an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote in the House to get President Trump to change course in Syria.

“Our Kurdish allies stood with the US in the fight against ISIS, now is not the time to abandon them.”

The vote is 354-60 on the resolution condemning the President’s decision to withdraw U.S. Forces. Only hours after Trump’s announcement, Turkish forces opened an offensive against the Kurds in northern Syria.

Both the House and the Senate are working on Turkish sanctions legislation.

Johnson says he hopes to see “swift and robust” sanctions against Turkey.

Senator John Thune (R-SD) has concerns about President Trump’s new withdrawal strategy in Syria.

“The reason U.S. forces got involved in Syria, to begin with, was to address the terrorist threat born out of the vacuum left by the hasty U.S. withdrawal in Iraq.”

Thune says there are obvious concerns about “recreating” those conditions.

He’s worried about what it will all mean for the Kurdish fighters, who have been U.S. allies.

Thune is also concerned that the new Trump policy could increase Russian and Iranian influence in the area.

KELO Radio News also asked Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD) for reaction to the new Trump policy. Senator Rounds chose not to include any direct reference to the policy, instead focusing on the Turks.

“My concern results from the military action Turkey is taking against our Kurdish partners in the war against ISIS. This instability could result in detained ISIS fighters escaping.”

Rounds is a member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee.

There are bipartisan efforts in both the House and the Senate on Turkish sanctions legislation. The Trump administration has also imposed sanctions on Turkey.