Transcripts For CSPAN3 Syrian Doctors Describe Unspeakable Horrors In Civil War Call For Aid 20170316

We will come to order. Good morning everyone and thank you for attending. Today march the 6th anniversary, the start of the civil war in syria. We all know it has cost the largest humanitarian crisis on the planet since world war ii. There are many many issues regarding the conflict and today were going to explore some of those and a few of them that we will talk about is the food shortage in syria and the substantial starvation and deprivation thats occurred there. A recent development where turkey has revoked the permits to distribute food there. Education is a big issue for everyone in the world and for six years of this war there is an entire generation that will be deprived on the educational front. Theres a number of issues regarding that and were going to delve into all of those and so with that, i would like to recognize our distinguished Ranking Member, senator mccartin. Thank you very much for stepping in to chair this hearing. We should point out is that senator corker has commitments with President Trump today in tennessee and thats the reason why he is not able to chair the hearing. I have talked to senator corker. I know his personal interests in regards to the humanitarian crisis in syria. I can assure everyone that this committee will Work Together to do everything we can to help in regards to the humanitarian crisis that exists in syria today. As the chairman pointed out the war has been going on for six years, six long years. The country and many of its cities have been reduced to rubble. Loved ones have been killed and wounded. Syrians are now destitute. Twothirds extreme or abject poverty. I heard that it could cost as much as 25 of a syrians Family Income to pay for water. Think about that for a moment. Spending onefourth of your castro so you ha income so you have water for your family. Schools, hospitals, sanitation systems, electrical grids, have been destroyed. 5 million syrians have fled their homeland and its tragic for all syrians, but particularly for the innocent children. Many of whom have been killed. The Mental Health of the syrian children we just received a report last week from save the children and its tragic. That report points out these children have lost their childhood. Theyve been absent from school because school does not exist in many parts of syria today. Their speech has been affected and they have many issues, including partial this is a tragic situation for all in syria. The act of war has chald the humanitarian effort in order to get help to the people who have been victimvictimized. We know that. I have grave concerns about the trump policy in how its dealing with the crisis in syria. Let me mention three points that concern me. First, weve heard that President Trump will be submitting a budget that has a 37 cut in the state departments budget. If america is going to be active in dealing with the humanitarian needs, how do we do that with a budget that is already inadequate cutting it by over onethird. Weve also heard reports that the humanitarian budget may be zeroed out in some cases. Thats not what america stands for. We, our country, has been the leader globally in pursuing humanitarian needs, recognizing that its part of what we stand for as a nation, but its also in our National Security interests to make sure theres stability in countries. Can we really do that with a budget that cuts Development Assistance by that size and amount of money . Budgets talk about priorities. Is that what our priority is going to be. Secondly i have grave concern about mr. Trumps policies as it relates to russia in dealing with syria. Russia has supported and facilitated the atrocities that have taken place in syria. Theyve targeted civilians. They have attacked humanitarian convoys. We know about the u. N. Convoy that was attacked killing 14 civilians and wounding and severely injuring another 15 more. Russia has participated in war crimes. They need to be held accountable. I will be reintroducing shortly the syrian war crime accountability act. I urge my colleagues to help us get that done so we make it clear to all that are participating in atrocities in syria will be held for their activiac activi activities. Third let me reference the refugee policy for syria, the most recent executive order. Theres been over 100 Security Experts that have sent a letter saying that the president s executive order is harmful to u. S. National security interests and beneath the dignity of our great nation. I couldnt agree more. Its counterproductive. Let me just share with the members of this committee the conversations we had with the king of jordan. Jordan has accepted 650,000 Syrian Refugees. The king has made it clear that that has not presented a security challenge for the country of jordan. The United States has accepted a few thousand Syrian Refugees. There has been no example of any security threat. These individuals are vetted as extreme as we have for anyone coming to america taking anywhere from 18 to 24 months. I think the members of this committee know that. We talk about that frequently and mr. Chairman, with your permission i would like to introduce three families with us today because i think its important to put a face these are not numbers, these are people who are escaping terror and persecution that are now making america their home to help build this great country. As many of our parents and grandparents came to this country to build a better life for their children. If i might let me introduce the family that arrived in the United States on november 16th of last year. Mohammed was a pastry chef prior to fleeing to jordan. They have resettled in maryland. Thank you. Next let me introduce a family that arrived in the United States last june. He was in the farming and wholesale business in syria before fleeing to jordan. He was displaced for three years before he was referred to the United States for resettlement. The International Rescue committee helped resettle him and his family in maryland. Thank you for being here. Finally let me introduce the last family who arrived in the u. S. In december. He owned a market in syria. They fled to egypt to escape the war where they remained for five years before being resettled in the International Community in maryland. Im proud that youre here in the United States and im proud that you are in the state of maryland. Our state has embraced diversity and our state is stronger because of that diversity. Thank you very much. We look at maryland counties around d. C. , we have two of the strongest counties in the United States, both have embraced diversity for decades and it is a place in which we welcome immigrants. Mr. Chairman, we need to know mr. Trumps policies as it relates to syria and ending the conflict in syria in the National Interests of the United States. We dont have that information today. What we have is a panel of experts who can help us deal with the humanitarian crisis that exists today and how we can be helpful in dealing with those needs. I welcome our panel. Thank you. I think all of us are anxious to see a specific policy regarding americas moving forward regarding the syrian situation and that im sure will be forthcoming. We all have our ideas about it. I think everyone is getting some input into that. Today, though, were going to be talking about the humanitarian crisis. I suppose there will be some overlap, but today is a focus on the humanitarian crisis. Certainly over the last eight years and particularly the last six years our policy in syria has been drifting to say the least and it really needs focus. If we dont focus it, were going to have the same result weve had over the last six years and its unacceptable in the world and to america. We have five witnesses to testify today. First of all, we have three witnesses who are syrian doctors who have come here to testify. Our fourth witness is mr. Gyer. The senator has asked to say a few words. Thank you very much. Im very pleased to introduce my friend, the ceo of mercy core a humanitarian and development nonprofit. It is a unique organization. It works in over 40 countries, almost all of which are either in conflict like syria or recovering from conflict or natural disaster. Mercy core is committed to innovation. In complex and fragile states it works to make markets function better so poor families be lift themselves out of poverty. Mercy cores commitment to innovation is allowing them to help the poorest of the poor. Their commitment to innovation is impressive, but also their courage, working in some of the most difficult locations to be found on the globe. In considerable danger to their own team, they have assisted millions of syrians over the course of the war. They are one of the largest u. S. Government partners providing assistance to syrians effected by the war and they continue to alleviate the suffering of individuals. We look forward to hearing your testimony. Thank you so much for the work of your organization. Thank you. Our fifth and final witness is the honorable david millerband and chief executive officer of International Rescue committee. I am going to recognize all five of you to make statements. Were on a short string here obviously as we always are in the u. S. Senate. Wed ask you to keep your remarks to no more than five minutes, but however your full remarks submitted in writing will actually be included in the record of this hearing. So with that, im going to recognize the our three doctors from syria and i guess ill let you decide on who is going to go first to present their statement. Doctor. Good morning, Ranking Member and distinguished members of the committee. Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today. I im ob gyn. Im here today not only as a doctor, but as a wife, mother and a syrian. Throughout the past six years i have witnessed unspeakable horrors. I worked in a hospital which was in the opposition held area of the city. There together with my fellow health workers, we risked our lives every day to save the lives of the others. We refused to leave until the very last minute. I was the victim of bombs, siege, and forced displacement. I left on december 12, 2016 along with my husband and our 8yearold daughter. In the month leading up to our displacement, i can only describe the events as hell. In my hospital and to my team and i treated many women with severe injuries. One woman came with shrapnel which penetrated our womb cutting the fetus in five pieces. We saved her life, but her unborn baby lay down separated in two from the waist down. Many other women died because they didnt make it to the hospital due to the lack of balances or food and the dangerous conditions on the road. They bled to death in their homes with their newborn children. The hospital was the most dangerous place. My unit was on the third floor. We were subjected to rockets and bombs. One day i was performing a cesarean section when the missile struck the third floor causing the ceiling to staff. The surgical staff had to flee the room, but the doctors didnt because we were forced to clean the debris out of the patients abdominal cavity. We were able to save her life. After my hospital was partially destroyed by air strikes, we tried to build a new hospital underground, but the siege prevented the supplies from entering the city. I moved into an entry hospital. I worked until it was targeted by air strikes. I had my daughter at my side. As a mother how am i supposed to explain all of these to an 8yearold who has known nothing about violence, killing and destruction . How am i supposed to protect her . I remember one day back in july when there was an attack near the hospital, she came running into the operation room crying unable to breathe. I left the patient. Gave my daughter oxygen and held her close. What else could i have done . This broke my heart. That feeling of powerless to protect my child has broken me to this day. I wish i could say that these atrocities and the plight of syrian families was unique to aleppo. This is not the case. It is happening in other parts of syria effecting more than 600,000 syrians under siege. This must end. Humanitarian access must be granted to these areas and the International Community must Work Together to end this practice. The humanitarian aide has been nearly nonexistent. There are three hospitals that have been targeted by air strikes in the past two weeks and one of the nurses was killed by an air strike last week. Its our duty as human beings to advocate on both parties on the ground to allow humanitarian access and to finally hold these who violate international and humanitarian law accountable. Later this month my family and i will return to syria to continue our work at the hospital in northern syria. It is our duty as doctors. We have taken an oath to treat any and all patients regardless to their affiliation. We have a moral obligation to try and save as many lives as possible. Even if that means sacrificing our own. The koran teaches us that to save one life is to save all of humanitarian. Work with us to save lives if you want to do anything, do it now. There is no time to wait. As syrians continue to die day after day. Thank you. Thank you for your testimony. Doctor, youre next. Chairman, Ranking Member, members of committee. I am an ophthalmologist from aleppo. The hospital was built in 2014 and constructed underground to protect the patients and staff from air strikes. We were often overwhelmed by the large number of patients and wounded arriving at our facility. We did our best to save as many lives as we could, but we were forced to make difficult decisions. With the overwhelming number of wounded civilians and the limited resources that were available to us, we had to face the unimaginable task of deciding who to save and who to leave to die. Can you imagine having to make this decision . My colleagues all over the city and i faced this every single day. We asked for help from the International Community many times. We communicated with u. N. Agencies. We risked our safety and that of our families by appearing on international media. We did everything we could, yet help never arrived. The u. N. System is clearly broken. As it has no means to enforce the mandates and hold perpetrators accountable for these crimes. I was one of three doctors in aleppo assigned to negotiate a plan for medical evacuation with the u. N. And world health organization. At first this negotiation was moving well with the corporation of many parties, including russia. However, as the regime and its allies began to take more territory, the corporation disappeared and the evacuation never occurred. Instead, the attacks on medical facilities at schools and markets escalated. Last year on december 11 as we were trying to save lives and care for victims of bombing attacks, the hospital was attacked by a bomb. We immediately ran into the inner room, closed the door and covered our faces. We then heard a knock on the main door and encountered three men sufficient indicating from the gas. We brought them whatever medicine we still had available. Thankfully we were able to save their lives, but many others who were outside died from the gas. After this attack, many hospital staff had to leave fearing for their lives. Everyone has afraid that the second bomb would strike again. The previous day another attack had hit the hospital. Most of the victims were children and we only had one unit of oxygen. The medical staff worked tirelessly to try to pass the mask from one child to another so that they wouldnt suffocate. These attacks occurred using bombs and ammunition had failed. Instead they resulted to chemical attack to drive us out. Im asking you today to hold the perpetrators of these accounts accountable. It must be made clear that the attack on health care and the use of chemical weapons on civilians and Health Care Workers are accountable are unacceptable and that International Humanitarian law must be strictly enforced. This cant be the new norm in syria. In homes the siege had blocked the delivery of medical supplies such as blood bags, serum bags and antibiotics. In the past six months the siege has stopped the movement of medication and yet the world does nothing. Another area under siege there were more than 30 patients in desperate need of kidney medication. After their medication ran out due to lack of deliveries, we pleaded with the u. N. To deliver the life saving medication, but it wasnt until after three patients died that the medication were delivered and even that it was not a u. N. Convoy that entered the area. In three weeks this medication will run out and the patient lives will once again be at risk. We need sustained humanitarian access. Constant violation of international and humanitarian law, regular use of chemical weapons against civilians, siege of civilian areas and humanitarian aide and forced displacement are not claims. They are fact. I myself witnessed or was a victim of every one of these heinous acts. Im here today to ask the American Government for help. Do not let these acts continue. Do not let more innocent civilians suffer. Do not forget the human toll of this war that refugees, the education gap, the destruction of the health care system. An entire generation has been lost. The world failed aleppo. Now is your chance to help protect and save the millions of syrians caught in the middle of this conflict. Enforce international law. Hold perpetrators for the crimes accountable. Reform the u. N. Aid system. Make the protection of civilian and hospital a priority. I ask you to be a voice of us. Do not fail us again. Thank you. Thank you, doctor. Good morning. I was the director of hospital in aleppo, the largest hospital in the part of the city. The hospital was established by the syrianamerican medical society. In february of 2013. Because of the many attacks on the hospital, they moved underground to protect the patients and medical workers from the opening of the hospital in 2013 until it was bomd out of the surface on october 14, 2016. It was hit 22 times in october 2016. The hospital was targeted four times in one week removing from surface. I myself was injured by shrapnel in one of the attacks. Some of the shrapnel remains in my body to this day. Do you remember the young boy who was to become a symbol of the children of aleppo . Thankfully he survived his injuries. Sadly, his brother died from his injuries. Most of our patients were children suffering and for what . The people of syria simply want to be free. Bombs change everything. It wasnt until the entrance of russia into the conflict that we started to see this. We moved from one hospital to another as each was taken off the surface. We were faced that we were going to die. When the final we were scared of what would happen happen to us. The iranian malitias were looting houses and killing anyone who resisted. We went to take the green passes. We made our way north. We would have been arrested if we had entered a government run area. This kind of forced displacement that cannot be allowed to continue. I love aleppo. I love syria. It is my home. It is a part of me. I dream of one day return to my home with my family. I call on you to protect hospitals and health workers. This is a simple request. We must allow civilians to remain in their homes and not and not be forced to evacuate. You must help others to be free. The United States government must be a voice for the innocent people of syria and must be a more compascompass. Thank you. Thank you very much, doctor. Well now move to mr. Gyer. Chairman, Ranking Member, senators, i almost feel like i should just stop right now after this human face and the courage of our syrian friends. I just want to thank the doctors for their courageous work in upholding humanitarian. You touch us all. Thank you. I also want to say what a privilege it is to be with my friend and his great organization. We work closely together and proudly around the world. Also i have to thank my friend jeff merkley for his incredible friendship and for his incredible support to mercy core, to our state and to our country. And finally to tim kaine for all he has done on behalf of mercy core and of course for his friendship as well. While the politics on the ground in syria have changed, the one thing that remains constant is the suffering of the syrian people. At this point i really want to thank the u. S. Government, usaid, the state department for years of leadership in supporting the syrian people. I think we need to recognize that the u. S. Has been the largest donor, the largest supporter, a leader in upholding whatever aid there can be for syria over these years. Now, if i may, and chairman referred to it, the senator referred to it, i want to begin with mercy cores situation in turkey where recent events have diminished our ability to alleviate the suffering inside syria. Weve conducted one of the largest humanitarian operations from turkey to syria with the permission and full corporation of the turkish government over the past five years. As you all may have know, just a few weeks ago the turkish government revoked mercy cores registration to operate in turkey or deliver across the boarder assistance. That is disruptive life saving assistance for 360,000 syrians that we reach every month inside and has effectively ended support to 100,000 people in turkey, syrian and turkish citizens. To date our situation remains unresolved. We continue to seek dialogue with turkish officials so we may resume our operations as soon as possible. We stand ready to correct any technical mistakes we might have made. Meanwhile, weve had no choice but to shut down our presence in turkey while working closely with our partners and donors, including u. S. Aid and the state department, to quickly fill any gaps in our assistance. We all know turkey has been a generous Global Leader in humanitarian action. It welcomed more than 3 million Syrian Refugees and boost one of the worlds most important policies on refugees allowing them to earn a living for their families and offering them a path to citizenship. Like the United States, turkey is a signaturary to international as an independent and impartial humanitarian organization, mercy corps mandate is to deliver essential aid to civilians in need on all sides of the conflict. And i can tell you that we are very proud of our principled humanitarian efforts in syria and around the world today. Of course, we all know the only solution to the suffering of syrians is a political resolution. Humanitarian aid saves lives, and it sustains hope. Only peace saves societies and nations. Strong, smart u. S. Engagement remains a critical component. Distinguished senators, i know this issue is tough, but please remain resolute in your push for a durable peace in syria. Meanwhile, the scale of suffering is staggering. The stark statistics defy description. Imagine the combined populations of oregon and tennessee in need of humanitarian assistance, and that is syria today. At a recent helsinki conference on supporting syrians, a young syrian who works for mercy corps, told the assembly, he said, im waiting for the war to stop so i can go back and rebuild syria. I believe that we can rebuild syria better than before. I feel i have a lot of power, and i can bring my skills. I can now speak out and lead. I want the same for other youth as well. And friends, lets remember the human face of the people involved. And lets never lose hope, regardless of how complex or how dark sometimes the days seem. Thank you very much. Thank you. And finally, the honorable its an honor to be back in front of this committee, sitting alongside extraordinary humanitarian leaders. I want to echo what neil said about the really humbling work thats done by the syrian doctors. Were proud to work alongside them inside syria. I also echo his the society were creating for each other. The mercy corps is an organization were proud to stand alongside and admire of the i wont take long for this opening statement. Youve got the tenpage version, i think, in your papers. I know there will be many questions. I also need to apologize that given the slightly later start time, ill have to leave at about 1 00, 5and i do apologize for that. Were an International Humanitarian aid agency. We have over 1,000 staff in syria today. In the south of syria, we are proud to be the largest supplier of health care. But our efforts are currently impeded by a recent uptick in fighting between Syrian Forces and opposition groups, by air strikes on medical facilities. We lost eight of our hospitals in 2016 to air strikes. And by a local isis affiliate capitalizing on the chaos in the south. In the northeast, i was in iraq seeing some of the crossborder work last week. In the northeast of syria, we support iraqis fleeing violence from mosul entering syria as refugees and syrians encountering antiisis operations. Raqqa operations will intensify in the next few months. We provide Emergency Assistance and safe classrooms to locals and those forced from eastern aleppo. Increased infighting among opposition groups and air attacks from the regime and their russian supporters are threatening civilians and our ability to serve them. I wont repeat all of the statistics that youve heard or that you know. I do want to point to one statistic that still shocks me in the evidence i supplied. Subsequent to three u. N. Security Council Resolutions, the head of u. N. Operations has reported that less than 1 of the of those syrian civilians under siege inside syria have been reached by humanitarian operations. Not because of inefficiency in the u. N. , but because of deliberate blockage by the regime and in some cases by opposition forces. Youll also know the 5 million Syrian Refugees fled to jordan, lebanon, turkey and iraq. The priorities are clear. Their work, protection for women and kids, and education. Chairman and senators, we point out in our statement that there are three fundamental choices that now face the United States government and the senate. The first is about politics and diplomacy. Because the truth is, the u. S. Has been absent from the recent public diplomatic efforts. Russia, turkey and iran have put themselves center stage. Theres not just a War Without End in syria, theres also a war without law. Principled american voices are needed for International Humanitarian law and accountability for those who violate it. If the u. S. Does not provide this voice, no one else. The second is about foreign assistance. We understand that major cuts, or proposals to major cuts for foreign assistance will be announced tomorrow. This will be a tragedy for syria and the region. They would translate into excruciating choices, not just for ngos, but also the people we serve. I hope youll allow me to say from my own time in the uk government, and now running an ngo, i know that u. S. Humanitarian leadership is second to none. Bilaterally and through the United Nations. The United States provides 70 of support for the United Nations High Commission on refugees. The u. S. Genuinely drives the global system. They project american ideals and protect american interests. All for less than 1 of the federal budget, all for 2 of national income. Its estimated some 6. Million syrians in fiscal 2015 were helped by the United States. That should be a benchmark for the future. It would be a genuine tragedy for the u. S. Administration to lose faith in the value of humanitarian aid just as its proving its worth. Finally, the third choice is about Refugee Resettlement. Last weeks executive order reducing resettlement numbers is a stark message to syrians and to allies in the region, including im sorry to say iraqis who have worked with and risked their lives with and for the United States. The pause in the program, the uncertainty about its future is a gift for those who would argue that the United States will not help refugees in need if they happen to be muslim. That is not true. But its a collar put around day by day around the region. In lebanon and iraq, i spoke with people affected by the executive order. These are the most Vulnerable People some of the most Vulnerable People in the world and the most vetted entrants into the United States. There is extreme vetting for refugees who want to get here. The review being done is perfectly within the rights of a new administration. What is wrong is the suspension of a whole program that will lead to people going to the back of the queue because of the pause under way. I would urge this committee if there is to be a review, it doesnt need to take a full month. A 20 or 30day review could allow the program to continue. Just remember this, after 9 11, the pause in the program was only two months. For no reason at all, theres now a fourmonth pause in the program, despite the 120 leaders of the american National Security system who said that the program stands. Mr. Chairman, senators, there can be no effective Foreign Policy without effective humanitarian policy. I hope that is a message that this committee can take up with pride and with gusto. Thank you very much indeed. Thank you. And were now going to proceed to a round of fiveminute questions and answers. And im going to reserve my time to interject. And i will recognize senator cardin. Thank you, mr. Chairman. I want to thank all five of you for your testimony. But i want to join my two friends in paying special tribute to the three doctors that are here today. You really are inspirational to all of us. I grew up in a generation watching m. A. S. H. On television as i saw american doctors perform during the korean war. And marveled how they performed in combat situations. They were soldiers. Youre not soldiers. And you are performing with great personal sacrifice to your own safety in order to save lives in your community. Under conditions you should not have to put up with. So i just really wanted to express our deep appreciation for your International Humanitarian efforts, which really inspire us. And i think the Global Community, to do more. What we do is not of personal sacrifice to our lives, but yours is. I want to thank you for being here. Its extremely valuable to the effort. I want to assure you that im going to do everything in my power to make sure those who have targeted hospitals, committing atrocities, targeting hospitals with bombs, attacking humanitarian convoys to stop you from getting the medicines to keep you from keeping children alive. Every one of those individuals who committed these war crimes, from the assad regime to the russian involvement, are held accountable for their activities. Of course, the number one thing we need to do is to end this war. And thats not todays hearing. I agree with the chairman, thats not what were here for today. But the way to stop these atrocities, the way to stop this humanitarian crisis is to resolve the civil war, to deal with the terrorists that are in the country, and to return stability to the people of syria by a government that represents all of the communities in syria. So, mr. Miliband, thank you for your extraordinary leadership. Weve had a chance to talk about these issues. I couldnt agree with you more of the impact of President Trumps executive order. Ill quote from your testimony, that those who are affected, theyre family members of those who served american troops. There are unaccompanied children, widows struggling to make a new life and those in need of Urgent Medical care. They are those under persecution for their political or religious beliefs. A twomonth delay is too long for these people. As you said, there was no need for this fourmonth period. We hope it is much shorter than that. I really want to talk a little bit and ask your impact on t the the potential impact of the executive order in the region. We have turkey. We have jordan. We have lebanon, that had literally millions of Syrian Refugees that border syria. If they decide, well, u. S. Policy is that theyre not taking refugees, maybe we should send these refugees back to syria, what impact could that have on an already unsustainable humanitarian need that exists in syria . Well, thank you, senator. The truth is that the numbers in small countries in the region are staggering. Lebanon has a population of 4. 5 million and 1. 5 million refugees. Jordan has 650,000 refugees. The government says 600,000 unregistered refugees. Turkey obviously a much bigger country, 2. 7 million refugees. There are things that should be clearly in your mind. The conditions for refugees on the ground are getting tougher by the week. Theyre running out of savings. Theyre having to reregister which oftentimes has fees associated. Kids are not in school and theyre becoming more desperate. The second situation is the political backlash against u. S. Allies in the region, like jordan, is very real. The Unemployment Rate mongs jordanians is 76 . Among the syrians its 78 . The shortterm of the humanitarian aid system compounds the difficulties of the government for jordan. Were working with them on an Employment Program to try and help their Companies Take advantage of free trade access to european markets. But that requires 15 of the employees to be refugees. Were trying to work with them to help square that circle. The third aspect, the third consequence that i think relates to the first two is that many refugees giving up the hope of legal resettlement in the u. S. , are frankly, are going to take their lives in their own hands and get to europe. The european refugee crisis is not over. The push factors driving people from syria and the neighboring states to get to europe remain very strong indeed. Obviously the great danger is there is a domino effect from the u. S. Decision, the largest refugee resupplement country, the domino effect leads to a series of actions by hosting states like jordan and lebanon, kenya, uganda, and ethiopia. The instability is a result. Thank you. In regards to mercy corps, i want you to know, i hope today were going to hear ways we can help deliver humanitarian aid effectively to those who are involved. Clearly what was done in turkey needs to be reversed. And im sure that we will try to assist you all, ill certainly be working with senator cain and others on our committee to see how we can resolve your issues, so that you can get that aid back to the people of syria. I want you to know that. Well be in communication with the turkish government. Senator johnson . Thank you, senator rubio. I want to thank the doctors for your testimony, for your courage, for spending time with me in my office yesterday. Kenny guyer said the policies have changed. Doctor abdulkhalek, with the involvement of russia, youve obviously been witness of chemical attacks, present. Can you talk about the change in tactics, the change in weapons, the minute russia got involved . After the russian involved in the conflict, we noticed a new development with weapons like bunker buster. They can destroy the underground structur structures. We noticed they used the use of the bomb in the last three months of the siege. And also, cluster bombs. And we had photos of by our own phones, to that cluster bombs, and the bunker buster not bunker buster, but the bombs. Was there more frequent targeting of your hospitals when russia became involved . Yes. So they werent they are locating the hospital, the location, they are locating the hospital position. And they start targeting it many times, until we had to leave that hospital, feeling of our safety, and the injured men. Doctor, you also said you talked about two attacks. Yes. Use of chlorine. You also said regular use. Yes. Any other chemicals that youre aware of that have been documented, been used . No. Just chlorine attack. Just chlorine attack. You said regular use. Do you have any idea how many chlorine attacks there were . On entry, there is just two chlorine attacks. Because m3 was not known to the government. The last month, they discovered its place. So they start targeting it by many weapons, until they used the chemical weapon chlorine gas. But they targeted the area of that m2 hospital with the chlorine attack before six or seven months. You said the world has failed syria. Yes. I couldnt agree more. Its shameful. Mr. Kenny guyer, you said the politics have changed. Describe that. Describe the reality. Its great that were going to say were going to hold people accountable. But describe the reality on the ground right now. What has changed . Well, i dont often find myself commenting on the politics of a situation. But what i will say that has changed, we all know as an organization, that had a significant commitment to the city of aleppo. We had team members who were in aleppo, and actually were on the last evacuation bus out. And were very proud of them. They were given the opportunity to leave, like many of these doctors earlier on, and chose to stay out of solidarity. Obviously the situation in aleppo has changed. And in the north you have now idlib is very vulnerable. Citizens of aleppo are now there. The government of turkey has come down into the Euphrates Shield area. And the situation in raqqa. In the southern part of the country, i think we should all be aware, its very difficult, and that is, there has been efforts that have pacified some areas, but on the jordanian border has been the conflict. Whats important is the staggering need of innocent syrians. Just, if i may, in particular comment on, you know, all lives are really important, but at the same time, we are particularly concerned about young syrians. You know, nearly 4. 8 Syrian Refugees in the syria are children. There are 8. 5 million young people and children in syria in need of immediate support. Never minded indication. And listen, i appreciate that. Ive got 35 seconds. The point being is the world has failed we stood by the world for six years and watched the slaughter of half a million at least syrians. And im all for diplomatic solutions. But diplomacy follows facts on the ground. The facts on the ground are such that russia, iran and assad have conquered aleppo. They are winning the war. Is that not correct . Isnt that the politics that have changed . And what kind of diplomatic solution can there be when the facts have changed so dramatically on the ground . Im not sure i would go as far as you did, senator, in that situation. You know, ive spent more than 30 years working in and out of the middle east. And im always cautious to draw any firm and fast conclusions that relates to the middle east. But what i will say is that we are no closer to a political solution. I think you are right in that. And in fact, in many ways, the situation is more complicated than ever. The one thing i am sure of is that those who suffer the most are innocent civilians and syrians, and especially the children. I agree. Thank you very much. Senator kunz . Thank you. Thank you, doctors. Thank you for your incredible testimony. Thank you for your bravery. Thank you for what you continue to do to risk your lives in the service of humanity. It is hard to hear your testimony. It is hard to endure the images and the sounds and the stories of unspeakable suffering, and unthinkable Human Rights Violations in syria that continue, week in and week out, month in, month nout, over years. The hundreds of thousands of insepts who have been killed. In a way that just cries out for the world to respond. Should shock the conscience of every senator here, and everyone who listens. Thank you. Delaware just welcomed its first syrian refugee family. In a small but important act, i think a christian church, a muslim mosque, and Jewish Family Services in partnership welcomed a refugee family that had fled an area close to where youre from, because of a chemical attack years ago. The United States has done a great deal, but nowhere near enough. My first visit to confront some of the reality of this was with senator mccain, and a number of other colleagues to a wellknown refugee camp in jordan where we had memorable meetings with syrians who said we dont want sympathy, we dont want tears, we dont want blankets. We want action, we want accountability and we want engagement. Its encouraging to be reminded that American Humanitarian assistance did help 7 million syrians last year, but it is heartbreaking to realize a likely dramatic cut in our humanitarian assistance that may be announced tomorrow may significantly affect hundreds of thousands, if not millions of syrians and the whole region. And im gravely concerned that a pause and a travel ban sends exactly the wrong signal about our values and our willingness to welcome and embrace and support exactly this sort of work you have done. So to mr. Kenny guyer, thank you for the bravery and the dedication of mercy corps. Along with senator cardin, whose statement i think speaks for itself, and was powerful about the importance of welcoming refugees to this country and about the importance of supporting mercy corps, i will only say amen and i look forward to trying to work with you to right this situation in turkey. If i might, mr. Miliband, i would just be interested in hearing what you think would be the actual human consequences on the ground of having the United States nearly abandon its humanitarian assistance obligations. Thank you, senator. I think that u. S. Assistance should be seen in three or four key areas. One is obviously the food for Peace Program that is significant contributor to Food Security for syrians. Were working with the u. S. Government across the border on that program. Secondly, the u. S. Has distinguished itself by the flexibility and speed with which the foreign Disaster Assistance bureau works with ngos like us to work with those in grave need. I would just draw your attention to whats happening in mosul at the moment. I was about 15 kilometers from mosul at the end of last week. Its thanks to u. S. Support that when isis is driven out of an area of mosul, humanitarians are the first to go in after, including from the organizations represented here, supported by the u. S. In doing that. That work is beginning to put together the elements of a functioning city. So in the east of mosul there is reconstruction work allowing people to have basic services that they can go back to. Thirdly, u. S. Foreign assistance is distinguished by its ability to target the most vulnerable. Often that is women and girls. Thats labeled as protection work. Were certainly proud to be partnering across the region with the u. S. In protecting women and girls from the unspeakable levels of abuse that are often associated with emergency humanitarian situations. I think its important to flag that. The final think i would mention is that its a scandal to me that less than 2 of the global humanitarian budget is spent on education. That speaks to the short term of the fiction convenient for donors that these emergencies are shortterm. And tragically a fiction that is embraced often by the host countries for their own political reasons. The shorttermism leads to the organization. I was able to see kids, traumatized refugees i had met three or four years ago in the same informal settlements, socalled. Theyre helped by a program that is an Education Program giving them a chance to rebuild their lives. If i might just in conclusion. Doctors, 15 of the last remaining doctors in aleppo, including you, sent a letter to president obama detailing atrocities of the sort weve heard testified to here today, and asked for us to take action around accountability. I want to comment senator cardin, senator rubio for reintroducing the syrian war crimes accountability act, and all of us who are joining as cosponsors to insist on accountability, for the unspeakable war crimes that are being committed in syria against the syrian people. Thank you for your testimony today. Thank you. Senator young . Thank you, chairman. Thank you to our doctors. Thank you for your constancy and purpose and bringing light to an otherwise dark situation in syria. I agree with mr. Miliband. We do indeed have a fundamental choice to make on this authorizing committee about our level of assistance. Well continue to provide you and others who are on the receiving end of international Human Rights Violations. And i would like to elicit from your testimony here a few things that i just thought were incredibly powerful. Ill start with something mr. Miliband said. He indicated that the introduction of russian air power ushered in a new phase of this conflict. Devastating and deliberate effects on civilians, civilian infrastructure, the air strikes destroyed or otherwise rendered all hospitals in eastern aleppo out of service. That despite u. N. Security Council Resolution 2286 condemning attacks on medical facilities, hospitals and humanitarian operations. And then the doctors. You each spoke in a very personal way to the tragedies youve seen on the ground. Dr. Farida, you note that, quote, a hospital a hospital was the most dangerous place in aleppo. Dr. Abdulkhalek, you highlight the repeated attempts by the regime and its allies to destroy the hospital where you worked. Using barrel bombs. Using cluster munitions. Dr. Rajab, you noted in the hospital where you served as director in aleppo, the hospital was bombed out of service. On account of 22 air strikes. You were hit five times in one week. I cant imagine operating under these conditions. I cant imagine being in one of these hospitals. I cant imagine living in an area of the world where youre constantly under this sort of attack. And who do we blame for this . Theres plenty of blame to go around, but certainly the russian intervention complicated matters significantly. Mr. Miliband, you note that the u. N. Security Council Adopted resolution 2286 in may of 2016. Given russias permanent seat on the Security Council, and habit of vetoing resolutions aimed at the murderous assad regime, no matter how egregious and deplorable assads actions have been, i was curious, so i went back and looked at the comments of the russian representative in may of last year, during the passage of this security Council Resolution. You know what the Russian Deputy permanent representative emphasized in his comments . Its really duplicitous, breathtaking what he says. He says that it was unacceptable that medical personnel continue to suffer attacks since peoples lives depended on their work. He says, quote, protecting humanitarian personnel including medical personnel is one of the most important as expects of the whole effect of protecting civilians, end quote. He said members of the u. N. Must do more work to protect medical personnel. This, again, coming from the Russian Deputy permanent representative. The russian representative also tried to cast doubt regarding russias conduct in aleppo by emphasizing the need for the Security Council to be guided by reliable information. He said, quote, its unacceptable that unverified reports of attacks against hospitals taken from unreliable sources are fed to the media, and then used for political pressure. Unquote. Id just like doctors, do you have any thoughts about the russian representatives comments at the u. N. , his assertion of reports of attacks against hospitals are unreliable . We noticed that the attacks being more aggressive in the last month, after they make the siege order on the eastern edge of aleppo. At that stage, russia was very involved in the process of attacking the more civilian areas. So russia start to make a big effort to damage the hospital, and to let us fled from that area to another area until we had to evacuate all the city of aleppo. Thank you, sir. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Its truly a tragedy that we are holding a hearing today to mark the beginning of what was a peaceful uprising in syria. That has turned into the worst humanitarian crisis in recent memory. And we have all seen the heartbreaking images of children and families suffering under the barbaric attacks of al assad, his brutal oppression, isis, the network of actors including putin in russia, iranian terrorist networks who support the war crimes and Human Rights Violations. And its unconscionable and reprehensible that the leader of any country could orchestrate bombing campaigns against any people whose sole purpose is to support their communities. I have the utmost respect for all of you and all the work youre doing, particularly the doctors. You truly honor your profession globally. And in the darkest moments of mans inhumanity to man as we have seen in syria, you have shown us what humanity truly is all about. And so we honor you, and the mere fact that you have to wear masks to protect your identity speaks volumes of the challenge that you face. But i have to be honest with you. I am concerned that in the midst of listening to all of the comments of comfort and solidarity, that the reality is, that that Means Nothing if were going to have a 37 cut in our budget, nothing if we are going to deny refugees to come into the United States, nothing if we are not going to continue u. S. Leadership in the world in this regard. So all these statements of solidarity will only mean something to me, and certainly more importantly to those who are fleeing syria, when we act in ways that actually embrace the cause, and that actual ly shows our solidarity in meaningful ways. This is why i have a real concern. Our humanitarian programs operate out of the state department. Mostly the bureau of population, refugees and migration. And a host of programs through usaid. I am deeply alarmed by the administrations proposed budget plan, to slash these agencies, which accounts just for 1 of the overall budget. I think its not only morally reprehensible, these kinds of drastic cuts are squarely against the National Security interests of the United States. It advocates our Global Leadership. It puts our allies at greater risk. We want to say to other countries in the world, to europe and elsewhere, when the king of jordan comes here, thank you for housing the refugees from syria. And yet were going to cut the very assistance that ultimately gives that a possibility. So i hope my colleagues when it comes time to follow up the words of solidarity, will do so with their votes. Now, i want to go particularly to mr. Miliband. I appreciate what the your organization does. I thought the title of senator was pretty significant, but the right honorable is a real heck of a title. But on a serious note i hope its not a hereditary thing. New jersey has welcomed 275 Syrian Refugees in the past 12 months. The irc has an active network in new jersey that in my view has enriched the state. But what happens when we take a different course . I know that you head an organization, and of course, you had your own distinguished career in great britain, but as one of the greatest allies the United States has had, what would you say to us is the consequences of us cutting in half the number of refugees to come to the United States . Whats the consequences of decimating the budget that ultimately helps . Why would it not be in the National Interests of the United States and its security to do so . Thank you, senator. I think the answer to that is america helps create a more stable world. And american retreat leads to more instability that is not just an affront to americas moral values, but also to her interests. And both in respect of foreign aid and in respect of Refugee Resettlement, this country has good claim to be a world leader. Maybe it takes a foreigner to recognize the good things about a country. One of the areas where america undoubtedly has claimed a leadership is in the Refugee Resettlement program. It is the most successful Refugee Resettlement program in the world. In germany they want to learn the lessons of your Refugee Resettlement program. Also the strategic leadership that you offer. This global order that we have for all of its faults is upheld by American Leadership. When that leadership is in retreat, both International Humanitarian law, and also global stability are threatened. Thank you. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Thank you all for being here, and in particular for the doctors who have risked so much to be a part of this. I want to touch on the narrative that some have put out. Since youre on the ground and youve been there and seen this reality up close, you can hope to enlighten us about this reality. And all of you commented on it. The narrative you see in some of the outlets around the world, which i dont know where theyre getting their news from, is the following. Alep to was a city divided by areas controlled by rebels and areas controlled by the gosmt. And that these benevolent Russian Forces combined with the regime went in and liberated this part of the city held by rebels, who, by the way, i dont think any of us here are fans of the radicals who themselves have committed all sorts of atrocities against humanity. These very benevolent forces came in and liberated this part of the city, and rescued all of these civilians, and theyre doing these phenomenal things. You saw this in late december, images of churches opening and people know where i stand on russia. People know how i feel about assad. I used to get emails saying, look at these phenomenal things happening in aleppo in these, quote unquote, liberated areas. Apart of the rebel forces, many of whom are criminals themselves, the reality of the suffering of the people that had nothing to do with either side. They just happened to live in this area. They happened to be families and children going about their lives not involved in the internal politics of any nation, including their own. But somehow were targeted. Tell us the reality, if you were someone who happened to live in one of these areas, i think you touched on it, but the reality of the notion of liberation, this notion that somehow these benevolent forces have come in and now liberated and are now helping to reconstruct a part of the city, how would you characterize the way this was conducted by assad, by russia, and even by some of the rebel elements as they left . I can tell you that in the eastern part of aleppo now, the u. N. Maps decide that about a fourth of the buildings are destroyed completely. And the other buildings are damaged. Theres no life now in the eastern of aleppo, and after the civilians fled to other parts. No electricity, no clean water until now. Not all, but most of the soldiers are not rebels in the beginning of the revolution. They were civilians like us. And they had to raise their weapons against the government, because the government started killing everyone uprising against the government. So they were not soldiers from the beginning of the revolution. They deal with the civilians, like their brothers. Most cases, of course. They are afraid of our lives. They let us evacuate before them. And they dont okay. They dont involve by targeting us or killing us off. You may have alluded to this earlier, i didnt see it in the written testimony. I see two of you are concerned about being identified for your own safety. Yes. Who are you fearful of . We are fearing of the government. From the government. Because if they discover our identity, or they may send someone to get rid of us. Or they can capture our relatives in their area. These medical facilities that you worked in, were these medical facilities being used by anyone to conduct war against the government . No. Its just a place for operations. And for helping civilians. Sometimes injured soldiers came to us, but we dont know which kind of rebels he has, he belong to, which one he belong to that group or that group. We dont know. The bottom line is, these are facilities that were treating people with medical conditions and you have no doubt in your mind that these buildings, particularly after the russian engagement, were specifically targeted . Yes. Yes. Because many of these hospitals are wellknown to the government. They started targeting it one by one time, and then repeated it until they destroyed it. Then they stopped targeting it after they destroyed it. They knew that it has been out of service. So they stopped targeting it. Thank you. Senator markey . Thank you, mr. Chairman. Lets just get right to the heart of this. President trump wants to cut the state Department Budget by 37 . And then move the money over to the Defense Department in order to build more bombs. So thats going to create a dynamic that is very dangerous inside of the country. Right now, russia, turkey and iran are gathered in estana to shore up the ceasefire and the geneva talks are going to resume this week. But the United States doesnt appear to be prepared to have a significant role in any of the upcoming discussions, even though the United States has been a part of this war almost from the very beginning. So secretary miliband, how long can america remain absent from these discussions . If were going to be able to reinforce a ceasefire, protect civilians, allow medical and other relief to go to victims . Well, thank you, senator. First of all, i think its important to recognize what the doctors said earlier, the notion that there is a current ceasefire is an abuse of the term ceasefire. I agree with you. That there is significant Activity Still taking place. Secondly, without a u. S. Voice speaking up for the protection of civilians, there will be no voice doing that. Thirdly we need u. S. Diplomats at the table, is that what youre saying . I would argue very strongly for that. There is something that senator rubio and senator cardin started this accountability bill. It could be powerfully linked to a resolution for bringing together trialready material to hold accountable those who commit war crimes. And while its true that the u. N. Security council is deadlocked, the u. N. General assembly is not deadlocked. There are a massive amount of countries ready to support that kind of initiative. Mr. Guyer, child soldiers, the isis and Free Syrian Army are engaged in sub scripting children into their armies. What would you recommend the position of the United States should be in terms of what we use our influence to try to ensure is the policy in syria . Thank you, senator. Well, obviously with respect to child soldiers anywhere, anywhere, whether thats in africa, whether thats in the middle east, or other parts of the world, we have to have a firm policy. That is unacceptable. And those who engage should be held accountable. And i think senator rubio described it very well in his description, is syria has devolved into a situation now where any fairminded person looking at it is going to go, its hard to sort out, who are the good guys and who are the bad guys. It is not Crystal Clear who the good guys are. But what is Crystal Clear is that stability in syria, stability in the middle east, is critically important for every interest that this country has in that part of the world, and is critically important to our National Security, and as the doctors reminded us, the only solution theres not a humanitarian solution. Frankly, theres not a military solution. The only solution is one that is diplomatic going forward. I certainly would urge and believe that well end up with a lot better solution, one thats more in u. S. Interests to the degree were engaged and at the table. Once again, reinforcing this point that whether it be the ceasefire, or it be the conscription of child soldiers, all the way down the long, the longer the war goes on, the more each side begins to engage in activities that are atrocities by any definition. And so thats why the United States cant abandon the diplomatic pathway. Its the only solution ultimately to this problem. Can you talk a little bit about the programs that we can put in place in the country for to protect women and girls . If youve got any suggestions to us that the United States government should be trying to advance. Well, the biggest protector of women and girls are the Community Norms and structures that already exist inside syria. And to the degree that we can support and all of us work with us, irc, mercy corps, there are incredible civilian local counsels inside syria that arent involved in the politics, arent involved in the fighting, and believe one day theyre going to have the opportunity to build a better syria. Its in that context where you support organizations like ourselves who work through local syrian groups. Thats the best way to ensure the protection of girls and women. Do we need to be talking to the russians to get this resolved, in your opinion . I think one needs to talk to anyone who is including the president . Yes, sir. Mr. Miliband . Do we have to be talking to the russians to get this resolved in your opinion . Definitely. You have to have the discussions with them. If you dont have the discussion, its just repetition syndrome. Well just see this go on year after year, you agree with that . I do. The other thing to say is that russia and iran are not natural allies. And we should not take it as a matter of definite course that they are cleaved together in an alliance that is unbreakable. And there are some signs that russia and iran are sending different messages into the system. And i think its in your interests, in american interests that they do not cleave together. I agree with you. Thank you. Thank you, mr. Chairman. It seems that absent diplomatic, political solution, were not going to see an end. I think thats agreed here. Weve been pursuing that for six years now without success. Humanitarian situation has been well documented. I would like some indication of where that goes from here, how much worse it can get, or what were likely to see if no political solution is reached in the coming months. Mr. Miliband . Thank you, senator. I would say two things about that. First of all, i think youre going to see more and more people leaving syria. I mean, youve got 7 million internally displaced already in addition to the 5 million refugees. We havent seen the end of the refugee flow. The bombardments will drive further people out. The second point is to pick up something that senator markey said. Iran and russia are not natural allies. A significant part of the future of the conflict depends on the relations between turkey, russia, the syrians, and the u. S. In respect to the raqqa situation. And so if its correct, as the u. N. Says, that 400,000 people could be displaced by the attempt to retake raqqa, then the way in which the u. S. Engages is absolutely critical to them. Any other thoughts on that . Will it be manifested in just increased refugees outside of the country then . Is that the agreement . As i said earlier, senator, i worry greatly about a whole generation, now going on two generations of young people who have not been educated, who have not had a chance to contribute positively to their societies. And in particularly, in that part of the world where there are competing etiologies, some as sinister as they come. Yet, those become pathways increasingly for young people out of that mix. So the longer this goes on, the more the instability continues, i think the more we need to worry about those kinds of issues. And thats why its so important to bring this to a close as soon as we can. The u. S. And eu and other organizations and countries have been certainly helpful with the humanitarian effort. Can anybody give any idea of what russia has done with regard to humanitarian efforts . Thats not their focus. I know thats not their but is there even an attempt to make it look like they are concerned about the humanitarian situation . I did actually raise this with the now famous russian ambassador. And the some time ago. And the russians talk about their support for the u. N. System. Thats the way in which they would see their humanitarian aid going forward. But nothing independently, unilaterally . No. All right. Thank you. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Thank you very much, mr. Chairman. Today here we are six years from march 15th, 2011, the day of rage where mass popular demonstrations occurred against the syrian president , triggered by the syrian secret police, torturing young boys who had spray painted antiassad graffiti. Six years in which one now sees half a Million People who are dead, and a quarter of the 21 Million People in the country have fled, destabilizing neighboring countries, certainly having a big impact on europe. U. N. Secretarygeneral antonio gutierr gutierrez, when he was High Commissioner of refugees, characterized the war in syria as, quote, the great tragedy of the century, a calamity with suffering and displacement unparalleled in recent history. Our witnesses today, the doctors, and irc and mercy corps have been there in these horrific circumstances, trying to assist with medical care and nutrition and support. And i commend them all for this tremendous effort, individually and with their organizations. I am disappointed that turkey has revoked the registration of mercy corps to provide assistance through turkey, to over 300,000 syrians. I do appreciate the government of turkey has been a leader in the refugee response and a close partner to mercy corps over many years, before. And so mr. Kenny guyer, id like to ask, what are the immediate steps that would be helpful that you might like to see taken by the government of turkey . Thank you, senator. And thank you for your efforts as well in this matter. You know, when the revocation came, we were, frankly, stunned, and deeply saddened. I say saddened because of the hundreds of thousands of syrians that we help each month inside the country, and have been such a critical lifeline of support and hope. And then secondly, for particularly for our syrian team members who have put their lives on the line through all of these years, in the toughest times and darkest days to make a difference. And weve always enjoyed a close working relationship with turkey. So our approach right now is, we presume, and weve not been given an official reason, but we presume that theres some technicality, and that our sole aim is to enter into discussions and negotiations that will allow us to restore our ability to operate. The governors in turkey have been extremely supportive of our work. The local authorities have been supportive. The Turkish Red Crescent have been supportive. And so we thank the senators here for all your support. And at this stage were working night and day to ensure that we can get back to work there as soon as possible. And has our state department been helpful in facilitating that conversation. Our state department, our ambassador have been extremely, extremely helpful. I want to commend them for their efforts. Particularly in these difficult times. So at this moment, with the supply chain of significant assistance to over 300,000 inside syria, with that disrupted, can you paint for us a picture of the challenges being faced by those who would otherwise have been assisted by the flour and water and support that you all provide . Well, a large substantial portion of our aid going crossborder was wheat flour that went to bakeries. We were trying to use markets to keep the price of bread affordable for ordinary normal citizens there, and those and through those bakeries, really Vulnerable People got vouchers so they could pay a very little amount for their bread. So that was a critical lifeline. In addition to that, weve been providing there are a number of intermly displaced camps for syrians along the turkey syrian border. We have been providing clean and fresh water for those camps to more than 100,000 people on a weekly basis. So immediately those abilities have been cut off. In addition, because, again, we see the resilience of syrians. We see their desire to help themselves, even at this time. We had been supporting inside syria the recovery of agriculture land so that syrians could get back to growing their own food and not be as dependent on the outside. Wherever you can restore markets, its so important for people. Its so important for any chance of recovery. All of those programs are at risk. Thank you very much. Thank you. Senator cain . Thank you, mr. Chair. I want to thank some colleagues on the senate. Senators murphy, rubio and mccain joining me today to introduce a resolution commemorating the challenges of the last six years and encour e encouraging all of us, the Global Community to do more. I want to thank the organizations here, irc, mercy corps and sams. Sams does wonderful work. Youve been praised as individuals. But i also know this organization, and ive met with sams physicians in the United States, and also in gaza, a really strong organization. Thank you for what youre doing. A comment and then maybe a question or two. In november 2015, right before thanksgiving, the house of representatives here passed a bill called the securing america against foreign enemies act. That was the bill that blocked Syrian Refugees from coming into the United States. This is a body that wont have a vote to declare isis an enemy. But it would label Syrian Refugees an enemy. I was very proud of my senate colleagues, when that bill came over here, we wouldnt have anything to do with it. Because refugees are not the enemies of the United States. And im extremely discouraged that the senate had the good sense not to do that, this administration came in and perpetrated the same thing. It issued the immigration orders in january with a title, executive order protecting the nation from foreign terrorism. That was the title. The revised immigration orders arent much better, because they hit refugees in three ways. One, by a temporary suspension of the Refugee Program. Two, by a temporary ban for letting syrians come into the United States. Refugees are not terrorists. Refugees are not enemies. When the administration issued the initial executive orders, i was in roanoke, virginia, far from an international airport, far from worrying about this issue, doing events about the Affordable Care act there. And i had somebody come up to me at a reception and said, hey, my family helped a syrian refugee family resettle in roanoke, working with Catholic Charities a year ago. Let me tell you how great theyre doing. The husband is working on a construction crew, and Everybody Loves him. All the construction workers are different political persuasions, banded together to buy soccer shoes for the kids for christmas. You can never say anything bad about this guy in front of the construction workers. But what they were asking me is this. Heres what they said. But we have a second syrian family arriving at the roanoke airport in four days. Theyve been in a refugee camp in jordan for four years, getting vetted. And finally approved to come to the United States. Whats going to happen to them . And they havent been able to come to the United States. The notion that this administration is perpetrating that refugees are enemies is just absolutely contrary to the values of this country. I second comments made that the slashing of the foreign aid budget would be a horrible thing. But even if the foreign aid budget doesnt get slashed by a penny, perpetrating a stereotype about stereotype about refugees or syrians that theyre our enemies is deeply troubling to me. I question. You and Security Council in february of 2014 passed a resolution 2939 calling for crossborder delivery of aid, safety for people receiving aid, and safety of medical facilities. I think the even fornforcement implementation has been a disaster based on the testimony that has been given. What does it say about the u. N. , what does it say about the Security Council . What does it say about the nations that are members of the Security Council that a resolution, called so clearly for there to be delivery of aid and protection of medical facilities has been so poorly enforced in the three years since it passed . If i might, mr. Chairman, i think there are two very important things to say about that. First of all, you made a distinction between the u. N. And u. N. Security council and theres often a confusion between the agencies of the u. N. , the officials of the u. N. And the countries that stand it up. I know from my own experience that divided Security Council means a weak u. N. The truth about the resolutions is a divided Security Council weakened the hand of those trying to implement the resolutire resoluti resolutions. Second point, i dont know that worse, the fact the 2014 resolution hasnt been abided by or a resolution condemning the use of chemical weapons on the 28th of february this year was vetoed by the russians. It points to the fundamental challenge that now exists because weve never been in a situation before where a permanent member of the Security Council was unwilling to uphold the fundamental aspects of International Humanitarian law. Senator, if i may just add quickly, i think you point out, the u. N. , even the best of the operational agencies often reflects the politics of the Security Council. And discourages them sometimes from taking the kind of bold, clear action that they should be taking. We have encouraged them, along with irc and others, we encourage them from the day of that resolution to now test it and push, push, push for crossborder humanitarian assistance. Unfortunately, that did not happen. I think that just reinforces why and how important it is that the importance of organizations like mercy corps irc and sams in order to reach people in need in some of the toughest places in the world but particularly those environments that are plagued by these kishnd of politics. Were often the only last mile and only lifeline. Mr. Chair, i have one more question. If you would like to each ask questions before i do, i can do you have any further questions . Okay. If i might. The u. S. Is currently engaged in a Major Military action with other nations against raqqah, and there has been a prediction that that might lead to another 400,000 refugees oust s out of area. I doeblt wabnt want to ask you the military side of it but what would be your prediction about if this military operation is successful, walk down the road with us a bit and tell us what we a might see in terms of the humanitarian challenge and b what that might mean in terms of opening up space for a either greater or lesser likelihood of a political resolution in geneva and some of the talks art fi s finding a ceasefire and hopefully a next chapter in syria. Well, very quickly, i dont know any of us who dont hope deeply that groups like daesh, isis, have no, no place to operate anywhere. Theyre not in interest of anyone, theyre certainly not in the interest of innocent syrians and so i think one would welcome through that kind of action that raqqah could become back as a normal city. In terms of the humanitarian impact, it really is going to depend on obviously how the military action unfolds. There were great predictions that mosul would produce a million person humanitarian disaster. It still might. It has not up to now. I think weve all appreciated some of the great care thats been taken. The real concern for civilians. Again, theyre suffering, but some of the harshest predictions didn didnt come true. I think we all hope that for raqqah as well. If there is effective coordination on the ground, if there is upholding humanitarian principles and rights, if there is respect for the actors like ourselves, i think actually we could move in very quickly, restore essential services and meet critical humanitarian needs. If theres also the funding available to do that. First of all, i think its very important to emphasize the degree of trauma that it means to live under isis, daesh for two, three years. The people i met last week coming out of mosul have lost some brothers to excuse. Knave got relatives who are in hiding. Literally not coming out of their own house for two years because they previously worked for the iraqi government. There will be a massive degree of trauma. Secondly, i dont see raqqah being a quick win at all. This is going to be youre going to be betting this in a years time, i would guess, and i think its very important to recognize that. Thirdly, we learned from we know from history and we can see in iraq today, the position of civilian s in the definition of military operations is absolutely key to the way in which the peace is then built after the war has been won. The way in which you win the war defines whether or not you can build the peace. And civilian casualty rates in mosul are kusht currently running at 47 , obviously a dangerous down payment on any attempt to rebuild the city afterwards. Thats one reason the humanitarian, political and military all come together. The final point on the political options, the great danger is that the options get worse rather than better. Versus an assad regime that in its pomp and in its, quote unquote, claimed victory, asserts itself in an even more bloody way. That is a recipe for continued instability inside syria. Senator cardi n . Mr. Chairman, i really wanted to thank the panel, mr. Mi miliband, though, i think will make his 1 00 deadline. I will point out a mosul we have, government we can at least work with and communicate with whereas raqqah we do not, so there is i think a much greater risk in raqqah. I would also point out that clearly we need to deal with the responsibility and accountability to the assad regime to russias involvement in syria to the terrorist groups that are operating in syria. All that are continuing to add to the humanitarian crisis. So we need to engage the International Community more effectively in dealing with this. But it stars with taking care of business at home. What we do here in the United States. Many of my colleagues have talked about this. The Refugee Program is not directly important for refugees but a signal to the International Community as to americas leadership and its very much will affect policies in other countries and you mentioned what europe decides to do with the neighboring countries of syria decide to do. We also in congress have our responsibility, were the ones who pass the budget. President trump can submit a budget, but were the ones who pass the budgets. And we have a responsibility and republicans and democrats have been speaking out about the importance of our foreign assistance budget and i hope will do the right thing there. We also need to deal with preventions. We mentioned many bills today, one thats bipartisan that were working on trying to get done. Senator rubio has been one of the key leaders on that. War crimes accountability. We had that also. Senator rubio has been instrumental. But its also u. S. Global leadership. Wheres america . And we do that by our policies, but also our priorities that we set globally. So we know that displaced families are at risk. We know that its difficult to get humanitarian aid to those who are at risk and we all need to do a better job. I thought todays hearing, i want to thank, again, the doctors particularly for being here, but i want to thank all of our witnesses for providing i think a very helpful information as to what we need to do to help not only syrian humanitarian needs, but the whole region, which is involved. Well, i thank the Ranking Member and all the members that came today. Everyone whos on this panel. Including and especially the doctors here who have taken great personal risk not just in their conduct on the ground, but even being here today. There was a statement made earlier, i now exactly understand what you meant to say, i believe it was, said we dont know who the good guys are and i understand exactly what you mean. I know who three of them are, and i know who five of them are, but three in particular who are with us here today and the two doctors in particular, the three doctors who were here. We thank them for the work that theyve done. The other part that comes striking today, i say this to my colleagues who remain. Theres a lesson to be learned, we didnt have to be here today. This didnt have to happen. This began, as has been pointed out repeatedly by syrians, themselves, standing up against the government. When we talk about horrifying actors on the ground, its amazing how many of them arent syrians, how this vacuum in syria became a magnet from foreign fighters from all over the region to come in and use it as a playground for their broader aims and goals. How the assad regime has invited nonsyrians to come in and slighter their fellow countrymen. And it was stunning on this committee about two months ago we had a hearing and i asked the very direct question of the thennominee for secretary of state whether the russians had been involved in war crimes. He said hes not aware. Its been two months. Hopefully by now hes been made aware of the reality that targeting medical facilities no matter what is happening in that area is a war crime. And that that targeting would have not been possible had it not been for the assistance and potentially the direct attacks conducted by the putin regime. Moving forward, i think that this is an ongoing crisis for the world and to those who have argued in the past that americas got a lot of problems and we should be focused on our problems and let other countries take care of their own problems, doesnt work that way. Thats not how the world works especially now as interconnected as it is. Were having debates in this country about Refugee Programs and the like because we have refugees. We didnt have refugees, we didnt have people that needed to leave, there wouldnt be a refugee issue for us to be debating in this country. The other is this is what the absence of American Leadership looks like. Sadly, i believe its bipartisan absence in many cases that has led to this situation. So sometimes with Foreign Policy, its not enough to do the right thing. You have to do the right thing at the right time. Because if you dont, those options are stalled and you reach the situation that we face here today. Our obligation is to take this message back to our colleagues and ensure these ideas are reflected not just on what we do now when be coit comes to syria the role america decides to play in the world in years to come and having this hearing here today and hearing the testimony of all of you, in particular those who risked their lives before they came, and risk their lives now upon their return, i hope will serve as an inspiration to every member of this committee, every member of the senate and those of us who care deeply about the affairs of the world. About the way forward in the years to come. So i thank you for hosting this hearing and i want to thank all of you for being here. The record for this hearing is going to remain open until the close of business on friday. Thats time for members to submit additional questions for the record. We ask the witnesses if possible, obviously given the circumstances to respond as promptly because theyre going to be made part of the record which we can refer back to as we debate some interesting topics in the weeks and months to come. So with that, i want to thank, again, every member of the committee that came and this hearing is adjourned. Well take you to another Senate Committee hearing in just a minute, but first a look at President Trumps budget p proposal which was released today. The graphic here from the Washington Post shows that the budget will reduce funds to the epa, state department and department of agriculture while increasing funding of the Defense Department, Homeland Security and v. A. Raise your right hand. With the confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee neil gorsuch starting next week, tonight at 8 00 p. M. Eastern, well look at the confirmation hearings of all eight current Supreme Court justices. Starting with Justice Anthony kennedy in is the 8 1987. Clarence thomas in 1991. Ruth Bader Ginsburg 1993. Stephen breyer, 1994. John roberts 2005. Samuel alito, 2006. Sonia sotomayor, 2009