On January 16, 2014 Rep. Barbara Lee of California asked for and was granted permission to address the United States House of Representatives for one minute regarding Syria.
“Mr. Speaker, as one of two congressional representatives to the United Nations, I rise to recognize and talk about the continued human suffering in Syria.”
“According to the United Nations, there are over 2 million registered refugees from Syria, including 1.4 million children. Last September, the United Nations Security Council urged Syria to take immediate steps to grant aid organizations full access to conduct relief operations. Yet, today, there are reports that the government continues to block aid to victims desperately in need of relief, causing needless hunger and suffering among Syria’s civilian populations. These actions are not just an offense against our conscience; they are also offenses against international law and United Nations’ obligations”, she said.
“As world leaders gather next week in pursuit of a political solution, we must hold all parties to the Syrian conflict accountable and find a negotiated settlement to ending this crisis once and for all through the hard work of diplomacy. I am proud that the United States is the leading donor of humanitarian aid, and I am pleased that the omnibus bill we passed yesterday included increased funding to support our ongoing humanitarian response”, said Rep. Lee (source: Congressional Record).
According to the latest reports the United States has pledged $380 million dollars for humanitarian aid to Syria (source: CNNhttp://www.cnn.com/2014/01/15/world/meast/us-syria-aid/).