Cheney slated to introduce bill to place sanctions on Turkey

House Republican Conference Chairwoman Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) plans to introduce legislation in the coming days to implement sanctions on Turkey over its incursion into northern Syria after President Trump withdrew U.S. forces from the area.

Cheney, who has been one of the most vocal opponents of Trump’s decision to withdraw U.S. forces from northern Syria ahead of the Turkish military operation, has already garnered more than two dozen GOP members to co-sponsor the bill. 

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), House Minority Whip Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) and House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) are among the Republicans who have so far backed the legislation.{mosads}

Cheney’s efforts follow similar efforts taken in the Senate by Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), who are also seeking to impose financial repercussions on Turkey after it launched a military offensive against U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish forces.

“President Erdogan and his regime must face serious consequences for mercilessly attacking our Kurdish allies in northern Syria, who incurred thousands of casualties in the fight against ISIS and helped us protect the homeland,” Cheney said in a statement Thursday.

“These sanctions are not only a response to the Erdogan regime’s violent attacks in northern Syria. Congress has long had concerns about the regime’s cooperation with U.S. adversaries, such as Russia. If Turkey wants to be treated like an ally, it must begin behaving like one. They must be sanctioned for their attacks on our Kurdish allies,” she added.

Rep. Elise Stefanik (D-N.Y.), who sits on the House Armed Services Committee, voiced her support for the measure, arguing that failing to implement sanctions would further instability in the region and put U.S. national security at risk.

“I am proud to be an original cosponsor of this legislation. After recently returning from a Congressional Delegation visit to Turkey, Afghanistan, and the Syria-Jordan border—which included meetings with foreign government leaders and our own U.S. security and intelligence leadership, it is clear that terrorist groups still pose a serious threat to this region’s instability and our own national security,” she said in a statement. 

“Any actions to increase the instability of Syria must be met with adequate consequence.”

The White House’s announcement this week that Americans troops were to be relocated from the region was met with sharp pushback from members on both sides of the aisle.

Critics of the policy shift blasted the move, arguing it opened an opportunity for terrorist groups like ISIS to gain momentum.

The president repeatedly vowed to “hit Turkey very hard financially and with sanctions if they don’t play by the rules,” but has not specified what actions would be taken.

Since the start of Turkey’s invasion in northern Syria, dozens of fatalities have been reported with 64,000 people having fled Syria ahead of the attack, Reuters reported.