Today, U.S. Congressman Scott Peters (CA-52) helped approve new sanctions on the Syrian government and its supporters and encourage negotiations to end the civil war that is now in its sixth year. The measures include sanctions on individuals who do business with the Syrian government, its state-owned transportation and telecom sectors, or its energy industry. After the House passed the new sanctions, Rep. Peters released the following statement:

“The Syrian Civil War has caused tremendous suffering and created a vacuum where the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda’s affiliates can train fighters and plan attacks. As our partners in Iraq – backed by U.S. airpower and special operations forces – advance on Mosul, drawing down the conflict in Syria is the next step in destroying the Islamic State and reducing the threat of attacks against the United States.

“These sanctions are part of a smart, tough strategy to force the Syrian Government and other parties to the table without entangling American ground troops in another Middle Eastern civil war. I continue to back the use of American airpower to weaken the Islamic State, and as part of the select committee that finalizes the defense policy bill, I will be working in the coming weeks to give our military leaders the tools they need to counter these and other threats around the world and keep Americans safe.”