Today, Rep. Scott Peters (CA-52) joined a bipartisan group of his colleagues to pass the Protect Against Conflict by Turkey (PACT) Act, which will sanction Turkey for their military offensive against Syria after President Trump withdrew American troops from the region. The sanctions target senior Turkish officials who orchestrated attacks that intended to kill and expel Kurds from the region, among other human rights abuses, by freezing their financial assets and banning their travel to the United States. The PACT Act also prohibits the transfer of U.S. defense materials to Turkey, if they could be used in Syria, and sanctions Turkish financial institutions for facilitating transactions for Turkish military operations in Syria.

“Today, Congress rebuked President Trump’s reckless decision to abandon our Kurdish allies and allow a resurgence of ISIS and instability in the region. These strong, targeted sanctions put a check on Turkey and will not be lifted until Turkey withdraws from Syrian territory. As President Trump forgoes American leadership abroad, Congress came together to hold Turkey accountable and demand concrete strategies from our administration to combat ISIS, protect our allies, and keep Americans safe,” said Rep. Peters.

Earlier this month, Rep. Peters voted to condemn President Trump’s hasty withdrawal of U.S. troops, and opposed the withdrawal when it was announced.