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A
day after Republicans and Democrats announced similar
legislation in the Senate, the lawmakers - including Republican
Leader Kevin McCarthy, Republican Whip Steve Scalise and other
party leaders - said they wanted a strong response to Ankara's
aggression.
"President (Recep Tayyip) Erdogan and his regime must face
serious consequences for mercilessly attacking our Kurdish
allies in northern Syria," Republican Representative Liz Cheney,
chairwoman of the House Republican Conference, said in a
statement.
It was not immediately clear how the legislation would fare in
the House of Representatives, which is controlled by Democrats.
On Sunday, Trump abruptly shifted policy and said he was
withdrawing U.S. forces from northeastern Syria, clearing the
way for Turkey to launch an assault across the border.
Turkey began the offensive quickly, pounding Kurdish militias,
who recently were fighting alongside U.S. forces against Islamic
State militants, on Wednesday and Thursday, killing dozens and
forcing many thousands of people to flee.
In a rare break from Trump, some of his fellow Republicans have
sharply criticized the president's decision.
Senator Lindsey Graham, a co-sponsor of the Senate sanctions
package announced on Wednesday, said it was made "completely
against everybody else's advice."
The House Republicans behind Thursday's announcements stressed
that their intention was to strike back at Ankara in statements
that did not criticize Trump.
(Reporting by Patricia ZengerleEditing by Leslie Adler and
Cynthia Osterman)
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