Week ahead: Lawmakers to examine Syria, sanctions
A look at the Middle East issues Congress will be addressing next week.
The Senate Foreign Relations panel is marking up a resolution calling for a new policy for Syria on Tuesday after lawmakers tore into State Department officials this week.
The resolution from Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., chairman of the subpanel on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs, gives the administration 90 days to present Congress with a new strategy to address the humanitarian crisis in Syria. The mark-up could offer a chance for lawmakers to vent their frustration at President Obama’s reluctance to get more involved as the conflict enters its fourth year.
President Obama’s budget priorities also continue to come under the microscope as lawmakers grill his top sanctions official and his ambassador to the UN.
The Senate Appropriations panel on financial services is scheduled to hear Wednesday from David Cohen, the undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence.
