Washington —Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) said late Tuesday she will personally reimburse the cost of her trip to Syria.
Washington —Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) said late Tuesday she will personally reimburse the cost of her trip to Syria.
Gabbard’s press release came less than a week after she detailed her trip in another press released and received public and political criticism for the purpose and merits of the trip.
“Though the trip has met every requirement of the House Ethics Committee, the congresswoman has decided to reimburse AACCESS-Ohio for the trip because it has become a distraction from the important issue at hand — do the American people want their taxpayer dollars to continue to be used in support of militant groups working hand-in-hand with al-Qaeda and ISIS in the effort to overthrow the Syrian government?” the release issued by Erika Tsuji from Gabbard’s said. “Contrary to baseless claims in the media, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard is beholden to no one in the region, her views on the situation are her own, and her determination to seek peace is beyond question.”
As a member of the House Armed Services and Foreign Affairs Committees, Gabbard traveled to Aleppo, Damascus, and Beirut from Jan. 14-22 to see and hear firsthand the impact of the war in Syria directly from the Syrian people.
Earlier this year, the congresswoman introduced the Stop Arming Terrorists Act (H.R.608), legislation that would prohibit U.S. government funds from being used to support al-Qaeda, ISIS, or other terrorist groups.