10/17/19 - Sen. Smith tweeted "After a breathtaking week, we are now told that Vice President Pence has brokered a temporary “pause” in Syria, on terms that effectively hand Turkey a victory while forcing the Kurds to surrender." View the tweet here.

10/17/19 - Sen. Smith posted the following to Facebook: "I have some thoughts on what is unfolding in Syria, and why Trump’s leadership is so dangerous for our nation.

Let me explain:

We live in a dangerous world.

These dangers may seem to be thousands of miles away on the map. But if there’s one thing we should have learned over these last few years, it’s that long-distance danger can erupt close to home with no warning.

That’s what happens with terrorism, and ISIS. It’s what happens with Russia’s aggressive attacks on our election system. It’s what happens when Iran threatens our friends and allies in the middle east, like Israel.

Trump’s recent decision to peremptorily withdraw US troops from Syria, with no plan to keep ISIS and terrorism under control, blindsiding our friends and allies, as well as our military and diplomatic service corps, makes the world a much more dangerous place, for Americans.

Kurdish civilians have lost their lives because of the President’s unilateral, impulsive decision. 100s of ISIS terrorists & their families are free because of his decision. Because of the President’s decision, Russia, Iran, Syria’s murderous leader Assad, and ISIS are stronger.

This is not a game show, it is literally life or death, and the consequences of this dangerous decision have played out with terrible speed.

After a breathtaking week, we are now told that Vice President Pence has brokered a temporary “pause” in Syria, on terms that effectively hand Turkey a victory while forcing the Kurds to surrender. Whenever the guns stop firing this is good news, and we should all hope that the violence unleashed by the US withdrawal from the Syrian borderlands stops for good.

But we should remember that the events of the last week are a catastrophe of the President’s making. Those ISIS terrorists, once held captive, are now free, and no ceasefire will change that. And that is unforgivable.

I urge Mitch McConnell to allow the Senate to take up the Resolution condemning the President’s decision, which passed the House this week with wide bipartisan support. The guns may have stopped for now, but the President’s leadership remains clearly dangerous for our nation." View the Facebook post here.