Rep. Paul Ryan (Photo: WRN)
With a vote looming in Washington this week on a resolution authorizing U.S. military strikes in Syria, U.S. Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI) is among several members of Wisconsin’s Congressional delegation who remain unconvinced that the action is warranted.
Ryan says he has attended classified briefings and reviewed intelligence documents, but he doesn’t see what U.S. intervention “does for us, does for our national security.” The First District Republican says he’s been “left scratching my head” by statements from the President that the mission is basically designed not to achieve anything.
Ryan says he still has millions of questions about the proposal and the President needs to “show that this is within the vital national security interests of our country, and that he has a very comprehensive strategy for protecting those interests from the beginning to the end.”
AUDIO: Rep. Paul Ryan (:28)
No members of Wisconsin’s Congressional delegation have so far come out in support of the President’s request for military action in Syria. Congressmen Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI) and Sean Duffy (R-WI) have said they will vote against it. Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) voted against passing the resolution out of committee, although he has maintained he will keep an open mind before it goes to the full Senate for a vote. Most other members have expressed skepticism about the plan, but have not indicated how they would vote.
WRJN’s Tom Karkow contributed to this report.