Elected officials in South Florida and throughout the state are reacting to Thursday night's decision by the Trump administration to launch an air strike into Syria in retaliation for this week's gruesome chemical weapons attack against civilians.
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) released a statement saying he hoped the strike against the Assad regime’s Shayrat Air Base would "diminish his capacity to commit atrocities against innocent civilians.
"By acting decisively against the very facility from which Assad launched his murderous chemical weapons attack, President Trump has made it clear to Assad and those who empower him that the days of committing war crimes with impunity are over. What must follow is a real and comprehensive strategy to ensure that Assad is no longer a threat to his people and to U.S. security, and that Russia no longer has free reign to support his regime."
Rubio later told NBC's TODAY Show that Trump should reach out to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as well as Turkey, to discuss ways to get Syrian President Bashar Assad to step down and create a new regime. Assad has not responded to diplomatic pressure in the past, but Rubio says the military strikes could change that.
He says, "We need to now move forward through a combination of diplomacy and, quite frankly, the support of groups on ground, particularly non-jihadist Sunni groups, to create alternatives to the Assad regime."
U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) also said he supported the strike.
"I support the administration’s strike on the air base that launched the chemical attack. I hope this teaches President Assad not to use chemical weapons again," Sen. Nelson said.
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Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Carlos Curbelo (R-FL) tweeted their support of the air strike late Thursday.
"I support the airstrikes against airbase in #Syria. The US did what rest of the world failed to do: lead + respond to #Assad's war crimes," Ros-Lehtinen said.
Curbelo posted "For the first time ever #Assad is held accountable for his despicable conduct. I applaud the Administration's resolve in the face of evil."
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) called it a "measured and appropriate response", but expressed concern that she feels there is no long term strategy from the Trump Administration.
"Although the missile attack was warranted, I have serious concerns about the Trump Administration's irresponsible statements earlier in the week, which may have emboldened Assad, and an overall erratic policy that indicates there is no longer-term strategy in place here," she wrote in a statement.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott said that President Trump took the right action and that "it's about time someone stood up" for the people of Syria.
