{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://amodei.house.gov/news-releases/amodei-statement-authorization-train-and-equip-syrian-rebels", "Amodei statement on authorization to train and equip Syrian rebels", "2014-09-17", "2014", "2014-09", "Republican", "House", "NV", "Mark E. Amodei", "A000369", "amodei.house.gov", "amodei", "https://amodei.house.gov/news-releases", "scraper", "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Brian Baluta, 202-225-6155\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Congressman Mark Amodei (NV-2) today voted against an amendment to authorize training and equipping \u201cappropriately vetted elements of the Syrian opposition.\u201d He released the following statement:\n\n\u201cEarlier in the conflict, before the influx of foreign fighters to Syria and the rise of ISIS, it may have been possible to identify reliable, non-Islamist elements of the Syrian rebels who could be counted on to hasten the downfall of the Iranian-backed, Russian-backed Assad regime. That opportunity appears to have been missed and we do not know who the people are that we would train and provide equipment. Or, more importantly, at whom that equipment would be pointed.\n\n\u201cThere is an old saying of, \u2018do something, even if it\u2019s wrong.\u2019 Well this represents nothing and it is wrong.\n\n\u201cWe need real leadership to undo the damage of the administration\u2019s failure to secure a status of forces agreement in Iraq and its misapplication of \u2018red lines\u2019 in Syria, both of which created a predictable vacuum filled by ISIS. Sadly, the same administration that previously characterized this legitimate national security threat as the \u2018jayvee team\u2019 now wants us to trust its hasty strategy to address the growing problem. Because of the administration\u2019s inability to articulate a coherent vision or even to describe what victory would look like, I cannot support this authorization.\u201d\n\n# # #", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-06-27T22:43:16Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://amodei.house.gov/news-releases/amodei-statement-authorization-train-and-equip-syrian-rebels"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.8816562369465828, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}