{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.cornyn.senate.gov/news/cornyn-van-hollen-warner-murray-urge-biden-to-provide-update-on-austin-tice/", "Cornyn, Van Hollen, Warner, Murray Urge Biden to Provide Update on Austin Tice", "2024-12-11", "2024", "2024-12", "Republican", "Senate", "TX", "John Cornyn", "C001056", "www.cornyn.senate.gov", "cornyn", "https://www.cornyn.senate.gov/news/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Mark Warner (D-VA), and Patty Murray (D-WA) today sent a bipartisan letter to President Joe Biden urging him to provide an update on efforts to locate and free Austin Tice in light of the fall of the Assad regime. Tice is an American journalist, Houston native, and Marine veteran who has been held captive in Syria for 12 years.\n\nThey wrote: \u201cWe write to request an update regarding U.S. efforts to bring home Austin Tice, a Marine Corps veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and who has been detained in Syria since 2012. Given the recent fall of the Assad regime and the rapidly changing dynamics on the ground in Syria, we think this moment presents a critical opportunity to secure Austin\u2019s release and bring him home to his family.\u201d\n\n\u201cAs a beloved son, brother, Eagle Scout, journalist, and veteran, Austin represents the best our nation has to offer and deserves the full and active support of our government to secure his release. Congress is committed and more than willing to work with you to return him to his loving family.\u201d\n\n\u201cTwelve years is far too long for Austin to be held. We ask that you direct the relevant members of your administration to provide us a briefing by December 20 on current U.S. efforts to identify Austin\u2019s whereabouts and bring him home so that the Congress and your Administration can continue working hand-in-hand on this important issue.\u201d\n\nThe full text of the letter is available here and below.\n\nDecember 11, 2024\n\nThe Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr.\n\nThe White House\n\nWashington, D.C. 20500\n\nDear President Biden:\n\nWe write to request an update regarding U.S. efforts to bring home Austin Tice, a Marine Corps veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and who has been detained in Syria since 2012. Given the recent fall of the Assad regime and the rapidly changing dynamics on the ground in Syria, we think this moment presents a critical opportunity to secure Austin\u2019s release and bring him home to his family.\n\nWe know that you are familiar with Austin\u2019s case, as your administration publicly acknowledged Austin\u2019s detention by the Syrians in 2022, and you also met with Austin\u2019s parents, Debra and Marc Tice, in 2022. We also know that National Security Advisor (NSA) Sullivan met with Austin\u2019s family on December 6. Moreover, Congress has pressed for Austin\u2019s release for several years, most recently in a joint letter led by Senator Van Hollen and Senator Cornyn and signed by 34 Senators on August 6, 2024.\n\nOn December 8, you said that your administration believes he is alive and that \u201cWe want to get him out. We have to identify where he is.\u201d We appreciate those comments as well as those of NSA Sullivan on December 9, saying \u201cThis is a top priority for us \u2013 to find Austin Tice, to locate the prison where he may be held, get him out, get him home safely to his family.\u201d\n\nFor more than 12 years, Austin\u2019s parents have demanded our government bring him home, and given the evolving situation in Syria, we urge you to seize this opportunity to launch an urgent effort to secure Austin\u2019s release. As a beloved son, brother, Eagle Scout, journalist, and veteran, Austin represents the best our nation has to offer and deserves the full and active support of our government to secure his release. Congress is committed and more than willing to work with you to return him to his loving family. We encourage your administration to utilize all available means to further discourage the hostage taking of American citizens.\n\nTwelve years is far too long for Austin to be held. We ask that you direct the relevant members of your administration to provide us a briefing by December 20 on current U.S. efforts to identify Austin\u2019s whereabouts and bring him home so that the Congress and your Administration can continue working hand-in-hand on this important issue.\n\nSincerely,\n\n/s/", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"]], "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://www.cornyn.senate.gov/news/cornyn-van-hollen-warner-murray-urge-biden-to-provide-update-on-austin-tice/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5013259835541248, "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"}