On March 16, 2014 Rep. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts asked for and was granted permission to address the United States House of Representatives for one minute regarding the Syrian refugees crisis.
“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call attention to the third anniversary of the crisis in Syria which will be commemorated on March 15. The United Nations estimates that over 100,000 people have been killed since the violence and unrest began in 2011; 9.3 million people, half of the Syrian people, need humanitarian assistance. 240,000 of them are living under siege, surviving under the constant threat of shelling and aerial bombardment. Moreover, they have faced life-threatening shortages of food, water, and medical supplies for more than a year. Children are literally starving to death, while military forces show no respect for humanitarian workers.”
“A diplomatic end to the crisis must be pursued. At the same time, the humanitarian crisis must be ameliorated. Humanitarian relief must be allowed to reach the civilians, and the wounded and the sick must receive the medical attention that they need. Indiscriminate aerial bombardments must cease, and civilians must be granted safe passage out of the besieged areas. The Syrian people need unrestricted humanitarian aid now”, said Rep. McGovern (source: Congressional Record http://thomas.loc.gov/).