WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released a statement on Saturday on the U.S. strike launched in Syria:

"The use of chemical weapons is evil, as are the many other war crimes perpetrated on the Syrian people by the Assad regime, with the help of Iran and Russia. My heart breaks and my blood boils every time I see images of the destruction Assad and his patrons have wrought inside Syria. The question is what American policy will most quickly bring an end to the war, and most quickly bring Assad to justice. Time has proven that 'surgical' air strikes, like the one launched by President Trump last night, have no deterrent effect on Assad, and instead, most likely quicken the pace of his assault on his own people. President Trump should read up on early days of the Vietnam war, when U.S. leaders were sure that air strikes, along with a small presence of ground troops, would cause the North Vietnamese to end their assault on the South and come to the negotiating table. Instead, the bombing campaign escalated the war, drawing our enemy and its sponsors more deeply into the fight. That is what is likely to happen in Syria – a bloodier, more brutal war as a result of continued U.S. half measures.
 
“I am firmly of the belief that the Syrian war has lasted as long as it has because of U.S. involvement. From the start, under both a Democratic and Republican president, America has pushed back against Assad and supported the forces aligned against him with just enough effort to keep the conflict going, but without committing the resources that would ever be necessary to cause the Assad government to fall. These half measures, like last night's strike, may make the U.S. feel better because we aren't completely absent from the fight against Assad, but they just prolong the misery for the Syrian people. Now is the time for the U.S. to complete our mission against ISIS inside Syria, and then pull back our military effort, and focus on participating in a diplomatic process by which this war can be brought to a conclusion. The result may be that Assad, or his successors, remain in control of the majority of the country, but that is the case today, and it will continue to the be the case unless the U.S. decides to invade, which we will not. 
 
“This military disengagement and diplomatic engagement must be joined by a surge in humanitarian and refugee relief. One of the cruelest aspects of this weekend's bombing campaign is that it continues a U.S. policy under Trump to bomb foreign nations, helping to create humanitarian nightmares, while locking people inside by refusing to allow refugees to come to the U.S.  America has accepted a grand total of 11 Syrian refugees this year. That is unconscionable, and if President Trump really cares about the suffering of the Syrian people, he wouldn't bomb them – he would rescue them, with a robust refugee program and massive humanitarian relief. 
 
“Finally, and perhaps most importantly, President Trump's strikes are illegal. He does not have authorization to take military action against Syria, and he should remember his own views during the last administration when he warned Obama that he could not strike Syria without Congressional permission. The precedent that Trump has set by taking out another large scale strike without prior public debate should scare every Member of Congress and every American.  What restrains Trump from launching an attack on North Korea without getting Congressional authorization if he gets away with this attack on Syria?
 
“Last night's attack may make America feel better because Assad deserved it, and more. But the strike is constitutionally illegal and strategically counterproductive, and I oppose it."

Murphy has called on Congress to reclaim its war-making authority and debate a new Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMFs).