Congressional Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican from Georgia, voted against a resolution to mourn the loss of tens of thousands of lives in the devastating earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria earlier in February.
Greene voted against the resolution in the House of Representatives, which passed by a bipartisan vote of 412-2. Kentucky Republican Representative Thomas Massie was the other dissenting vote.
It is not immediately clear why they voted the way they did.
Representative Joe Wilson of Lexington, South Carolina, sponsored the resolution, which accused Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of using the disaster to gain political advantage and deflect accountability and international sanctions.
Representative Wilson expressed the American people’s condolences to the victims’ families and praised the efforts of rescue and humanitarian aid workers. He warned the authoritarian Assad regime, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Iran’s dictatorial ruler, Ayatollah Khamenei.
His message to the three rulers was that he thought they were despicable for diverting humanitarian aid in the aftermath of such a tragic earthquake.
During his speech, the South Carolina representative stated that the US Congress would stand united and hold anyone who attempts to normalize relations with the three leaders accountable.
He also stated that the US government would continue to assist the Syrian people in establishing an alternative government based on the rule of law and democracy, rather than dictators who rule the country with violence.
Representative Greene’s vote surprised everyone because she had tweeted earlier this month that she was praying for people affected by the deadly earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.
An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 struck parts of Turkey and Syria early on February 6, followed by another with a magnitude of 7.6. According to Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management, over 9,000 aftershocks have struck the region since February 6.
The disaster has killed over 50,000 people in both countries, with over 500,000 people evacuated in Turkey and 1.9 million seeking refuge in hotels, public facilities, and temporary shelters.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has pledged to rebuild the destroyed homes within a year, despite concerns that this is rushing things and may result in additional losses.