; Whereas Department of State Spokesman Ned Price has stated it would be ironic, if not even counterproductive, for us to reach out to a government that has brutalized its people over the course of a dozen years now ; Whereas the Assad regime has shamefully used the earthquake to call for the lifting of United States sanctions, falsely claiming that such sanctions impede the aid response; and Whereas the human cost of this disaster transcends mere statistics and has resulted in deeply personal tragedies for countless families: Now, therefore, be it