July 30, 2014 - Nearly 11 million Syrians today are struggling to survive one of the worst humanitarian crises in living memory.

The brutally indefensible and illegitimate Assad regime continues to pursue its appalling “starve or surrender” tactics against the Syrian people. The regime is asphyxiating half a million Syrians in Aleppo by obstructing deliveries of food, water, and medicine, and dropping dozens of barrel bombs a day on the city and surrounding suburbs. Syrians all over the country are being butchered at the hands of a ruthless tyrant.

The world must act quickly and decisively to get life-saving assistance to the innocent civilians who are bearing the brunt of this barbaric war. That’s why the United States is providing nearly $378 million in additional aid to help those battered by conflict. The United States remains the single-largest donor of humanitarian aid for the crisis, and total U.S. humanitarian assistance will now reach more than $2.4 billion. Of that total, nearly $438 million is supporting cross-border assistance through non-governmental organizations to reach the children, women, and men residing in areas outside of the regime’s control.

This assistance is having an impact on the ground – right now. With our help, more than 4 million people in Syria have food to eat. More than 1.9 million patients have been treated in more than 300 U.S.-supported hospitals and health clinics across Syria. And our assistance feeds, shelters, and provides medicine and water to millions of refugees throughout the region in countries like Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq, and Egypt, all coping with the burden of hosting thousands of refugees.

We endorse full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2165, which was adopted unanimously. This resolution authorizes UN organizations to bring life-saving assistance across the border into Syria without the Assad regime’s consent. Late last week, truckloads of UN humanitarian aid began crossing into Syria, and we look forward to more UN aid convoys in the coming days.

As we continue our humanitarian efforts, we remain committed to finding a political solution to this crisis. We must bring the violence and bloodshed to an end, and work toward a future of dignity and freedom that all Syrians deserve.

Also see Fact Sheet: United States Announces Additional Humanitarian Assistance for Syria Crisis