Matt Gaetz: “The link to the full report can be found here: https://gaetz.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/gaetz.house.gov/files/…”

“The link to the full report can be found here: https://gaetz.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/gaetz.house.gov/files/ evo-media-document/Part%20II%20Interim%20Report%20- %20Unwelcome%20in%20Niger.pdf. I rise to warn this body of the deteriorating conditions in the African country of Niger and to give rise to the concern of servicemembers and contractors. More than a thousand of them right now are functionally being held hostage in Niger. They are being used as pawns during a negotiation that has left America at the bended knee of Third World criminals and thugs as our troops seek medicine, freshwater, and troop rotations. How did we get here, with more than 1,100 Americans endangered right now in Niger? It started back in March 2023. Secretary of State Antony Blinken went to Niger and proclaimed that it was a model of resilience, a platform for great democracy. It would be where America would execute its Africa strategy. One year later, almost to the day, there was a coup in Niger. Guess who overthrew the government that we said was the great model of resilience? The people we trained. We trained the coup leaders to go throw out the democratically elected Government of Niger. I know this will surprise you, but after that occurred, they say they want our bases, which U.S. taxpayers have poured more than a billion dollars into, gone. They want our servicemembers gone. I came to this floor after hearing from some of my constituents who are stationed in Niger.…”