Political Quotes

“I thank the chairman for yielding and for his many years of service. I rise today in strong support of H.R. 4591, the Preventing Destabilization of Iraq of 2018, which I introduced with my colleague, Representative Suozzi. Since the toppling of Saddam Hussein, Iran has been working to gain access and influence in Iraq by dismantling American efforts to stabilize the country and the region. It is abundantly clear that Iran is working to gain influence in Iraq to further their radical agenda, and we must do everything in our power to counter their tyrannical regime and provide hope for the Iraqi people. I am troubled by the growing influence of Iranian-backed Popular Mobilization Forces, which are being set up as a parallel military structure to undermine the Iraqi security forces. Just this week, we saw the head of a powerful PMF, which would be sanctioned under this legislation, demanding that the Iraqi Government allow these militias to secure the border with Syria. Not only would this legitimize the PMF, but it would also give the Iranians one of their greatest desires, a secure land bridge to supply weapons and troops from Tehran to the Mediterranean. Over the past few months, we have seen the security situation in Iraq slip further into despair. The U.S. compounds in Baghdad and Basra were attacked by Iranian-backed groups, resulting in the latter shutting its doors.…”