Jackie Walorski: “I just came from an Armed Services Committee meeting where the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs…”

“I just came from an Armed Services Committee meeting where the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs both agreed that under no circumstances should this House consider this resolution at this time, which is conceivably an immediate withdrawal of our troops from Iraq and Syria. This causes, they discussed, an immediate risk to our homeland and our allies. We would not be here today debating this issue if the Commander in Chief had articulated a strategy to the American people. We would not be debating this concept. Even so, Mr. Chairman, this is dangerous for America, and this is not the way to go on a plan for an immediate withdrawal with our allies and with our homeland being at risk. The world is watching today. The world has watched for the last several years our lack of a foreign policy plan, but today the world is watching to see if this U.S. House is going to stand together in a bipartisan manner and reject this resolution and stand together for the safety that we were sworn to stand together and uphold, which is the safety of the United States of America. I ask my colleagues to reject this resolution.”