"It is critical that we do all we can here in Congress to ensure a stable Iraq after ISIL is defeated."
"I echo Chairwoman Hartzler's frustration at securing appropriate administration witnesses to answer the full gamut of questions."
"Without sufficient local security arrangements, we cannot expect for Iraq to be stabilized, for civilians to return to normalcy."
"I cannot tell you how painful it is as an Iraq war veteran to see us fighting and refighting the same battles."
"We must hear from this administration how this time will be different."
"It is hard, I think, to see how if Iran is fundamentally opposed to our interests in building an Iraqi state, we are going to make this work without confronting that threat, as well."
"That is what I am most worried about, is that by giving a blank check, we could enable exactly the kinds of dysfunction that created 2014 in the first place."
"I can't tell you how painful it is as an Iraq war veteran now sitting on this committee to see us fighting and refighting so many of the same battles that we fought, that our friends gave their lives ..."
"How do we know that now that ISIS is about defeated there won't be an ISIS 2.0, just as ISIS in many ways is Al Qaeda in Iraq 2.0?"
"We heard from the expert panel that preceded you how important it is that Iraqi politics be the primary effort."
"I hope you will feel that responsibility, as well."
"You would think that we would learn from mistakes like that, and yet, a few years later, we see this happening again when it is completely within our control."