Thomas R. Suozzi: “I thank Ranking Member Engel and Chairman Royce for their bipartisan cooperation in this committee, and I thank…”

“I thank Ranking Member Engel and Chairman Royce for their bipartisan cooperation in this committee, and I thank Representative Kinzinger for his leadership on promoting stability in the Middle East overall. Mr. Speaker, I stand in support of the bipartisan H.R. 4591, the Preventing Destabilization of Iraq Act of 2018. At the 2018 United Nations General Assembly, Iranian President Rouhani spoke against foreign interventions and impositions of ``alien wishes of the people of the region.'' Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif complained about countries that support ``nonstate actors who wreak havoc through terror.'' They both might want to look in the mirror. In Iraq, Iranian-backed militias have committed human rights abuses for years, executing and beating civilians and looting homes. These same militias have taken roles in trying to influence Iraq's nascent political system. In Iraq's recent elections, IRGC Commander Qasem Soleimani personally meddled in Iraq's political process by coercing Shiite parties with differing views to form a parliamentary majority, one that presumably would favor Iran's agenda. This, of course, is only one example of Iranian activities across the Middle East. In Syria, Iranian-backed militias have done their own share of murdering and looting. In Yemen, the Iranian-backed Houthis oppress their own people and fire ballistic missiles at civilians in Saudi Arabia. From Bahrain to Lebanon, Iran has played a destabilizing role. H.R.…”