Mike McCaul

There is no path that leads to peace and a Palestinian state living side by side with the Jewish State of Israel that includes Hamas.

It is Hamas, a U.S. and European Union designated terrorist organization, terrorist army, that is embedding its terrorist infrastructure in densely populated civilian areas.

Israel has the right to defend her people against these attacks.

I urge my colleagues to support these measures before us today.

I believe the decision to withdraw from Iraq without provision of follow-on forces directly contributed to... the dire situation that exists there today.

I am concerned that much of the world sees the United States in absolute--or at least relative--decline.

I would suggest that a case could be made which claims that the failure of U.S. policies in Iraq and Syria had a hand in the success of ISIS today.

I believe that the decision to withdraw from Iraq without provision of follow-on forces directly contributed to, along with other factors, the dire situation that exists there today.

I thought your testimony was excellent, but your point that the lack of our Nation's attention to fully integrate those living with autism into mainstream society...

Today's hearing is important to tell their stories and let us know how this has impacted the lives of these 43 and their families and how it has impacted U.S. democracy and governance programs in Egypt and elsewhere.

That is why in June 2013, my colleague, Gerry Connolly, and I requested that GAO conduct a review of U.S. economic and security assistance to Egypt.

We spent a lot of blood and treasure, and to leave it like it is now is very, very concerning for those of us who were there.

I have been there when they were put in body bags, and I am appalled at the fact that we did so little in the SOFA agreement.

I think it is this idea that the administration simply is paralyzed and doesn't know what to do.

I would much rather see a flawed Iraqi state in which we could then work a political solution than to see ISIS in a capitulated Iraqi state.

Political solutions are not something that we can put in the microwave and expect to happen in a very short amount of time.

This administration bears some responsibility for that.

I think it is disingenuous for us to lay what is happening in Iraq as a failure here in America or as a failure of any particular administration here in America.

The unraveling and the chaos and the tumultuous situation that we see in Iraq now was predicted by so many people.

We had a legal requirement that SOFA would have to go through the entire Iraqi Parliament...

That is like saying--if I could interrupt you. Because I remember Eliot Engel making the point 3 years ago about support for the Free Syrian Army...

I understand that this request went all the way up in the administration and was turned down, and I am trying to get to the bottom of why.

Many, including myself and Ranking Member Engel, urged him to form an inclusive government.

To be clear, ISIS' takeover has been aided by Prime Minister Maliki's malfeasance and incompetence.

I added my voice for drone strikes as ISIS convoys raced across those deserts from city to city.