Foreign Affairs
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Like all Americans, I am appalled and outraged by Iran’s attack against Iraq and our troops stationed there. I stand strongly and firmly with our men and women in uniform, who are doing their jobs with honor and courage to defend our freedom and the safety of our country and its allies abroad. I pray that our servicemembers are safe, and my thoughts are with their families waiting anxiously for news back home. I am also thinking of the Iraqis and coalition partners who serve alongside our troops and praying for their safety.
The death of Qasem Soleimani should be welcomed by all who support peace and oppose terrorism. He was an enemy of peace and one of the world’s most dangerous proponents and practitioners of terror. He has spent his last two decades building a force that threatens America, Israel, and innocent people around the world.
Israel, like every other nation, has the fundamental right to defend itself and protect its citizens from terror. The actions carried out against Islamic Jihad, a recognized terrorist organization that continues to plot attacks against Israeli civilians and aim for the eradication of the Jewish state, were aimed at preventing atrocities against civilians.
Today’s visit by President Erdogan highlights the danger of the Trump Administration turning a blind eye to the actions of foreign leaders like him who have amassed power and seek to rule as autocrats, subverting democracy in their countries and exploiting divisions and ethnic conflicts to promote their own legitimacy.
Today, the House overwhelmingly passed the PACT Act, bipartisan legislation to hold Turkey accountable for its military incursion into Syria and its efforts to displace Kurdish residents from their homes.
The death of al-Baghdadi is a significant event in the fight against ISIS and its brand of violent extremism. I congratulate the American and allied personnel who played a part in this mission’s success. I hope this raid brings a measure of comfort to the families of ISIS’s victims.
Just as I opposed the President’s disastrous decision to withdraw troops from Northern Syria, I strongly disagree with the President’s ill-advised announcement that he is lifting sanctions on Turkey.
As a result of President Trump’s reckless and impulsive decision to withdraw from Syria and abandon our allies, Russia has now solidified its hold over that country and expanded its power and influence in the Middle East.
I was proud to bring Rep. Maloney’s Corporate Transparency Act to the Floor for a vote today in order to crack down on money laundering activities by Russian oligarchs and other bad actors.