Congressman Kim Statement on Iraqi Parliament Vote to Expel U.S. Troops

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Andy Kim (NJ-03) released the following statement on the vote by the Iraqi Parliament to expel U.S. troops from Iraq:

“Qasem Suleimani had a vision for the Middle East without American forces where Iran was the undisputed power of the region.  With the developments today of the Iraqi Parliament voting to expel U.S. troops from Iraq and the Iranian announcement of their full withdrawal of the diplomatic process to halt their nuclear weapons ambitions, Suleimani’s goals, not ours, are being realized.

We can still stop this slide.  We cannot allow ISIS to regain their footing, as to do so would erase hard fought gains and put us at further risk.  We cannot give up on diplomatic efforts to halt nuclear weapons as to do so would leave only nightmarish scenarios on the table.  We must take seriously any and all threats against Americans and not dismiss them as “a little noise.”  These are bleak times, but there is still time to develop and execute a strategy that will give us the best chance to navigate through this crisis.”

Congressman Kim is a member of the House Armed Services Committee, where he serves the Vice Chair of the Subcommittee on Readiness and as a Member of the Subcommittee on Intelligence and Emerging Threats and Capabilities. Prior to serving in Congress, Congressman Kim served in Afghanistan as Strategic Advisor to Generals David Petraeus and John Allen. Kim went on to serve as Director of Iraq in Obama’s National Security Council where he coordinated the crisis response to countering the rise of ISIS.

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