Congresswoman Stefanik during a visit with troops in Afghanistan. (Click image to see full-scale.)
Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY-21), member of the House Armed Services Committee, returned today from an official bipartisan Congressional Delegation visit to Afghanistan, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. Stefanik was one of few Members invited to attend this Congressional delegation. Upon returning from her visit, she released the following statement:
“Over the last week, I had the honor of being invited to attend a small congressional delegation visit to Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan. As a Member of the House Armed Services Committee and the Representative to Congress for the Fort Drum community, this trip was essential to gain a personal perspective of the circumstances under which so many of our brave soldiers from Fort Drum have served abroad.
“On this trip, I was privileged to meet with soldiers who are based out of Fort Drum as well as many who have trained there. I thanked them for their service and discussed ways we can work to strengthen and protect Ft. Drum for our district.
“Additionally, I was able to meet with many important foreign dignitaries, including King Abdullah II of Jordan, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, and Iraqi President Fuad Masum to discuss issues of concern to the region and to our national security.
“Our nation and our world face enormous threats right now and this trip was a historic opportunity to hear from our service men and women on the ground about real issues related to the readiness of our armed forces and the tools they need to keep our country safe. Serving the Fort Drum community in Congress and as a Member of the House Armed Services Committee is an incredible honor and I thank our men and women in uniform and their families for their service to our country.”