WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Democrats U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Chris Coons (D-DE), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV) in releasing the following statement on President Trump’s trip to the Middle East:
“The President’s first extended foreign trip abroad should have been about advancing U.S. interests in the Middle East. Instead, it has been an instructive lesson in how foreign governments can use their influence to benefit the president personally and those around him— all while creating substantial risks to our national security.
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“The President has failed to engage in substantial dialogue on the most urgent strategic challenges facing the region. His Administration has failed to sustain the ceasefire he inherited in Gaza and has systemically undercut America’s diplomatic infrastructure in a way that has created an unprecedented opening for the People’s Republic of China.
“Promoting investment by our Gulf partners in the United States must not come at the expense of protecting our most valuable A.I. and advanced chip technology and it should never line the pockets of the President and his family or inner circle. President Trump must reject all “gifts” and refocus the remainder of his trip on steps to make all Americans safer, secure and more prosperous—not just those with Trump in their name.”
