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Lawmaker criticizes colleagues for ignoring Abbey Gate deaths, defends U.S. actions against Iran
Summary
A lawmaker told the chair colleagues have failed to acknowledge the 13 U.S. service members killed at Abbey Gate and defended recent U.S. operations he said degraded Iran's nuclear program and proxies, while making unverified claims about Venezuelan oil and the Strait of Hormuz.
A lawmaker told the chair that colleagues "refuse to talk about the 13 service members that died" at Abbey Gate and called the operation "the most disastrous, the most despicable operation in US military history." He criticized opponents who raised other topics, saying it was inappropriate while the deaths remain unaddressed.
The lawmaker further asserted that recent U.S. operations have weakened Iran, listing what he described as Iran's priorities and saying U.S. action had "taken out their proxies" and "destroyed much of their nuclear program." He said, "If we can get the 60% uranium, get it under our control, it would be very beneficial," and claimed Iran no longer "have the machines or the people to enrich it to 90%, which is weapon grade uranium." These statements were presented in the remarks as the lawmaker's assertions and were not accompanied by supporting documents in the transcript.
He also criticized members who brought up domestic issues such as gas prices while, he said, "13 dead service members" remained unacknowledged. The speaker repeatedly challenged colleagues by asking, "Why do you hate us success so much?" and framed recent operations as strategic successes achieved "with no boots on the ground," including a claim that the U.S. now controls Venezuelan oil and has "cut off the Strait of Hormuz." The transcript does not include evidence or supporting material for those specific claims.
The lawmaker referenced past U.S. military action abroad to make a point about executive authority, asserting that "President Obama attacked Libya for seven months with no authorization from Congress," characterizing that as an example of prolonged action without congressional approval.
Drawing on personal experience, the lawmaker said he had been "deployed on three continents with the United States Army" and said the support of the American people sustains deployed forces. He concluded by urging colleagues across the aisle to support the actions he defended; the remarks end mid-sentence in the available transcript.
No formal motions, votes, or other committee actions are recorded in the provided transcript excerpt. The transcript does not identify the speaker by name or provide documentation to substantiate the operational and strategic claims in the remarks; those claims are therefore reported here as the speaker's assertions.
