Udall to Travel to Iraq, Meet With Military Officials and Troops

UDALL TO TRAVEL TO IRAQ, MEET WITH MILITARY OFFICIALS AND TROOPS

(Washington, D.C.) -- Congressman Mark Udall (D-CO) will travel to Iraq with a bipartisan group of lawmakers this weekend. Udall and Reps. Ernest Istook (R-OK), Stephanie Herseth (D-SD), Scott Garrett (R-NJ) and Tom Osborne (R-NE) are scheduled to leave Washington, D.C. on Thursday, September 23 and return on Tuesday, September 28.

Udall says he hopes to meet with military leaders, American troops and Iraqi officials about the current situation in Iraq and to get a better idea of what the next steps are to create stability in the region.

"Iraq continues to be a very dangerous place, and the war is still a great concern for the American people. As a Member of Congress who will have to make decisions about America's policies in Iraq, it's important that I travel there so that I can talk with people on the ground about American operations and find out what are our next steps are to secure the peace," said Udall. "We are hearing conflicting views about the outlook in Iraq. The administration says progress is being made, but new intelligence reports warn of more violence in the future and possibly civil war. This trip to Iraq will help me gain a better understanding of what the realistic prospects are."

For security reasons, no itinerary or schedule of events is available at this time.