Foreign Affairs
Congresswoman Jackson Lee strongly believes in the value of multilateralism and constructive engagement with other members of the international community. As a Member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, she works to encourage a balanced and thoughtful approach to foreign policy, emphasizing the importance of dialogue and diplomacy as tools of the first, rather than the last, resort.
Iraq: Congresswoman Jackson Lee has long been an outspoken critic of the war in Iraq, which she and many of her Democratic colleagues have opposed from the outset. She believes that protracted U.S. military engagement in Iraq has hindered our ability to respond to real threats to national security and has damaged our reputation worldwide.
Congresswoman Jackson Lee is an active member of the Out of Iraq Caucus, and she has supported legislation requiring a responsible redeployment from Iraq. She has authored legislation honoring troops for their military accomplishments, while emphasizing the need to step up diplomatic efforts as we scale down our military involvement. Congresswoman Jackson Lee believes that it is time for the Iraqi government to assume responsibility for the stability of their nation, and she is concerned about their lack of progress toward the legislative, security, and economic benchmarks.
Pakistan: As founder and co-chair of the Pakistan Caucus, Congresswoman Jackson Lee has emphasized the value of Pakistan as an ally in the global war on terror. In addition, she recognizes recent improvements in fields such as economic trade and investment, health care, democracy and human rights, education, and science and technology. Congresswoman Jackson Lee has encouraged continued support for Pakistan, and she believes that we can turn these increased areas of cooperation into a true partnership that promotes international peace and security, and utilizes Pakistan’s vast untapped economic potential to the benefit of both nations.
Darfur: Congresswoman Jackson Lee has been a leading voice against genocide in the western Sudanese region of Darfur. Along with her colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), she was among the first to apply the term "genocide" to the conflict in Darfur, followed by both the House of Representatives and the Senate in July 2004. Congresswoman Jackson Lee traveled to Darfur in August 2007, where she visited internally displaced persons camps and met with government and civil society leaders as well as representatives from humanitarian organizations.
Congresswoman Jackson Lee is particularly concerned about the 2.5 million people who have been displaced by this conflict. She is working to improve the overall security situation in Darfur so that they may soon be able to go home in safety. As Chair of the Congressional Children’s Caucus, Congresswoman Jackson Lee has also drawn attention to the plight of Darfur’s children, hosting a briefing on the issue and welcoming to Congress a young, resettled Darfurian refugee.
Afghanistan: Congresswoman Jackson Lee believes that Afghanistan is the first front in the war on global terrorism, and she is concerned that we have allowed the war in Iraq to distract us from the ongoing instability in Afghanistan. She co-chairs the U.S.-Afghanistan caucus, and she has recently visited the country, where she was particularly moved by the conditions faced by women and children. Congresswoman Jackson Lee recently successfully amended the Afghanistan Freedom and Security Support Act of 2007, which recently passed the House, to encourage funding for efforts to protect Afghanistan’s female legislators.