U.S. Congressman Questions Continued Aid to Iraq, Tunisia

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – A U.S. Republican congressman has issued a sharp rebuke of Iraq, questioning the continuation of American financial support in a stark statement posted on social media. The comment surfaces as a new report reveals the Pentagon is proposing significant reductions in funding for Iraqi security forces as part of a major shift in U.S. policy in the region.

In a post on the platform X on Saturday, U.S. Congressman Joe Wilson of South Carolina wrote, “If Iraq and Tunisia think that President Trump will continue throwing money at them while they hate us they are either crazy or think President Trump is stupid.”

If Iraq and Tunisia think that President Trump will continue throwing money at them while they hate us they are either crazy or think President Trump is stupid.

— Joe Wilson (@RepJoeWilson) August 9, 2025

The congressman’s comment comes directly on the heels of a June 26, 2025, report by Al-Monitor, a Washington-based news organization, detailing the Pentagon's reduced budget request for counter-ISIS funds for Iraq. According to the Middle East-focused news platform, the proposed budget reflects a broader strategic pivot by the U.S. Defense Department toward establishing bilateral ties with Baghdad's institutions.

The Al-Monitor report specified that “The Pentagon is slashing its request for congressional funds to support Iraqi security forces in a shared fight to contain the Islamic State (ISIS), according to new documents released this week by the department.” The Defense Department is now requesting $212.52 million for fiscal year 2026, which Al-Monitor calculates as "a steep decrease of more than 44% when compared with the $380.8 million enacted for this year.”

In a related development, the latest budget also calls for $130 million to equip Syria’s Kurdish-led forces in their ongoing efforts to contain ISIS, a figure that represents a decrease of about 12% from the current year, Al-Monitor reported. The news site, which covers politics, business, and culture in the Middle East, noted the significance of the proposed changes, stating, “The Pentagon’s request marks the lowest train-and-equip funding pitch for Iraqi security forces in recent years.”

This financial realignment is occurring as the Defense Department pursues a new phase in its relationship with Iraq. “The proposed cuts come as the Defense Department’s Middle East policy office continues taking steps toward pivoting its relationship with Iraq’s security forces to a bilateral one — rather than a wartime mentorship by US troops for Iraqi counterparts — with plans to declare a completion of the shift along with other allies this coming September,” a defense official told Al-Monitor.

The cuts are part of a wider fiscal approach by the current administration. Al-Monitor added that “the Trump administration has aggressively slashed government spending across agencies, including the near total shutdown of the US Agency for International Development.” This is mirrored by changes in the U.S. military footprint in Syria, where the Pentagon plans to consolidate a small number of forces at a single landing zone at Rmelan, located near the border with Iraqi Kurdistan. According to Al-Monitor, the White House’s nominee to lead U.S. Central Command, Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, told lawmakers this week that progress on the Syria drawdown would remain “conditions-based.”

The Defense Department’s proposed cuts are accompanied by significant reductions at the State Department. Al-Monitor reported that the State Department slashed its funding plans for the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs (NEA) by approximately $67.7 million, a reduction of about 40% from this year. The bulk of these cuts, Al-Monitor revealed, "stem from the elimination of funding for Embassy Air operations in Iraq." The department also proposed scaling back diplomatic security services in Iraq by $81.7 million, an 11% reduction for the next year.

Justifying the reductions, a State Department request cited by Al-Monitor stated, “The decrease reflects Iraq cost containment and the elimination of protection details for former officials program, which has been discontinued.” It also noted that protective services resources have been realigned to cover other major events. A portion of these funds, specifically $10 million from the NEA, has been sought to fund the office of Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy for the Middle East, according to Al-Monitor.

These budget proposals are being advanced even as, according to Al-Monitor, the FBI and Department of Homeland Security have increased operations in anticipation of potential terrorist attacks against Americans following recent U.S. military action in the region.

Despite the drawdown and funding cuts, some senior officials have voiced caution. The Republican chair of the Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Jim Risch, described a residual troop presence in Syria as “critical” to containing ISIS and expressed his belief that President Trump would not order a full withdrawal, Al-Monitor noted. When asked by Al-Monitor about the reasoning for the drawdown, Senator Risch vaguely cited the president's concerns for the safety of U.S. troops.

These policy discussions are set against a tense geopolitical backdrop. As Al-Monitor reported, the top lawmaker’s comments came just two weeks before President Trump authorized long-range airstrikes against Iran’s core nuclear enrichment facilities. Tehran’s retaliation, which largely targeted the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, was thwarted in what Washington’s top general, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, described on Thursday as "the largest US Patriot missile defense battery engagement in history.”