Tulsi Gabbard Interview on CNN with Jake Tapper on Niger, Iran, and North Korea

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard appeared on CNN's "The Lead with Jake Tapper" to discuss US military operations in Niger, the Iran nuclear deal, and diplomatic efforts to resolve the nuclear crisis with North Korea. October 17, 2017.

"The American people deserve answers to why four of our service members were killed in Niger. When we examine American foreign policy, and specifically the "War on Terror," it is critical that we consider the scope of our military operations around the globe. The overextension of our military is of great concern to me. Trillions of dollars have gone into counterproductive regime change wars that have further destabilized the Middle East and North Africa. Thousands of our service members have perished in these conflicts, with even more returning home gravely wounded. Still more innocent civilians have been killed or become refugees.

We have cash-strapped communities at home that do not have money for infrastructure, education, healthcare and more. The American people, and disproportionately our service members, veterans, and their families have borne the brunt of our contradictory foreign policy. We combat ISIS, al-Qaeda, and other extremists on one hand, but support Saudi Arabia on the other, a country which propagates extremist ideology among terrorist groups and brutally represses political dissent, human rights, and religious freedom.

President Trump's decision to begin decertifying the Iran nuclear deal puts us in even greater peril. Without evidence to suggest Iran has broken any of the deal's provisions, this move by the White House puts the American people, our allies, and innocent civilians living under the Iranian regime in greater peril. We see the spillover effect of this policy with North Korea, where the regime expands their nuclear capability unchecked as a deterrent to US aggression. Our regime change tactics, which have been used in Iraq, Syria, Libya, and as far back as the CIA overthrow of Iran's democratically-elected Prime Minister Mossadeq in 1953, have been an utter failure.

I will continue to challenge the interventionist foreign policy stance that the United States has assumed under both Democratic and Republican administrations. We cannot compromise the future of this country and the great needs we have here at home for ad hoc foreign interventions that make the world a more dangerous place."

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