Hoekstra Headed To Iraq

HOLLAND — Congressman Pete Hoekstra, R-Holland, will leave this weekend to lead a congressional delegation to Iraq to meet with intelligence officials, military commanders and coalition troops to assess ongoing security and reconstruction efforts, the search for Saddam Hussein and the search for weapons of mass destruction.

“The significant amount of U.S. military resources and the breadth of reconstruction efforts devoted to Iraq warrant a firsthand examination through meetings with military personnel, seeing infrastructure restoration efforts up close and receiving briefings on the search for Hussein and his illegal weapons,” said Hoekstra, chairman of the House Subcommittee on Technical and Tactical Intelligence.

Hoekstra will return next week after spending a number of days in the field with three other members of Congress. The oversight mission follows Hoekstra’s weeklong congressional delegation trip with Speaker of the House J. Dennis Hastert to meet with European allies concerning Iraq, the broader war on terror and trade issues.

He will spend the balance of the month in his district offices meeting with constituents to discuss local issues, as well as the delegation trips to Europe and Iraq.