Long Island, NY - December 28, 2017 - Congressman Lee Zeldin (R, NY-1), member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, traveled from Kuwait to Jordan to continue celebrating the holiday season with deployed U.S. service members, participate in several high level diplomatic and military meetings, and meet with Syrian refugees. Representative Zeldin is leading the bipartisan Congressional Delegation (CODEL) that also includes Congressman David Cicilline (D, RI-1), Congressman Mike Coffman (R, CO-6), and Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (R, PA-8). Having visited U.S. troops in Iraq and Kuwait over Christmas in December 2015 and Afghanistan and Qatar over Christmas in December 2016, this is Congressman Zeldin’s third consecutive year spending the holidays in the Middle East with deployed U.S. service members. In addition to Jordan, Congressman Zeldin’s CODEL spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in Afghanistan, and the following day in Kuwait.
“It is my highest honor to be able to personally thank all of our deployed men and women abroad for their tremendous sacrifice on behalf of a very grateful nation. It is not easy for them to spend the holiday season several thousand miles away from home having great family and friends missing them,” Congressman Zeldin said.
“For many of our deployed military and diplomatic personnel, this isn’t their first holiday season away from their loved ones. Being able to visit our nation’s troops stationed abroad, let them know how much they are appreciated, and receive their critical feedback from the ground, is the absolute least I can do to make sure they know how much countless Americans are thinking about them, praying for them, and filled with enormous gratitude for their incredible sacrifice.”
In Jordan, on December 27, 2017, Congressman Zeldin’s CODEL was briefed by U.S. diplomatic leadership at the U.S. Embassy in Amman, Jordan, and met with Syrian refugees at the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) in Amman where they were also briefed by Acting UNHCR Representative Daniela Cicchella. Congressman Zeldin and the other Representatives then visited U.S. service members stationed at the King Abdullah II Special Operations Training Center in Zarqa, which included a large contingent of New Yorkers serving at the base. Finally, the CODEL visited deployed personnel at the Joint Training Center, also located in Zarqa.