Congress chaos prevented Iraq delegation visit to Washington, says US think tank

Republican-controlled House of Representatives last week elected new speaker after historic infighting

The Atlantic Council had planned to invite Mohammed Al Halbousi, Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament, to Washington for a conference. Iraqi Parliament Media Office / Reuters

The Republican Party's protracted inability to select a speaker of the US House of Representatives last month disrupted plans for an Iraqi delegation's trip to Washington for a conference, the hosting think tank has told The National.

The Atlantic Council last week convened a conference on “Iraq’s future in an evolving landscape”, with speakers including Nazar Al Khirullah, Iraq's ambassador to the US, a virtual visit by Baghdad's climate envoy Fareed Yasseen and former State Department officials.

An Atlantic Council representative said the organisation had planned to bring Mohammed Al Halbousi, Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament, to the conference but the lack of a speaker in the US Congress played a role in his staying in Baghdad due to the lack of a “counterpart” in Washington to receive him.

Mr Halbousi leads Al Takadum (Progress) Movement, a Sunni political party that holds the largest number of seats in Iraq's Parliament.

The Atlantic Council representative added it had been planning for a wider parliamentary delegation visit for the conference.

The lack of leadership in Congress, after Kevin McCarthy was voted out by rebels in his own Republican Party, for 23 days stalled the US legislature's capacity to respond to the Israel-Gaza war and make advances on funding the national budget.

The Baghdad parliamentary delegation's decision to sit out the Washington visit shows that the domestic infighting affected US foreign and diplomatic engagements.

The House last week voted in a new speaker, right-wing 2020 election denier Mike Johnson.

With the legislative branch back in motion, President Joe Biden's administration has requested $106 billion to fund aid for Ukraine and Israel as well as support for US border security. The White House request also includes money for Taiwan, which is facing threats from China.

But that proposal faces stiff opposition from Mr Johnson and his Republicans.

Mr Johnson has rejected the White House request and this week countered with a significantly smaller bill that includes $14.3 billion for Israel and cuts to the Internal Revenue Service.