AGUA DULCE – Rep.-elect Katie Hill (D-Santa Clarita) released the following statement Friday afternoon after the recent actions by President Trump to pull troops out of Syria and Afghanistan, as well as the pending government shutdown:

“Over the last few days, we have seen our own President prioritize politics and his personal agenda over our safety, our livelihood, and our best interests – as individuals and as a nation.

“I don’t want war, but I do want to know that if we pull troops from Syria and Afghanistan, we aren’t priming their civilians for occupation and the further development of terrorist states. Moving forward, we absolutely need to change the Authorization for Use of Military Force, but making an irresponsible decision to pull troops out without a plan risks the safety of the troops remaining on the ground, of our allies abroad and of our citizens here at home.

“It would seem by his resignation, Secretary Mattis agrees. My views aren’t always in line with Secretary Mattis, but I do agree with his assessment in his resignation letter: ‘We must do everything possible to advance an international order that is most conducive to our security, prosperity and values, and we are strengthened in this effort by the solidarity of our alliances.’

Trump’s decision to withdraw more than 2,000 troops from Syria and 7,000 from Afghanistan show that he is operating from a completely different, and incredibly dangerous, perspective. In my view, this is not the way we should conduct ourselves as the most powerful nation in the world.

“This irresponsible decision-making is also being seen in relation to funding for the border wall and the impending government shutdown. Rather than focus on border security and immigration reform that works, our President is holding our government hostage over a wall that we know isn’t going to make us more secure. He is once again playing politics with people’s lives, and he must be held accountable for his actions. The people whose lives are at risk deserve nothing less.

“I want everyone to be clear about what’s at stake if President Trump shuts down our government over the funding for his border wall. If our government shuts down, the people who pay the price aren’t your Representatives in Washington – it’s the forest service firefighters, who spent an extended fire season battling blazes in California; it’s our law enforcement and corrections officers, who put their lives at risk to keep our communities safe; it’s low-income families, who in just a month or two will no longer receive food stamps or school lunches — more than 800,000 federal workers bear this burden.

“As I prepare to go to Washington, I realize the enormous responsibility I have been given. Right now, our citizens here at home and our allies abroad are not the priority of our President. What gives me hope this holiday season are the 66 newly elected Democrats in the House who want to change that. Let’s get to work.”

Katie Hill is the Congresswoman-elect from California’s 25th Congressional District, serving the Antelope, Simi, and Santa Clarita Valleys. The daughter of a registered nurse and police officer, Katie most recently worked as Executive Director of PATH (People Assisting The Homeless), the largest homeless services organization in California. Under Katie’s leadership, in just four years PATH helped more than 7,000 chronically homeless individuals, veterans, and families make it off the streets into permanent housing. She was elected by her colleagues to be the Freshman Co-Representative to Leadership in the 116th Congress and was the first Member-elect to present the Democratic Weekly Address. Katie is an experienced change-maker working to give a voice to her community.