WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congressman Jim Saxton (R-NJ-3rd) returns to the United States from a trip to Iraq today, including a stopover at a military hospital near Ramstein Air Base in Germany.

Saxton visited with U.S. troops in the “Sunni Triangle” area with the Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Chairman Duncan Hunter (R-CA-52nd) as part of a bipartisan congressional delegation.

“Our two key focuses were troop rotations and the status of newly trained Iraqi troops taking over more duties,” Saxton said. “Iraq needs to be run and secured by Iraqis. The sooner that happens the sooner our troops will be sent home.”

Saxton led a bipartisan delegation from his Terrorism, Unconventional Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee to Iraq in October 2003. Saxton is the second highest-ranking Member of this bipartisan delegation. The group ate with troops and spoke with officers about the state of operations in Iraq. In Germany he met with soldiers recovering from injuries caused by improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

“In Germany we visited hospitalized soldiers,” Saxton said. “Most were the victims of IEDs. We wanted to stop and visit and let them know we are pulling for them and hope they have speedy recoveries.”

The other Members of Congress in the delegation are Congressmen Silvestre Reyes (D-Texas-16th) and Ron Lewis (R-Kentucky-2nd).

Saxton is a longtime advocate of force protection, anti-terrorism and other military issues, and helped create his terrorism subcommittee, an extension of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC). Saxton is the fourth-highest ranking member of HASC.