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Michael Baumgartner: “We had a lot of progress during the Iraq surge.”

Featuring: Michael Baumgartner, Republican | U.S. House Washington, 5th Congressional District

Congressman Michael Baumgartner on Operation Epic Fury and US Strategy

Published March 27, 2026 | Video Starts at 17:52

… Crocker to this Iraqi cabinet meeting and so we could get our issue right up in the agenda. And then I would be the lead at the deputies meeting. And We had a lot of progress during the Iraq surge. I mean it was a tough year. It was a very bloody year. The month I got there, May 2007 I think was the bloodiest month of the year. (17:52–17:56)

CLAIM

Asserts that significant progress was made during the Iraq surge.

This is an excerpt from a raw transcript. The assertions have not been audited or verified. Tap the video to view the source footage and understand the context.

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Michael Baumgartner

“There were somewhere between 20 to 30,000 Iranians that were willing to step forward and be killed by that regime.”
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“The Straits of Hormuz matter far more to the Europeans, Japanese, and Chinese than [they do] to us.”
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“They [China] helped us with Iranian nuclear proliferation, where they worried about the Iranians having a nuke.”
Congressman Michael Baumgartner on Operation Epic Fury and US Strategy | Uploaded March 27, 2026 | 03:09-27:59
“They [China] have a real demographic challenge.”
Congressman Michael Baumgartner on Operation Epic Fury and US Strategy | Uploaded March 27, 2026 | 03:09-55:37
“This regime is first a revolutionary regime and it's a regime that is led by Shia Islamic fanatics.”
Congressman Michael Baumgartner on Operation Epic Fury and US Strategy | Uploaded March 27, 2026 | 04:03-04:11
“Many Americans have been killed over the last nearly 50 years, whether it was in Beirut with Hezbollah or Khobar Towers.”
Congressman Michael Baumgartner on Operation Epic Fury and US Strategy | Uploaded March 27, 2026 | 04:23-04:32
“The Iranians have been a threat to the west and to the peace-loving world for the better part of 50 years.”
Congressman Michael Baumgartner on Operation Epic Fury and US Strategy | Uploaded March 27, 2026 | 05:07-05:36
“The decision of Iran to really facilitate the next phase of their development of their proxy forces, particularly Hezbollah and in southern…”
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“They equip them with that missile capability to put the regional partners under threat.”
Congressman Michael Baumgartner on Operation Epic Fury and US Strategy | Uploaded March 27, 2026 | 05:30-05:36
“Thank goodness that President Trump and Republicans and those on the other side of the aisle that have supported increasing American energy…”
Congressman Michael Baumgartner on Operation Epic Fury and US Strategy | Uploaded March 27, 2026 | 06:40-06:52
“The Iranian regime is a threat, a significant threat, and they're a threat that was weaker than they've ever been.”
Congressman Michael Baumgartner on Operation Epic Fury and US Strategy | Uploaded March 27, 2026 | 07:49-08:04
“The regime was willing to kill them [20,000 to 30,000 Iranians].”
Congressman Michael Baumgartner on Operation Epic Fury and US Strategy | Uploaded March 27, 2026 | 09:11-09:24
“It was a misreading...that China got allowed into the WTO and this idea that integrating in the global economy...they will modernize and…”
Congressman Michael Baumgartner on Operation Epic Fury and US Strategy | Uploaded March 27, 2026 | 12:34-12:46
“The administration is looking at...they will degrade their capabilities significantly as they go down that analysis.”
Congressman Michael Baumgartner on Operation Epic Fury and US Strategy | Uploaded March 27, 2026 | 13:14-14:12
“You've never had the capabilities of a country like Israel partnered with us that can exact such real-time and immediate pressure on their…”
Congressman Michael Baumgartner on Operation Epic Fury and US Strategy | Uploaded March 27, 2026 | 13:24-13:36
“We did some strategic studies for the ambassador on what happens if we preemptively pull out of Iraq.”
Congressman Michael Baumgartner on Operation Epic Fury and US Strategy | Uploaded March 27, 2026 | 16:33-16:39
“I owned benchmark, I think number eight was the Baghdad security plan.”
Congressman Michael Baumgartner on Operation Epic Fury and US Strategy | Uploaded March 27, 2026 | 17:20-17:23
“He's been the best press president on the Middle east, and I think. Or the most significant since Dwight Eisenhower.”
Congressman Michael Baumgartner on Operation Epic Fury and US Strategy | Uploaded March 27, 2026 | 18:51-18:58
“Lindsey [Graham] stood up and said, we're going into Iran.”
Congressman Michael Baumgartner on Operation Epic Fury and US Strategy | Uploaded March 27, 2026 | 21:28-21:44
“The President has been tremendous to the elimination of Soleimani, the Abraham Accords.”
Congressman Michael Baumgartner on Operation Epic Fury and US Strategy | Uploaded March 27, 2026 | 21:53-22:00
“The one area where I do think that we could have done better and still need to do better is explaining it to American people.”
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“President Trump also deserves just a ton of credit on is the fact that he's doing this at a time that it could be potentially very…”
Congressman Michael Baumgartner on Operation Epic Fury and US Strategy | Uploaded March 27, 2026 | 23:39-23:47
“If Iran were to get a nuclear weapon, not only would you have a death cult that was able to use a nuke for the region, you also are talking…”
Congressman Michael Baumgartner on Operation Epic Fury and US Strategy | Uploaded March 27, 2026 | 24:52-25:04
“Turkey in how they envision themselves and potentially the UAE in Egypt as well, too.”
Congressman Michael Baumgartner on Operation Epic Fury and US Strategy | Uploaded March 27, 2026 | 25:05-25:13
“When we spoke to the Chinese premier and the foreign minister, one of the issues I raised, I raised. Look, I'm still a member of Congress. I…”
Congressman Michael Baumgartner on Operation Epic Fury and US Strategy | Uploaded March 27, 2026 | 27:19-27:27
“Now they [China] are clearly both helping Russia and Ukraine to prolong that conflict.”
Congressman Michael Baumgartner on Operation Epic Fury and US Strategy | Uploaded March 27, 2026 | 27:58-28:06
“The Greenland issue caused as much psychological trauma to the Europeans as it did.”
Congressman Michael Baumgartner on Operation Epic Fury and US Strategy | Uploaded March 27, 2026 | 29:58-30:15
“Germany made such an error with stepping back from nuclear power and they really need to aggressively pursue that.”
Congressman Michael Baumgartner on Operation Epic Fury and US Strategy | Uploaded March 27, 2026 | 31:43-31:50
“We got a lot of energy resources here at home. Europe doesn't, Japan doesn't, South Korea doesn't, India doesn't.”
Congressman Michael Baumgartner on Operation Epic Fury and US Strategy | Uploaded March 27, 2026 | 32:13-32:21
“The only countries that really benefit from [the Strait of Hormuz] being closed is ironically Russia and maybe to some extent Venezuela.”
Congressman Michael Baumgartner on Operation Epic Fury and US Strategy | Uploaded March 27, 2026 | 32:21-32:30
“Those Sunni Arab states can either allow themselves to be bullied... under a perpetual threat of Iranian ballistic missiles and drones.”
Congressman Michael Baumgartner on Operation Epic Fury and US Strategy | Uploaded March 27, 2026 | 34:25-34:37
“We estimate, or I estimate, based on talking to folks, that, you know, how many hard cores are there in Iran? You know, is it, you know…”
Congressman Michael Baumgartner on Operation Epic Fury and US Strategy | Uploaded March 27, 2026 | 37:12-37:25
“You look at those 30,000 that were willing to rise up and fight and be killed by a regime that was willing to kill them.”
Congressman Michael Baumgartner on Operation Epic Fury and US Strategy | Uploaded March 27, 2026 | 37:24-37:31
“If you look at what the Abraham Accords showed, the Abraham Accords showed that Arab countries can accept Israel as a legitimate country.”
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“You look at what the UAE has shown as an Islamic country that is tolerant of religious diversity and a modern lifestyle.”
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“It's tremendously in the U.S. interest not to have a country that's aiding Russia, particularly in their war in Ukraine, but potentially…”
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“We need a military of the future equipped to fight the threats of the future.”
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“The operations off the coast of Yemen were very significant with our Navy.”
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“Europe has fallen off, any capability of having a serious military.”
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“My district, international events impact my district. We have a lot of ag that goes overseas.”
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“There was more dynamism, innovation and technological advancement going on at the base level in [China's] economy.”
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“China is going to continue to rise and be a powerful, relevant country.”
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“Development aid is important, but it has to serve American national security interests and it has to be supported by the American people.”
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“The fact that development aid can't get through on an independent vote in Congress, but has to get joined up to the military budget probably…”
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“Afghanistan was the most challenging development case in the world, even if there wasn't a war.”
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“We should have been handling Afghanistan like we handled the Maghreb or Somalia, other places where there's open space for transnational…”
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