{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://shuster.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=49&itemid=640", "ICYMI: Shuster Pushes Sec. Hagel, Gen. Dempsey, for Answers on the Fight Against ISIL", "2014-11-17", "2014", "2014-11", "Republican", "House", "PA", "Bill Shuster", "S001154", "shuster.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, DC\u2013 Congressman Bill Shuster (R-Hollidaysburg) questioned Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey regarding the current status of the administration\u2019s strategy and campaign against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Secretary Hagel and General Dempsey both testified in front of the House Armed Services Committee on Thursday in a hearing to examine the progress of coalition operations against ISIL.\u00a0Bill Shuster is a Senior Member of the House Armed Services Committee.\r\n\r\n\t\u201cAs a pillar of freedom, the United States must stand against the continued expansion of the ISIL threat,\u201d said Congressman Shuster. \u201cTo effectively do so, however, we need to be certain that we have a comprehensive strategy in place that is being effectively implemented with input from our military leaders. The president has shown a troubling disregard for their guidance, and an even more disturbing tendency to open channels with enemies such as Iran. This approach not only weakens our relationships with established regional allies such as Israel, but risks our long term foreign policy goals as well.\u201d\r\n\r\n\t\u201cI welcomed the opportunity to gain more clarity from Secretary Hagel and General Dempsey about the status of the coalition campaign against ISIL, but believe that the president has kept them at arms distance from the discussion,\u201d continued Shuster. \u201cI look forward to continue working with my colleagues in the days ahead to maintain accountability in the operation, and ensure that we are giving our military commanders all the tools they need to defeat this threat while taking into account their experience and recommendations.\u201d\r\n\r\n\tCongressman Shuster\u2019s inquiries to Secretary Hagel and General Dempsey focused on his concerns with the administration opening up lines of communication with Iran along with the lack of consultation President Obama was having with military leaders in regards to formulating the strategy for ISIL\u2019s destruction.\r\n\r\n\t###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://shuster.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=49&itemid=640"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.407506875693798, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}