WASHINGTON—Representative Eliot L. Engel, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, this evening made the following statement:

“We shouldn’t let an hour-long speech distract from what’s occurred in the last year. America’s influence and image in the world have plummeted. This Administration has ceded ground on the global stage to adversaries that don’t share our interests or values. The President has insulted friends and allies while emboldening our rivals. He has left America isolated and has made Americans less safe.

“The Administration’s campaign of pressure on North Korea is constantly undermined by the President’s own reckless rhetoric and failure to invest in diplomacy. Progress against ISIS is dimmed because we have no broader plan to deal with the crisis in Syria.

“At the same time, the President offered dangerous new proposals tonight, from expanding the Guantanamo prison to firing foreign-policy experts to undermining foreign assistance in the places it does the most good. And of course, we heard nothing about Russia’s aggressive efforts to undermine American democracy and sow unrest elsewhere.

“All we heard from the President tonight on foreign affairs is empty promises and bad ideas.”

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