DFL McCollum visiting the Middle East
Minnesota DFL congresswoman Betty McCollum is in Damascus to stress U.S. concern about the welfare of displaced Iraqis in Syria and Jordan.
The violence and insecurity in Iraq has prompted millions of Iraqis to flee. Syrian officials say their country has up to 1-and-a-half million Iraqi refugees, straining its education, health and housing systems. Jordan estimates it has up to 700,000 Iraqis.
McCollum is meeting with government officials, agency officials and refugees. She is there as a representative of the House Appropriations foreign operations subcommittee.
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