U.S. Congressman Joe Wilson on Wednesday announced he had sponsored an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, which underlined that the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is a vital strategic partner of the United States.

The National Defense Authorization Act is a series of U.S. federal laws specifying the annual budget and expenditures of the U.S. Department of Defense.

The amendment also emphasizes that the Iraqi government “must cease its destabilizing efforts to halt salaries and payments to KRG government employees, cease its efforts to prevent the KRG from developing and exporting its petroleum resources and capabilities.”

Over the last 11 years, Baghdad has systematically withheld or reduced the budget and salaries to government employees in the Kurdistan Region; in May, Iraq’s Federal Ministry of Finance decided to suspend the salaries of KRG’s public employees for this year.

In July, the KRG and the federal government reached a deal for the KRG to deliver 230,000 barrels of oil per day and 120 billion Iraqi dinars monthly from non-oil revenues to the Iraqi government in exchange for the payment of the salaries of government employees.

Furthermore, the amendment calls on Baghdad to “cease its attacks by Iraqi militias funded by the Government of Iraq.”

Read More: Drone Strike Hits U.S. Oil Company for Second Time

In mid-July, at least six oil fields – including two operated by U.S. companies – were hit in drone attacks, resulting in the loss of nearly 200,000 barrels of oil production.

“The United States supports providing the KRG with necessary security measures so that the KRG can defend itself from attacks by Iran and its puppet militias against the KRG and its energy resources,” the amendment suggests.