Kurdish MP Mahma Khalil says Baghdad’s salary freeze is unconstitutional, urging unity as U.S. pressure mounts to reverse the decision.
After sending the May salary list of Kurdistan Region’s employees to Baghdad, on May 28, 2025, Iraq’s Finance Minister Taif Sami informed the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in an official letter that they could not send the salaries. The justification was that Kurdistan had exceeded its designated budget share in the federal budget law and failed to adhere to the rulings of the Federal Court and the general budget law. This has caused significant concern.
Mahma Khalil told The Kurdish Globe regarding Erbil-Baghdad relations: “The KRG has fulfilled all of its obligations toward Baghdad, but it is Baghdad that has failed to comply with decisions and the budget law. At this stage, Kurdish parties must unify their stance and not let internal issues divide them because the issue affects all of Kurdistan, not just one party. The federal government’s decision against paying salaries in the Kurdistan Region is a political decision and mixing people’s livelihood with political disputes is unjust.”
He added: “The actions taken by Iraq’s government, particularly the Ministry of Finance, in cutting off the salaries of Kurdistan’s people are unconstitutional, unlawful, political, and inhumane. The treatment of the Kurdistan Region mirrors what is being done to Gaza. Moreover, the problems between Erbil and Baghdad go beyond just salaries—there are several unresolved issues that must be addressed according to the constitution. Unfortunately, in Iraq, there is no respect for law and constitution. For this reason, international actors have put pressure on Baghdad to release the salaries.”
In response, the Kurdistan Region Council of Ministers, in a statement issued in June 2025, stressed that the federal government’s salary-cutting decision was unconstitutional and illegal. It also condemned Baghdad’s political targeting of the region and its intention to punish the people of Kurdistan collectively. The Council insisted that under no pretext should salaries for the coming eight months be blocked.
Mahma Khalil further emphasized: “All Kurdish parties and Kurdish blocs in Baghdad must take a unified position and collectively oppose Baghdad’s decisions. The international community must also intervene. The US has already pressured Baghdad to reverse its unlawful decisions and send the people’s salaries. In recent years, many agreements were made, but the Iraqi government has never adhered to any of them, especially on issues of salary and budget, despite rulings from the Federal Court. Every month, the Iraqi government uses different excuses to withhold Kurdistan’s salaries. This behavior violates all constitutional and legal principles. Some political actors are behind these decisions, aiming to disrupt relations between Erbil and Baghdad for their own interests.”
He stated: “The Finance Minister’s decision regarding the salaries of Kurdistan Region employees is unconstitutional and unlawful. Article 14 of the Constitution clearly states there should be no discrimination among Iraqis. But a clear discrimination is made between the people of Kurdistan and the rest of Iraq. In other Iraqi provinces, salary payments are uninterrupted, while every month salaries for Kurdistan are withheld under various pretexts. Meanwhile, Article 121 of the Iraqi Constitution guarantees Kurdistan’s share of the budget from Baghdad without conditions—not to be submitted as a list and then wait for Baghdad’s approval.”
He concluded: “Every year, we face issues with Baghdad, and never have those issues been resolved. We reach a point, and then they bring in political rhetoric from officials, particularly from the Ministry of Finance, to create a new crisis against Kurdistan. They all agree to coordinate this crisis. Article 117 of the Iraqi Constitution states that the Kurdistan Region is a constitutional entity with its own government and parliament. But in practice, Baghdad reverses this at every opportunity.”
This Iraqi MP stressed that Kurdistan Region’s committees have transparently shared all their files with the federal government, but Baghdad selectively issues statements against the Region. Stopping the salaries of the Region’s employees under the excuse that Kurdistan has received all its budget is a major mistake—there is no evidence or factual basis to support that claim.