He was first sworn in as Deputy Prime Minister of the KRG Cabinet in June 2014, where he took office. Receiving no fiscal transfers from the Government of Iraq (GoI), coupled with rapidly declining oil prices, the Kurdistan region was in the midst of a severe financial crisis. Moreover, the Islamic State was rampaging its way throughout Iraq, claiming territory and establishing itself as one of history’s most brutal terrorist organizations, resulting in a major humanitarian crisis that forced 1.8 million people to flee war and violence and seek refuge in the Kurdistan region. During this period, the KRG successfully oversaw a package of reforms.