In this section:

War in Iraq

In October 2002, Rep. Eshoo voted against the President's war resolution when it came before the Congress because of serious concerns about his policies of preemption and unilateralism.

Since the war began, Rep. Eshoo has traveled twice to Iraq to assess the situation and has witnessed firsthand the decline in security and stability since the invasion. The Administration's lack of a plan for post-war security and reconstruction, its permissive attitude toward the early looting and violence, its failure to secure the borders against foreign insurgents, its disbanding of the Iraqi security and professional police forces and its refusal to assemble a coalition of allies to share the rebuilding of Iraq have resulted in a situation much worse today than at the end of major combat operations.

Five years after it began, the cost of the war is approaching $500 billion - nearly half a trillion dollars.  More than 3,400 brave American service members have died and more than 25,000 have been injured. Meanwhile, the President continues to pursue a go-it-alone military policy that fails to hold the Iraqi government accountable for improving security and finding a political solution to its civil war. As the President remains stuck in this failed strategy, the U.S. is bearing almost the entire cost of the war.

Rep. Eshoo has consistently fought to begin the redeployment of U.S. troops as soon as possible by pursuing policies to change the direction in Iraq, internationalize our efforts there and focus on preparing the Iraqis to assume responsibility for Iraq.

Disapproving the 'Surge'
In February 2007, Rep. Eshoo voted in favor of House Concurrent Resolution 63, a very basic, straightforward piece of legislation expressing disapproval of the President's proposal to escalate the war by sending an additional 21,500 troops to Iraq. Rep. Eshoo spoke out strongly in favor of the resolution spoke out strongly in favor of the resolution, which passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 246 to 182.

Iraq Accountability Act I
In March 2007, Rep. Eshoo voted for the H.R. 1591, the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Health, and Iraq Accountability Act of 2007, to set a new course for ending the war in Iraq. The legislation for the first time applied benchmarks set by the President for the Iraqi government to meet as a pathway to end our involvement in Iraq, and protect our troops and veterans. The legislation:

• Ensured that our troops have all the resources they need.  It provided $2.5 billion in additional funding to ensure that our troops are properly equipped and trained.
• Set a timeline for ending U.S. participation in Iraq's Civil War.  The legislation stated that by July 1, 2007, the President must certify that the Iraqi government -not our troops- is making meaningful and substantial progress in meeting political and military benchmarks, including militia disarmament.  By October 1, 2007, the President must certify that the Iraqis have achieved these benchmarks.  Under the conference report, the legislation stated that the mission of U.S. troops in Iraq after redeployment switches to training the Iraqis, to targeted counterterrorism actions, and for force protection.
• Redirected the fight back to al-Qaeda and the Taliban.  It added $1 billion to the President's request to recommit ourselves to stability in Afghanistan.
• Improved healthcare for service members and veterans.  The bill included $2.8 billion total for health care, nearly $2 billion above the President's request. It also provided an additional $1.7 billion for veterans' health care programs to address the critical needs of our growing veteran population.

The bill was passed by the full Congress but vetoed by the President on May 1, 2007. By doing so the President withheld funding for our troops and veterans and ignored the recommendations of former generals, the bipartisan Iraq Study Group, and the will of the American people. Eshoo voted with most of her colleagues to override the veto on May 2^nd but lacking a two-thirds majority, the President's veto stood. 

Iraq Accountability Act II
Following the veto, Rep. Eshoo voted for H.R. 2206, the Iraq Accountability and Appropriations Act of 2007, a compromise bill crafted by House Democratic leaders to provide emergency supplemental funds for our troops while requiring the President to report to Congress on the benchmarks for success he proposed and the Iraqi government agreed to. Rather than setting a timeline for redeploying our troops, H.R. 2206 would have provided funding through July 2007 and required the President to report to Congress on the Iraqi government's progress in meeting the benchmarks. 

Under the bill, Congress would have considered funding the war past July 2007 only after assessing the President's report and progress made in Iraq. If the situation remained unsatisfactory, other steps would be taken to end the war. This bill passed the House by a vote of 221 to 205, but the President again reacted with no willingness to compromise.

Due to the President's inflexibility and the urgent need for additional funds for the troops, the House took up one final measure on May 24, 2007 to provide funding until September 2007 without enforceable benchmarks or a timeline for withdrawal. Because of her consistent opposition to an open-ended blank check for continuing this war, Eshoo voted against this bill, which passed the Congress and was sent to the President for his signature.

 Responsible Redeployment from Iraq Act
On July 12, 2007, Rep. Eshoo voted for H.R. 2956, the Responsible Redeployment from Iraq Act, which requires the redeployment of U.S. troops in Iraq to begin within 120 days and to end no later than April 1, 2008. The House passed the bill 223 to 201.

The struggle for bringing an end to this war is just beginning, and Rep. Eshoo remains at the forefront of this and every fight to bring our troops home safely, and soon.

Amendments to the Iraq/Afghanistan Supplemental Appropriations Bill
On May 15, 2008, there were three amendments to the Iraq/Afghanistan Supplemental Appropriations bill which included 1) funding for the war, 2) a redeployment plan, and 3) funding for domestic programs.

• Rep. Eshoo voted against funding for the war in the first amendment.
• She voted for the redeployment of our troops.
• She voted for critical domestic spending.

The first amendment provided $96.6 billion for Fiscal Year 2008 and $65.9 billion for Fiscal Year 2009.  Totaling $162.5 billion, this would have accounted for almost 90% of the discretionary spending with no timetable for withdrawal attached.  

The second amendment required the Administration to begin redeployment 30 days after enactment.  It also required specific authorization by Congress for any agreement between the U.S. and the government of Iraq committing U.S. forces, and ensured the troops would have the equipment they needed to be "combat ready" before they are deployed to Iraq.  Finally, the amendment prohibited the establishment of permanent bases in Iraq and specifically prohibited interrogation techniques not authorized in the Army Field Manual.  

The third amendment dealt with critical domestic issues, including the extension of unemployment benefits, expanded veterans' educational benefits to cover a full, four-year college education, as well as provisions to postpone the implementation of seven new damaging Medicaid regulations backed by the Bush administration. 

Related documents:

• Rep. Eshoo Statement on Iraq War Funding, Exit Timeline
• Eshoo Statement on the House Amendments to the H.R. 2206, the Iraq funding bill
• Eshoo: Iraq Bill "Sets New Course for Ending the War"
• Iraq Oversight by the 110th Congress
• Eshoo Statement Opposing Iraq War Escalation
• Eshoo Statement on President's Iraq War Escalation Speech
• Eshoo Statement on FY06 Supplemental on Iraq and Katrina
• Rep. Murtha's Op-Ed on Iraq in the Washington Post
• Rep. Murtha's resolution to redeploy forces from Iraq
• Rep. Eshoo's statement in support of Rep. Murtha's resolution to redeploy forces from Iraq
• Opportunities Lost Due to the Cost of the Iraq War
• Eshoo Opposes Authorization of Military Force Against Iraq (October 2002)

Intelligence and Terrorism

Rep. Eshoo was appointed to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence in January 2003. In the 110^th Congress, she chairs the Subcommittee on Intelligence Community Management. The new subcommittee focuses on policies and management challenges affecting all 16 agencies that comprise the U.S. Intelligence Community.

Since her appointment, Rep. Eshoo has worked to modernize our intelligence-gathering capability and to improve Congress' ability to conduct meaningful oversight of these programs.

In 2004, Rep. Eshoo helped secure passage of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, the first major overhaul of the Intelligence Community since the enactment of the National Security Act of 1947. The law, which drew extensively from the expert recommendations of the bipartisan National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, also known as the 9/11 Commission, established the office of the Director of National Intelligence to oversee our nation's intelligence efforts, and the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) to coordinate and unify counterterrorism intelligence planning.

In 2005, as the Ranking Democratic Member of the Subcommittee on Technical and Tactical Intelligence, Rep. Eshoo joined in introducing the Lawful Intelligence and Surveillance of Terrorists in an Emergency by NSA (LISTEN) Act. The bill requires any attempt to eavesdrop on Americans or collect their telephone or e-mail records be conducted in accordance with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA) or Title III of the criminal code. It also streamlines the government's ability to conduct surveillance on potential terrorists by providing additional tools to expedite emergency warrant applications, and authorizes funds to incorporate standardization, electronic filing and streamlined review procedures at the National Security Agency and Department of Justice.

In May 2007, Rep. Eshoo led the fight to require a study on the national security implications of climate change. This pressure led the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to produce a National Intelligence Assessment (NIA) entitled National Security Implications of Global Climate Change to 2030.

On June 25th, Rep. Eshoo convened a joint hearing between the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming on the findings of the NIA. The hearing found that climate change will have a wide range of effects on U.S. national security over the next 20 years, most of which will be related to the destabilization of other countries by causes such as poverty, social tensions, environmental degradation and conflicts over resources. The classified report provides a region-by-region analysis of the possible effects of climate change throughout the world. Rep. Eshoo and other Members of Congress followed that hearing by requesting a declassified version of the NIA, which was developed using unclassified information, so that the public may benefit from the report and use it to prepare for the effects of climate change.

Related documents:

• Eshoo's Op-Ed: Intelligence Needed on Climate Change
• Eshoo Requests Intelligence Assessments Consider Climate Change
• Report: National Security and the Threat of Climate Change
• Eshoo's Op-Ed: Law Adapts U.S. Intelligence to Today's World

Homeland Security

In July 2004, the bipartisan National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, better known as the 9/11 Commission, issued a comprehensive set of recommendations to Congress on how to better protect America from terrorism. Rep. Eshoo, a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, strongly supports the 9/11 Commission's report. For two and a half years, however, Congress failed to enact most of the Commission's bipartisan recommendations into law.

Rep. Eshoo is an original cosponsor of H.R. 1, the Implementing the 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act of 2007, which is the first bill introduced by the new leadership of the 110^th Congress. On January 9^th Eshoo voted for H.R. 1, which the House approved 299 to 128. On July 27^th, Eshoo voted for the House-Senate Conference Report on H.R. 1, which the House approved 371 to 40. The President signed the bill into law on August 3rd.

The legislation enacts critical seaport and air cargo screening requirements; improves the communications capabilities of first responders; ensures that homeland security grants will be allocated primarily on the basis of risk; strengthens intelligence and information sharing with local law enforcement; and implements stronger measures to prevent terrorists from acquiring weapons of mass destruction.

In her statement to the House supporting final passage of H.R. 1, Rep. Eshoo said, "These reforms are long overdue and we should not waste another day in enacting them into law."

• Eshoo's Statement on H.R. 1 Conference Report
• Eshoo's House Floor Statement on H.R. 1
• The 9/11 Commission Report

First Responders

Since the creation of the Department of Homeland Security Rep. Eshoo has worked exhaustively with the region's first responders to ensure that communities in and around California's 14th Congressional District are receiving their full share of federal support for security and preparedness needs. They have secured hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal aid through DHS grants, and Rep. Eshoo has written numerous letters to DHS officials and others addressing the urgent needs of the community's heroic public safety personnel. Rep. Eshoo believes the community's first responders are among the very best in the nation, and it's an honor to partner with them for the good of the community.

Rep. Eshoo was thrilled when Congress passed her legislation in December of 2004, the ENHANCE-911 Act, which she had been working on for over a decade. This law provides emergency call centers with funding to obtain the technology needed to locate mobile phone callers when they call into 911. Today, less than 60 percent of call centers have this capability, yet one-third of all calls to 9-1-1 are made from mobile phones. This legislation will go a long way to ensure this life-saving technology is widely available, particularly in rural areas.

While individual citizens should take steps to prepare for such unfortunate events, government and community organizations are also working daily to prepare and respond. Rep. Eshoo is very proud of local first responders and the relief organizations in our community who have taken up this charge. In Washington, she's been working hard to support these efforts and to bolster the resources available to help us better prepare and respond to a crisis.