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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Doris Matsui (CA-05) voted again to change course in Iraq by opposing a Senate amendment providing $31 billion for the war without restrictions. “I have opposed this war from the beginning, and will continue to take advantage of every opportunity to change the direction of this terrible conflict.  We cannot continue to give the President a blank check for his misguided war.  The people of this country demand a change of course in Iraq, but the President continues to ignore their call,” said Rep. Matsui. “At a time when American families are facing skyrocketing prices at the gas pump and feeling the effects of a devastating housing crisis, it is simply hypocritical that the President continues to insist on billions of strings-free dollars for his disastrous war while he neglects our priorities at home.  We should be working together to bring our soldiers home to their families and loved ones this holiday season, not giving the President free rein to keep them in the Middle East for the foreseeable future.  I will continue to fight to end this war, and my constituents and I will not be satisfied until our brave men and women in uniform are home safely,” said Rep. Matsui. Rep. Matsui has consistently voted to end the war in Iraq.  Key votes in the 110^th Congress include: 

• March 23, 2007: Voted in favor of H.R. 1591 (U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans’ Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act), which would have required the President to redeploy troops from Iraq.
• May 2, 2007: Voted to over-ride President Bush’s veto of H.R. 1591.
• May 10, 2007: Voted in favor of H.R. 2237 (sponsored by Rep. Jim McGovern), which would have required all military units to redeploy from Iraq within 180 days.
• May 24, 2007: Voted against an amendment to H.R. 2206 (second supplemental spending bill for the Iraq War), which provided $98 billion for war operations without mandating redeployment.
• July 12, 2007: Voted in favor of H.R. 2956 (Responsible Redeployment from Iraq Act), which would have required a redeployment from Iraq to be completed by April 1, 2008.
• July 25, 2007: Voted in favor of H.R. 2929 (sponsored by Rep. Barbara Lee) to ban permanent military bases in Iraq.
• August 2, 2007: Voted in favor of H.R. 3159 (Ensuring Military Readiness Through Stability and Predictability Deployment Policy Act), which mandates minimum rest and rehabilitation times for soldiers deployed to Iraq.

 Congresswoman Matsui has co-sponsored numerous bills to force a change in our Iraq policy: 

• H.R. 353 (sponsored by Rep. Ed Markey): Would have prohibited the expenditure of any further federal money on the President’s so-called “troop surge.”
• H.R. 787 (Iraq War De-Escalation Act, sponsored by Rep. Mike Thompson):  Requires all combat brigades to leave Iraq by March 31, 2008.  Forces the President to submit a plan to prevent the Iraq conflict from spreading to other Middle Eastern countries.  Conditions further economic assistance on the President’s certification that the Iraqi government is making economic progress and reducing sectarian violence.
• H.R. 2929 (sponsored by Rep. Barbara Lee): Bans permanent military bases in Iraq.
• H.R. 3071 (Iraqi Redeployment and Regional Security Act, sponsored by Reps. Mike Thompson, George Miller, and John Murtha): Begins immediate redeployment of U.S. troops, to be completed within one year.  Requires the President to create a regional diplomatic plan to limit the Iraqi civil war, prevent the establishment of Al Qaeda safe havens, and avoid the spread of regional conflict.

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