CONGRESSIONAL RECORD

SPEECH OF HON. JANICE D. SCHAKOWSKY OF ILLINOIS

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

April 4, 2006

Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the FY06 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations bill because it is long overdue that we end the failed policy in Iraq .

I voted against giving the President the authority to go to war against Iraq in October 2002, and I have opposed supplemental funding that would extend the conflict ever since. I ask my colleagues to recall the comments of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld who said in January 2003 that the war would cost ''something under $50 billion.'' Unfortunately, since that time we have appropriated more than $250 billion in supplemental funding alone. And a new study by Columbia University economist Joseph E. Stiglitz, who won the Nobel Prize in economics in 2001, and Harvard lecturer Linda Bilmes concludes that the total costs of the Iraq war could top the $2 trillion mark.

Secretary Rumsfeld also told us in February 2003 that ''it is unknowable how long that [Iraq ] conflict will last. It could last six days, six weeks. I doubt six months.'' On May 1st, 2003, President Bush stood on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln and declared Mission Accomplished. And on May 30th, 2005, Vice President CHENEY declared that ''I think they're in the last throes, if you will, of the insurgency.'' However, this week we are celebrating the 3 year anniversary of the war, 2176 brave men and women in uniform have died in Iraq since the President declared Mission Accomplished, and it has become clear that the Iraqi civil war that many of us feared would occur has begun.

Although there is an attempt by the Bush administration to convince the American people that our military is helping to quell the sectarian violence, recent events have proven the administration wrong. Our occupation of Iraq has isolated us from a large segment of the international community, and has prevented us from capturing or killing Osama Bin Laden and other Al-Qaeda leaders. The war has also distracted us from two of the most critical issues in the region--the development of nuclear weapons in Iran and the Israeli/Palestinian peace process. In addition, the war has diverted attention and resources from critical homeland security needs. A continued United States presence in Iraq will do nothing but exacerbate these problems.

It is for our brave troops, and for the security of the international community that I cannot vote to continue the war in Iraq . Like everyone, I want to avoid a radical and unstable Iraq in the future. However, I believe that the ongoing presence of the U.S. military in Iraq is putting those brave troops at risk and creating a situation where the majority of Iraqis support U.S. withdrawal.

I know that the Republican supplemental appropriations request will pass the House of Representatives. Our troops will not be stranded in the field. None of us would allow that to occur. And I know that this supplemental will also contain money for important issues such as Katrina relief, the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), and assistance to Darfur and Liberia, which I strongly support funding. However, Iraq war funding makes up approximately 80 percent of this supplemental. The Republican majority has employed a cynical tactic to attach worthy causes onto an Iraq war funding bill in an attempt to force members of Congress who oppose the war into voting for it. Also, crafting an ''emergency'' supplemental for a war that is three years old is simply another example of the majority's poor leadership in this Congress.

I would like to encourage all my colleagues to join me in cosponsoring two bills, which if passed together, add up to a sensible policy that would provide our troops with the resources they need to complete a safe and honorable redeployment from their current combat areas.

The first is H.J. Res. 73, known as the Murtha Resolution, which calls for the immediate redeployment of U.S. forces in Iraq , the creation of a quick-reaction and over-the-horizon presence of U.S. Marines in the region, and the pursuit of stability in Iraq through diplomacy. This resolution would allow the U.S. footprint to be minimized on the ground in Iraq , while still providing a military presence that can assist Iraqis in securing their nation. I support this resolution precisely because I want to help our troops who are in harm's way.

The second bill, H.R. 4232, the End the War in Iraq Act introduced by Representative James McGovern, would prohibit funds from being appropriated to deploy, or continue to deploy, U.S. Armed Forces to Iraq . Exceptions to this rule would be made if the funds are being used to provide for the safe and orderly redeployment of U.S. Armed Forces from Iraq , to ensure the security of Iraq and its transition to democratic rule by carrying out consultations with the Government of Iraq , other foreign governments and international organizations, or by providing financial assistance or equipment to Iraqi security forces and international forces in Iraq . In addition H.R. 4232 would permit the use of funds to carry out social and economic reconstruction activities. Simply because we must reposition our armed forces, does not mean we can abandon our obligation to the Iraqi people to help them create a positive future for themselves and future generations.

I am pleased that my colleagues accepted the Lee/Schakowsky/Allen/Hinchey Amendment which would prohibit permanent military bases from being constructed in Iraq . I will work to make sure this amendment is accepted by the Senate. However, I cannot vote today to continue this misguided war in Iraq . My no vote is an expression for my desire to support our troops and to begin to restore the credibility of America in the eyes of the international community.