WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, the United States Senate voted on two emergency supplemental defense funding bills, one providing set goals to end the war in Iraq, the other providing President Bush with a blank check to continue the occupation indefinitely.
Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-Hawaii), voted to support H.R. 4156, the Orderly and Responsible Iraq Redeployment Appropriations bill, passed by the House of Representatives on Wednesday, which would have provided $50 billion for our troops while requiring the President to change course in Iraq. A short time earlier, Akaka voted against the Republican alternative, S.2340, the Senate Iraq Emergency Supplemental Appropriations bill, which would have provided the President $70 billion to continue the Iraq war indefinitely. Due to Senate rules requiring a 3/5th majority (60 out of 100 Senators) to limit debate and proceed to an up-or-down vote, neither measure passed today.
Senator Akaka said: "I was pleased to vote in favor of the motion to proceed on H.R. 4156, which funds our military while requiring the President to take a new direction in Iraq and begin bringing our troops home. As the Chairman of the Senate Armed Services subcommittee on Readiness and Management, I also strongly support provisions that require the President to certify that all troops deployed to Iraq are fully trained and have the equipment they need, or, in the event of a national security emergency, indicate reasons why less-than-ready troops must be deployed. I also strongly support a provision that would ban all forms of torture including waterboarding, by limiting interrogation techniques to those consistent with the U.S. Army Field Manual, a provision which is unfortunately necessary under our current Administration."
"My vote in October 2002 against giving President Bush authority to use force against Iraq was one of the toughest votes of my career, but I am proud to have cast one of the 23 Senate votes to stop the war before it started. This conflict has cost our nation dearly. That said, the moment our invasion was launched, I committed to myself and to the people of Hawaii that I would do everything in my power to ensure that the brave men and women of our Armed Forces have the equipment and facilities they need."
H.R. 4156 would have required:- The President to either certify all troops deployed to Iraq are fully mission capable or indicate that reasons of national security require him to deploy less than mission capable troops.
- The President to commence a phased redeployment within 30 days of enactment with a goal of completing the redeployment no later than December 15, 2008.
- Upon completion of redeployment, U.S. troops would have been permitted in Iraq only to: 1) protect U.S. troops and facilities; 2) conduct limited training and support of Iraqi troops; and 3) engage in targeted counterterrorism.
- That all persons in the custody of the U.S. government be subject to only those interrogation techniques or treatment consistent with the U.S. Army Field Manual.
Earlier, Akaka voted against cloture on the motion to proceed to S. 2340, introduced by Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).
"While S. 2340 would have provided funding for our troops, it did not include a clear and comprehensive strategy for redeployment in Iraq or a timeline for withdrawal. It would have provided $70 billion to the Administration with no strings attached. We simply cannot continue to provide the President with a blank check for the Iraq war.
"In addition, I believe that the tactics used by the minority party to bring this bill to a vote represent a step backward in our efforts to find bipartisan solutions to the engagement in Iraq and the numerous other issues critical to our country that come before the Senate. By Senate tradition, the motion to proceed to legislation is considered the prerogative of the majority. I am disappointed the Minority Leader felt compelled to use this unusual procedural tactic rather than continuing work toward a bipartisan Senate compromise," Akaka said.
-30-
