WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka voted with the majority in the Senate today to support the the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act of 2007 (H.R. 1591), also referred to as the "Emergency Supplemental" bill. The bill supports our troops by forcing President Bush to change the course in Iraq to get them out of harms way. Akaka says he supports the bill because it "calls for a new strategy, requires that we change our present course, and makes clear that the war in Iraq can only be won by Iraqis."
As Chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Akaka was also pleased that the bill includes $1.789 billion for treatment of Iraq & Afghanistan war veterans. Akaka says the funds will "reduce the backlog of benefit claims, and ensure that facilities are maintained at the highest level, for the honorable men and women returning from these wars."
Senator Akaka's Senate floor statement in support of the bill appears below:
"We are now in our fifth year of this conflict in Iraq, and throughout that time, I have met with commanders of our Armed Forces, listened to their experiences and recommendations and after much consideration I have come to the conclusion that we are not on the right path. While some of my colleagues believe that we should support President George W. Bush, who continues to make decisions that place our men and women in the Armed Forces in harms way, I disagree.
"The past few months have been among the deadliest for our military personnel. We have seen 79 U.S. soldiers killed in February, 82 in March, and 85 so far this month. To the more than 3,300 U.S. soldiers that have been killed and the over 24,000 wounded since the conflict began, to our men and women in the Armed Forces and their families who are valiantly serving our country and to the American people, I say to all of you, we must change our course.
"To stay the course is to welcome disaster. Iraq lies like the proverbial clay pot broken in shards on the ground. It is shattered into the fragments of warring factions, clans, and religious groups. Afghanistan, still the center of the war on Al Qaeda, is becoming progressively more dangerous as our attention remains focused on Iraq. Al Qaeda and the Taliban are rebuilding their forces and terrorists have extended their attacks to North Africa and Western Europe. We are facing, as our military leaders tells us again and again, a "thinking enemy," one that learns and adapts. Should we not also learn and adapt? Can anyone doubt that our strategy needs to change?
"Some have painted this conflict as simply a war against Al Qaeda in Iraq. Let us not make the mistake of fooling ourselves. Al Qaeda is stoking the flames but it is the internal divisions among the Iraqis themselves which has made it the bonfire it is today. If the Iraqis unite, they can defeat Al Qaeda as they have demonstrated in some provinces already. But as everyone, including the President and our military leaders, have observed, the Iraqis themselves must form a reconciliation government. American soldiers are not a thread that can permanently stitch together the broken parts of Iraq. The Iraqis themselves are the masters of their own fate.
"The legislation before us today is a call for a new strategy. It requires that we change our present course. It makes clear that the war in Iraq can only be won by Iraqis. It is their will and their will alone that must determine the fate of their country. Americans cannot do the fighting for them. A democratic Iraq will not be established unless the Iraqis do it for themselves. We cannot put the shattered pieces of Iraq together. Only the Iraqis can do that.
"Today, with the Senate passage of H.R. 1591, the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act, 2007, we will be providing $100 billion for the Department of Defense, primarily for continued military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. It also includes a $1 billion increase for the National Guard and Reserve equipment and $1.1 billion for military housing. $1.789 billion would be provided for the Department of Veterans Affairs to specifically target treatment for veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, reduce the backlog of benefit claims, and ensure that facilities are maintained at the highest level. In addition, $6.9 billion would be appropriated for the victims of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita, $650 million would be provided for the State Children's Health Insurance Program, $2.25 billion in homeland security investments, including funds for port security and mass transit security, and $3.5 billion to help relieve pressures that farmers and ranchers experienced due to severe drought and agricultural disasters.
"In addition to funding these important efforts, the legislation includes an important step in setting the proper course in Iraq for our military service members and their families by providing them with a road map to success. By outlining the benchmarks that must be met by the Iraqi government and clarifies our military involvement in Iraq. It defines our mission in Iraq by steering our military away from policing a civil war to training and equipping Iraqi security forces, protecting U.S. forces, and conducting targeted counter-terror operations. A phased redeployment of our troops would begin no later than October 1, 2007, with a goal of removing all combat forces by April 1, 2008, except for those carrying out security, training, and counter-terror operations. This bill holds the Iraqi government accountable by setting benchmarks that must be met for security, political reconciliation, and improving the lives of the Iraqi people. It is no longer acceptable for this Administration to set arbitrary benchmarks that have no consequences attached to it. It is time for the Iraqi government and regional leaders to work together to promote democracy in Iraq. It is time for the United States to take the necessary steps that illustrates our willingness to relinquish control and allow the Iraqi government and the Iraqi people to control their own destiny. And it is time for the Iraqi people to set their own path to victory and democracy.
"The American people and more importantly, our service members and their families, deserve to have the Administration define our mission in Iraq. The President must also give a clear directive to the Iraqi government that it must demonstrate the will to overcome the civil unrest that is taking control of their country. Unfortunately, the President has indicated that he will veto this important legislation. By vetoing this legislation, this Administration is sending the wrong message. It is preventing our troops from receiving the funds they need to continue their mission in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is preventing victims of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita from rebuilding their lives and farmers and ranchers from receiving relief due to severe drought and agricultural disasters. Moreover, it is preventing our veterans from receiving the health care and benefits that they deserve.
"It is time for this Administration, this President, to lead us out of the morass in Iraq. This legislation sends the right message to our service members, to the Iraqi government and its people, and to the American people. I urge the President to do the right thing and enact H.R. 1591, the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act, 2007."
-30-
