Congressman Sandy Levin : Press Release : House Approves Bill to Set Timetable for Redeployment of Troops Out of Iraq
Congressman Sandy Levin
 
 

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For Immediate Release
November 15, 2007		  
 
House Approves Bill to Set Timetable for Redeployment of Troops out of Iraq
Legislation Sets Dec. ’08 Goal for Redeployment Completion
 

(Washington D.C.)- The U.S. House of Representatives last night voted 218-203 in favor of H.R. 4156, the Orderly and Responsible Iraq Redeployment Act, a bill requiring withdrawal of American combat troops from Iraq.  The legislation requires troop redeployment to begin within 30 days of enactment and sets a December 15, 2008 goal for redeployment completion.  The legislation provides $50 billion to meet the needs of the troops in the field, but does not provide the $200 billion President Bush requested to continue fighting through the end of his presidency.

“The issue with this legislation was straightforward: do we think the President’s Iraq policy is working so well that we should give him another $200 billion to continue it, or do we need a fundamental change in direction?,” said Congressman Sander Levin.  “I truly believe we need to change an Iraq policy that is simply not working.”

Along with requiring troop withdrawal to begin within 30 days, the bill:

  • Requires the President to provide Congress, within 60 days of enactment, with a plan to complete the redeployment by December 15, 2008;
  • Prohibits deployment of U.S. troops to Iraq who are not fully trained and fully equipped;
  • Changes the mission of U.S. forces in Iraq to: a) diplomatic and force protection; b) targeted counterterrorism operations; and c) limited support to Iraqi security forces; and
  • Includes an extension to all U.S. government agencies and personnel of the current prohibitions in the Army Field Manual against torture (which would effectively end American use of heinous practices such as water boarding and other forms of torture).

“Eleven months into the troop surge, progress on political reconciliation continues to be all but non-existent.  Meanwhile, 2007 has already been the deadliest year for American troops since the start of the war in Iraq,” said Levin.  “Time has shown that whatever small chance there is of the Iraqi factions coming together, it will not happen as long as the U.S. military commitment in Iraq remains open-ended.  We need to change course.”

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