May 2, 2007

Congressman Gregory W. Meeks
Denounces President Bushs Veto of the
Iraq Accountability Act

(WASHINGTON, DC)Today, Rep. Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY), denounced President Bushs veto of the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans Health and Iraq Accountability Act. This measure would have provided the change in Iraq policy that the American public has been demanding requiring accountability from both the Bush Administration and the Iraqi government.

A majority in the House of Representatives approved the conference report on the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans Health and Iraq Accountability Act on April 25, 2007. The Senate passed this legislation the next day.

This legislation would have fully funded U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, and appropriated an additional $4 billion -- which the President did not request that would have been used for military health care, housing, Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles, and a Strategic Reserve Readiness Fund. The measure also honored veterans by providing $1.8 billion to fund VA hospitals, construct and renovate facilities, and for medical research. The Presidents request ignored these concerns.

Congressman Meeks emphasized that, Our troops require this money to effectively fight this war. Our VA hospitals are in desperate need of this money to care for our wounded troops, some with catastrophic injuries. He added: The time has come for the Iraqi government to take responsibility for Iraq. The bill the President vetoed yesterday would have done exactly that by setting reasonable benchmarks for our forces to turn over control of the country to the Iraqi government while providing funds to continue to help reconstruct Iraq, train Iraqi security forces, and fight terrorists.

As recommended by the bipartisan Iraq Study Group, the bill established a timeline for redeployment of troops to begin no later than October 2007 and with a projected completion date of March 2008.

By vetoing this bill the President is vetoing the expressed will of the people, said Meeks. But this is to be expected from a President who refuses to admit that this war, which in my opinion was wrong from the beginning, has consistently gone in the wrong direction. Polls after poll, not to mention last Novembers election, demonstrate that the American people want a new direction in Iraq. Despite the Presidents veto, Democrats will continue to work to bring about a change in Iraq policy that the American people demand.

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