Jay Inslee: Washington's 1st Congressional District
Issues
Iraq
House Passes Inslee Amendment to Lift Funding Limit on Iraqi Troop Training
Accelerates Replacement of American Troops with Iraqi Security Forces
20 June 2005
In an effort to bring American troops home sooner, U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee offered and successfully passed an amendment today to help fully fund the training and equipping of Iraqi and Afghan troops. Inslee's amendment removes the $500 million cap that had been placed in the Department of Defense (DOD) Appropriations Act to train, equip and provide assistance to security forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. The DOD bill includes $45.3 billion for military operations in Iraq, yet placed limitations on the amount of money that could be spent on training a viable Iraqi security force. The House passed Inslee's amendment by a voice vote, without any objections.
Said Inslee, “This amendment is a significant step forward in accelerating our efforts to train and equip Iraqi security forces to replace American troops. The Administration should be called upon to hasten this process so we can bring our troops home earlier and with dignity. Despite Secretary Rumsfeld and the Vice President's rose-colored optimism, we have a long ways to go to establish a viable Iraqi security force that will allow Iraqis to control their own destiny. My amendment keeps us focused on an exit strategy by removing the handcuffs that have been placed on the funding our military can spend on training Iraqi security forces and interpreters." Inslee continued, "We hope that the Administration listens to the voices in Congress that have said, 'If we can train and equip Iraqis one day earlier we should do so. If this training brings Americans home one day earlier we should make this a priority.'”
Said Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, “The sooner Iraqi security forces can safeguard Iraq, the sooner U.S. troops can come home. Congressman Inslee's amendment will ensure that training Iraqi security forces is one of our top priorities in Iraq. I applaud Congressman Inslee for making sure that training activities will not be constrained by artificial spending caps.”
Said Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer, “Training and equipping Iraqi security forces is an important step in helping Iraqis assume full control of their democracy. Congressman Inslee's amendment seeks to make sure that our armed forces will have the resources they need to create a viable Iraqi army, with interpreters and well-equipped troops to protect the Iraqi people and government. I applaud Congressman Inslee for offering a forward-looking solution to the problem we have with training Iraqi troops.”
Inslee worked with the Appropriations Committee Chairman and Ranking Member to ensure the success of his Iraqi security force amendment. Inslee's amendment does not increase funding in the bill or to the war in Iraq, but simply raises the restrictions that the bill places on training Iraqi security forces, so that the Department of Defense can train and equip a cohesive Iraqi security force.
Including the funding in the FY2006 DOD Appropriations bill, the United States will have dedicated over $300 billion to operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, yet less than five percent of this funding has been applied for training Iraqi security forces. Moreover, recent articles have noted that only three battalions out of 107 battalions have been rated fully operational by the United States.
More about Inslee's position on Iraq