[110th CONGRESS House Bills]
[From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access]
[DOCID: h3938ih.txt]
[Introduced in House]
110th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3938
To repeal the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq
Resolution of 2002 (Public Law 107-243) and to require the withdrawal
of the United States Armed Forces in Iraq.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
October 23, 2007
Mr. Dingell introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Armed
Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in
each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the
jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To repeal the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq
Resolution of 2002 (Public Law 107-243) and to require the withdrawal
of the United States Armed Forces in Iraq.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Bring Our Troops Home Responsibly
Act of 2007''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Prior to the initiation of the war in Iraq, the
President cited concerns about weapons of mass destruction
programs as one justification for the use of military force in
Iraq. On October 6, 2004, the head of the Iraq Survey Group
(ISG), Charles Duelfer, announced to the Committee on Armed
Services of the Senate that the group found no evidence that
Iraq under Saddam Hussein had produced and stockpiled any
weapons of mass destruction since 1991.
(2) Prior to the initiation of the war in Iraq, the
President cited Saddam Hussein's role as a brutal dictator who
tortured and killed thousands of Iraqi civilians during his 20-
year rule as a justification for the use of military force in
Iraq. Saddam Hussein was captured by United States forces on
December 13, 2003, convicted of charges related to the
execution of 148 Iraqi civilians on November 5, 2006, and
executed on December 30, 2006.
(3) Prior to the initiation of the war in Iraq, the
President cited possible links between the Al-Qaeda terrorist
network and Saddam Hussein's government as a justification for
the use of military force in Iraq. Reports by the Central
Intelligence Agency, the Defense Intelligence Agency, and the
Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Defense
have all concluded that there was little evidence of any such
links. While there is currently violence in Iraq directed
towards American troops, a September 2007 Congressional
Research Service report found that attacks by the group Al-
Qaeda in Iraq make up only a small percentage of the total
number of attacks on United States troops in Iraq.
(4) Prior to the initiation of the war in Iraq, the
President cited the importance of spreading democracy in the
Middle East as a justification for the use of military force in
Iraq. On October 15, 2005, the Iraqi people voted to ratify a
new constitution, on January 30, 2005, the Iraqi people elected
275 members of a newly created Iraqi National Assembly, and on
May 20, 2006, Nouri al-Maliki was approved as Prime Minister of
Iraq by the National Assembly and sworn in.
(5) The President has failed to secure international
support for the continuing efforts in Iraq. While the President
has executed a plan known as the ``troop surge'', every other
nation participating in the occupation of Iraq is reducing
troop levels. The United Kingdom has reduced its troop levels
from 45,000 to approximately 4,500. Twenty nations that had
once been members of the international coalition contributing
troops have completely withdrawn those troops from Iraq.
(6) The United States has accomplished all of the military
goals announced by the President at the outset of the war in
Iraq. The brave men and women of the Armed Forces have
performed admirably, showing both dedication to their mission
and professionalism in carrying that mission out.
(7) The Bush Administration has, at various times,
confirmed that the military goals of the war in Iraq were
complete. On May 1, 2003, the President stood in front of a
banner reading ``Mission Accomplished'' and declared an end to
major military operations in Iraq. On May 30, 2005, the Vice
President stated in a television interview that the insurgency
was in its ``last throes''.
(8) It is clear that the American people are looking for a
change in strategy in Iraq--one that will allow the Nation to
safely and responsibly bring members of the Armed Forces home
as quickly as possible. However, the strategy outlined by the
President in his September 13, 2007, address makes it clear
that the President has no plan for substantially reducing the
number of troops in Iraq while he is in office. It is
unconscionable for President Bush to leave this situation for
the next President to fix.
SEC. 3. REPEAL OF PUBLIC LAW 107-243.
The Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution
of 2002 (Public Law 107-243) is hereby repealed.
SEC. 4. STATEMENT OF POLICY.
It is the policy of the United States--
(1) that, based upon the findings of section 1, the United
States has accomplished those military goals that were
established at the outset of the use of military force in Iraq,
and that it no longer benefits the national security of the
United States for members of the United States Armed Forces to
remain in Iraq;
(2) that the United States should begin withdrawing its
Armed Forces from Iraq in a safe, responsible, and orderly
manner, and that such withdrawal should begin no later than 30
days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and should be
accomplished by 12:00 p.m. on January 20, 2009;
(3) that the congressionally mandated report produced by
the Iraq Study Group contains a set of recommendations which,
if followed, would assist the United States in accomplishing a
troop withdrawal in the most responsible manner possible and
prepare the Iraqis to return to full self-government;
(4) that it is the moral duty of the United States to
continue assisting the Government of Iraq in rebuilding and
reconstruction efforts, as well as efforts to find a lasting
political solution to the ongoing sectarian conflict that has
occurred since the United States military invasion of Iraq, and
that doing so will require that the United States engage in
vigorous diplomatic efforts and the engagement of other
regional and global actors; and
(5) that the United States is further morally obligated to
provide humanitarian assistance for the millions of Iraqi
refugees that have been displaced since the beginning of the
war in Iraq, especially those Iraqi civilians who have become
targets for violence because they have worked with or assisted
the United States military or the Iraqi Government.
SEC. 5. WITHDRAWAL OF UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES FROM IRAQ.
(a) Not more than 30 days after the date of the enactment of the
Act, the Secretary of Defense shall begin the withdrawal of members of
the Armed Forces from Iraq, and shall complete this withdrawal by 12:00
p.m. January 20, 2009, except as otherwise provided in this Act.
(b) No funds appropriated or otherwise made available to the
Department of Defense shall be expended to increase the number of
members of the Armed Forces in Iraq beyond the number of such members
in Iraq on the date of the enactment of this Act.
(c) No funds appropriated or otherwise made available to the
Department of Defense shall be expended for the construction of
permanent United States military installations in Iraq.
(d) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, the Department
of Defense may retain such members of the Armed Forces in Iraq as
required for the following purposes:
(1) Protection of the United States Embassy, including
Embassy personnel.
(2) Limited counter-terrorism activities directed at the
Al-Qaeda terrorist network, provided that the members of the
Armed Forces carrying out such activities are not permanently
deployed in Iraq.
(3) Nonoffensive military operations designed solely to
address humanitarian concerns in Iraq, including assistance to
refugees.
(4) Assisting the Iraqi military in ensuring that Iraq's
borders are secure.
SEC. 6. REPORTING REQUIREMENT.
Not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act,
the Secretary of Defense shall submit to Congress a report outlining a
strategy to remove the United States Armed Forces from Iraq by 12:00
p.m. on January 20, 2009.
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