FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 16, 2007
CONTACT: Matt Mackowiak
Sen. Hutchison: Iraq Policy in Congress Not Keeping Pace with Progress on the Ground
Sen. Hutchison Calls for Stop to “Reckless” Amendments that Constrain the Troops
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) today appealed to the Senate to follow the recommendations of U.S. commanders on the ground when setting policy and funding to support the troops and the mission in Iraq.
In a floor statement, Sen. Hutchison said:
“Mr. President, I rise to speak against the bridge bill that was sent over by the House of Representatives. I hope that the Senate can do what the Senate has been doing all year, and that is stop these reckless amendments that would tie the hands of our generals, that would dictate policy on the ground in Iraq from 6,000 miles away, from people who do not know what is going on the ground, it seems.
“We have voted 40 times in the last year, since February, on amendments that would constrain the troops in the field, doing what they are doing. Last week the Iraqi government and U.S. commanders proclaimed that al Qaeda had been routed in every neighborhood in Baghdad, an 80% drop in the murder rate. The BBC reports that all across Baghdad, streets are springing back to life. Shops and restaurants which closed down are back in business. People are walking on the streets.
“Mr. President, things have changed in Baghdad. Things have changed in Iraq. The only place it doesn't seem to change is in the United States Congress. We should not vote on anything that underfunds the troop, which is what this bridge bill does. And over-regulates what our troops in the field are doing when we're not there every day, day in, day out watching the progress.
“General Petraeus is succeeding in quelling the violence. Now we must work with the Iraqis to have a stability in that country so that we can leave. General Petraeus has already said he's bringing home a brigade from the surge. We are going in the right direction, Mr. President. Let's don't do something foolish in the United States Senate.”
At a later press conference with Senate Republican Leadership, Sen. Hutchison:
“We are going home for the Thanksgiving break with the Veterans Affairs-Military Construction bill ready to go, sitting on the table, and yet no action. It is very disappointing that we can't get funding for the troops, so that the secretary of defense won’t have to say, "I am going to have to start laying people off in the Pentagon in January if we don't have a funding bill.
“So, I do hope that in this break, the leadership gets together and does a plan that is a workable plan to pass appropriations bills, to get our funding to our troops...and that we would be able to fund the veterans and the military construction, which is also a part of quality of life for our troops.”
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