Madam Speaker, as we enter the sixth year of the seemingly endless occupation of Iraq, the International Committee of the Red Cross published a worrying report about the State of the humanitarian crisis in Iraq.

In its entitled ``Iraq: No Let-Up in the Humanitarian Crisis,'' the publication shows just how far we need to go to meet the most basic needs of the Iraqi people. Despite the rosy picture being painted by some in the administration, too many Iraqis are still without health care, clean water, and/or education.

And many families have been torn apart by the civil war wracking the country. Family members have gone missing or have been killed. Some have been shipped off to detention centers.

Estimates range on how many people, mostly men, have been locked up. According to the Red Cross, ``Tens of thousands of Iraqis, almost all of them men, are currently in detention often far from their homes.''

One camp is situated in the southern part of the country near Basra and is managed by the United States-led multinational forces in Iraq. At the same time, this is the largest detention facility in the country. And there are more than 20,000 inmates in that detention camp.

The situation means that many families have lost their breadwinner. The new heads of household, many women and many children, have to cope in a world that seems to be without home or promise for the future. And their day-to-day life is just as bleak.

Instead of improving, the supply of electricity has become even more unreliable. Because of this, water sanitation plants are breaking down and hospitals find they cannot provide adequate care, even if they had the medical supplies to meet the demand, which they very seldom do.

Parents the world over, Madam Speaker, American, Iraqi, or anywhere else, only want the best for their children. They want their kids to be happy. They want them to be healthy. They want their kids to go to school, to grow up and to have a chance to achieve their dreams. That is why ongoing occupation is about more than statistics or numbers.

The Red Cross reports helps to put a human face on the administration's so-called foreign policy. One such story actually highlights the struggle faced by too many. Here is Ruba's story. She says, ``My children and I left my home in Anbar province almost 2 years ago. My husband had been killed right in front of us.'' She continues, ``I had to protect my children, so we fled the same night with nothing but some money. For me, today, there is no past, there is no future, only a horrible present. I only wish I had some photos of my husband, photos of my family. I can see it all in my mind, but I don't know for how long I will remember. There was a time when we always sat down together for lunch and laughed. Today, we are living with my cousin's family.''

She goes on to say, ``There are 12 of us in one room. I don't want my old life again, because I know it is impossible without my husband. All I want is for my children to go to school and lead a normal life.''

The story of this mother, Madam Speaker, a woman just 38 years old, is heartbreaking. We have a solemn obligation to help the Iraqi people achieve a future that is both secure and stable.

In the 5 minutes we stand here to deliver our special order speeches, the administration spends over $1 million to prolong the endless occupation. I think the people of America could find a better way to show our commitment to the Iraqi people.

The American people's generosity and commitment to humanitarian assistance is boundless. But our patience with this administration's foreign policy follies is actually not boundless. This Congress must stand up to the administration. We must say ``no'' to a blank check. Let us redirect our resources to where they are really needed, towards aid, not ammunition.