Mr. Speaker, ours is a very generous Nation. As we have seen in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the Southeast Asian tsunami, the depth and breadth of American giving is unsurpassed. Our dedication goes far beyond natural disasters, however.

In each of our communities we have seen families reaching out by sending care packages to our troops, or donating school supplies for Iraqi children, or giving to refugee relief organizations. With the support of the Congress, the U.S. government is beginning to follow the path of the American people. Instead of a foreign policy balanced on the tip of a gun, some U.S. programs are reaching out to the people on the ground.

These are the types of programs which should be receiving robust support, not a misguided military agenda without an end game.

The United States Agency for International Development, known as USAID, has several excellent projects that are getting relief into the hands of Iraqi families. We should be helping to rebuild communities because, as the old saying goes, ``You break it, you buy it.'' To be sure, our obligation goes well beyond military and security intervention.

One program deserving note is a USAID grant to get the Balad canning factory up and running again. The factory, one of Iraq's largest food processors, was built in 1974. It was built as a government-owned tomato paste factory. After privatization, the factory was producing 10 more products and employing 1,000 people, including 200 women.

According to USAID, with the instability that was brought on by the invasion of Iraq and the ensuing civil war, the factory's potential for food processing was shattered. Farmers were unable to work the fields, and the factory no longer had access to the agricultural supply required to operate. Not only were factory workers suddenly unemployed, tens of thousands of farmers found themselves similarly destitute.

A U.S. Government grant for $5 million will ensure that power, water, waste treatment and steam are restored to the plant. This is essential to get the factory back on-line.

When we look at what we are spending on the military occupation of Iraq, somewhere around $9 billion a week, $5 million looks like a drop in the bucket. In fact, $5 million for development assistance actually equals 21 minutes of military spending. As some of my colleagues like to say, this is a hand up, not a hand-out.

We are rebuilding the heart of communities through jobs, through growth and investment into the infrastructure, the results of which will be seen for generations to come.

We need to take a serious look, Mr. Speaker, at our presence in Iraq. Is it any wonder that there is frustration? We can spend billions of dollars perpetuating an occupation, but we can't truly commit to humanitarian assistance, to reconciliation and a diplomatic surge?

It's simple, if we listen to the American people and to the Iraqi families. Let's end this occupation of Iraq and bring our troops and military contractors home. It is time to rebuild, not re-ignite a military conflict.