FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                 CONTACT: Kevin Lawlor, 202/225-1880

May 15, 2008                                                                                   www.house.gov/tauscher

Rep. Ellen Tauscher Votes Against Another $162.5 Billion for Iraq War

Backs responsible redeployment of our troops, restoring GI Bill educational benefits to Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans & providing economic assistance to struggling Americans    

Washington, DC - Today the House of Representatives considered the FY 2008 supplemental.   The proposal was taken up as three amendments.  Rep. Tauscher voted against the first amendment which would have provided $162.5 billion to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan through the summer of 2009.  The second and third amendments included provisions to meet the needs of our troops, force the Bush Administration to change direction in Iraq, fully restore GI Bill education benefits for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, and provide emergency assistance to Americans struggling in an economy on the brink of recession. Rep. Tauscher voted in favor of both of these amendments.

Only the second and third amendments passed the House.

Rep. Tauscher released the following statement.

"As I have said many times before, I will not vote to give President Bush another taxpayer funded check so that he can continue to hemorrhage money on a war that the American people do not support.  We have priorities here at home that need to be addressed before we open our wallets once again for a failed stay-the-course strategy with negligible returns.

 "Among these priorities are our veterans who deserve a fully restored GI Bill and emergency assistance for the average American families struggling to meet credit card payments or keep their homes out of foreclosure.  We all have priorities and for me, continuing to fund this war is not one of them."

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