Rep. Ellen Tauscher to Address House In Regard to Iraq War Strategy

Will Reiterate Her Support of American Servicemen and Women, Criticize President’s Troop Surge as “grossly irresponsible”

WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. Ellen Tauscher, Chair of the House Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee, will deliver the following remarks today on the Iraq resolution that is currently being debated in the House of Representatives.  The resolution expresses support for American troops and disapproval of the President's plan to increase the number of troops in Iraq.  Debate on the resolution will begin today and continue all week, with a vote expected on Friday.  Click here to see the full text of the resolution.  Rep. Tauscher will manage the floor debate for the Democrats from 8:00 p.m. – midnight this evening. 

Below is Rep. Tauscher’s statement as prepared for delivery. 

 

Rep. Ellen O. Tauscher
Floor Statement
Troop Surge Resolution

Mr. Speaker,

I am pleased to lend my strong support to this bipartisan resolution supporting our men and women in uniform and opposing the President’s decision to send more troops into Iraq.

Last year, Congress united across party lines to say loudly and clearly:  2006 must be a year of significant transition in Iraq.

Rather than chart a new course, the President is proposing more of the same.  His actions will only deepen America’s involvement in Iraq’s civil war.

Instead of acknowledging the facts on the ground -- instead of listening to the combatant commanders and the Iraq Study Group – and instead of hearing the American people’s call for change, the President has once again chosen to stick to his failed policy.  And now he’s raised the risk by insisting more U.S. troops head to Iraq.

It’s been four years, Mr. President -- the American people have every right to expect a change of course in Iraq.  And it’s your responsibility to them and to our men and women in uniform to stop fighting Iraq’s civil war. 

As General Odom, the former head of the National Security Agency under President Reagan wrote this weekend, unless Congress speaks up, “we may be doomed to two more years of chasing the mirage of democracy in Iraq and possibly widening the war to Iran.”

We cannot let that happen. 

Sending more U.S. troops to Iraq will not stabilize it or the region as a whole.

As the latest National Intelligence Estimate makes clear:  Iraq is becoming more polarized and violent, not less.

Sending more American troops to Iraq without stronger Iraqi leadership will only lead to further chaos.

My consistent opposition to this troop surge is built upon years of hearings in the House Armed Services Committee, Congressional briefings, and five trips to the region including three to Iraq, witnessing the war first-hand and speaking with our troops and commanders on the ground. 

I have watched the president plead his case to the American people -- trying to justify why more troops will save his failed policy.

But I am consistently disappointed by the stubbornness exhibited by an administration that has failed every step of the way.

I have stated from the beginning of the war that the Commander in Chief has the responsibility to define a well-articulated mission that has the support of the American people and an exit strategy to bring our troops home sooner and safer. 

 He has neither.   

Top military commanders in Iraq, the bipartisan Iraq Study Group and the American people all agree that sending more troops to Iraq will not end the civil war. 

They understand the Iraqi government needs to take responsibility for securing their own country, and we should immediately begin a strategic redeployment of U.S. troops in conjunction with diplomacy that forces Iraq's neighbors to step up as responsible regional partners.   

If the President side-steps the Congress, he does so at his own peril, and sadly, it is the men and women of our Armed Forces and their families who will pay the highest price.

I believe that it is grossly irresponsible to send more troops to Iraq when only two thirds of our Army’s up-armored humvees in Iraq and Afghanistan have been outfitted with the latest anti-IED protective kits.  That’s over four thousand humvees without the right equipment. 

General Pace has indicated that all armored vehicles will not be up-armored until July, well after the president’s surge has occurred.

This is why I am an original co-sponsor of the Meehan legislation that requires the President to ask Congress for an up-or-down vote if he plans to raise troop levels in Iraq.  And why I am proud to support this legislation today. 

I will continue to challenge the President to abandon his flawed troop surge policy, and I urge my colleagues to support this important resolution. 

We owe it to our troops and to our conscience.