WASHINGTON, D. C. – Congressman John Hall is planning to vote today in favor of the U. S. Troop Readiness, Veterans Health and Iraq Accountability Act, which sets benchmarks for the withdrawal and redeployment of U. S troops out of Iraq, requires troop readiness standards be followed and provides funding for U. S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

 

Totaling $124 billion, the bill also contains money for Iraqi security forces, funding for the war on terrorism, and $1.3 billion for military and development needs in Afghanistan. About $20 billion of the bill is set for domestic spending projects, most notably Hurricane Katrina relief and $1.7 billion for veterans’ health care.

 

Congressman Hall said that his support for the bill hinges on the provision that provides for a complete withdrawal of troops from Iraq in August 2008.

 

“Because there are no weapons of mass destruction, no Iraqi link to the 9/11 attacks, and Saddam Hussein is no longer in power, I believe that it is time for America to start redeploying its armed forces out of Iraq,” said Hall. “And so I am planning to vote for this bill because it will define for the first time an end to our deployment in Iraq, and it represents the best vehicle to reassert Congress’s authority to hold the Executive Branch accountable for its mismanagement of this war.”