Providing for Consideration of HR 1591, US Troop Readiness, Veterans' Health, and Iraq Accountability Act, 2007

Floor Speech

PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 1591, U.S. TROOP READINESS, VETERANS' HEALTH, AND IRAQ ACCOUNTABILITY ACT, 2007

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Ms. SOLIS. Mr. Speaker, just a few weeks ago I visited our servicemen and women in Iraq. My visit confirmed my belief that we must support our troops and redeploy them. That is why I will vote for the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Health and Iraq Accountability Act.

When I met with the troops in Iraq, they told me that they lacked the basic equipment needed to do their job, like body armor, light bulbs for vehicles, and scissors for bandages and gauzes. In some cases, they told me that the equipment they use is unreliable due to excess use. Our troops are also concerned with the lengths of their tours in Iraq; they told me that they are not only demanding, but exhausting. Our troops are being overextended. For many of them, it is not their first tour, but their second or third. Many of them have missed the birth of their children or the death of their parents.

It is time for a new direction in Iraq. The U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Health and Iraq Accountability Act does that--it gives the American people the first step in a new direction to what our troops properly deserve. A new direction, with benchmarks for success in Iraq, with benchmarks that ensure our troops have the equipment and training they need, and a benchmark that guarantees a fully funded deployment out of Iraq. This bill makes it clear, and sends the message that the majority of Americans want--an end to the war.

In the last 4 years, we have spent close to $400 billion on the war in Iraq. The war on Iraq has claimed the lives of nearly 3,200 and more than 24,000 servicemen and women have been injured or permanently disabled. More than half of those will not be able to lead a normal life because of the severity of their injuries, impacting not only them but also their families. In the 32nd Congressional District of California which I represent, we have lost 13 sons to combat. Despite all this, the Administration has failed to outline concrete steps to end the war and has left our servicemen and women without adequate equipment and our veterans without proper care.

The U.S. Troops Readiness, Veterans' Health and Iraq Accountability Act will provide our troops with the equipment they need, require Iraqis to take control of their own country, help fight the real war on terror in Afghanistan, and establish a strategy for the redeployment of U.S. troops no later than March 1, 2008. This bill provides $1.7 billion more for military health care, including Walter Reed, and includes $1.7 billion more for our veterans, so those who served before and those recently serving have access to adequate care. It includes $2.5 billion to improve troop readiness and helps servicemen and women afford housing. This bill also represents help for those at home, including uninsured children and farmers whose emergent needs were ignored under the Republican leadership.

I don't support this war. I voted against authorization of force in 2002 and have repeatedly called for the redeployment of troops out of Iraq. The Bush Administration's failed policies in Iraq and Afghanistan have gone unchecked--until now. I'm voting for this bill because it will--for the first time--set a date for the war to end--a date when U.S. combat troops must be out of Iraq. The bill isn't perfect, but it draws a clear line between those who want to stay indefinitely

in Iraq, and those like me who, along with the majority of Americans, want to end it. Passage of this bill is the beginning of the end for our soldiers not being prepared and not knowing when they will come home.

Let us not forget that these last 4 years so many of our sons and daughters and their families have given the greatest sacrifice. I remain supportive of our troops and know that they will continue to do a great job and we in Congress must do ours this week. I support the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Health and Iraq Accountability Act because I know it is the first real step to the redeployment and safe return home of all of our servicemen and women.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Health, and Accountability Act H.R. 1591. Four years ago, I voted against the resolution giving the President the authority to go to war with Iraq because I had serious doubts about the need to rush into military action. U.N. inspectors were still doing their work examining Iraq's nuclear weapons program and had not found weapons of mass destruction. Our allies who supported President George Bush, Sr. for Desert Storm were not supporting us! All diplomatic efforts had not been exhausted and there seemed to be no clear goals or strategy. There was no exit strategy to bring back our troops. There was no evidence that taking action in Iraq was urgent when the fight in Afghanistan was still underway. A proposed budget for the war was never presented to Congress.

Now we are entering our 5th year of this conflict and my concerns have been proven correct. Most important, there were no weapons of mass destruction. The Taliban is resurging in Afghanistan because we diluted our efforts.

We still have no goals or strategy in Iraq and our reputation around the world has been seriously undermined. Thousands of young Americans have been killed, disabled or wounded. we will have spent half a trillion dollars on this war and there is no end in sight.

It's time to heed the recommendations of the Baker-Hamilton Iraq Study Group and take a new direction in Iraq. The legislation before us sets definite benchmarks and timelines that put the Iraqi government on reasonable notice that they must assume responsibility for their own destiny.

This Supplemental Appropriations Bill lets the American people know when our troops will begin coming home.

Many of my colleagues oppose setting a deadline because they believe the insurgents will just outwait us. But unless we are prepared to be in Iraq forever, this fear will always be a concern. History has shown that insurgents and terrorists are very, very patient.

The religious and secretarian hatred in the Middle East has been present for centuries and our presence in Iraq for a few more years is not going to change that. Our presence in Iraq will just get thousands more of our servicemen and women, caught in the middle of their civil war, killed and wounded.

My Republican colleagues had no qualms about mandating to President Clinton when our forces had to come out of Kosovo. It seems to me that this is not any different.

I urge my colleagues to support this legislation that will bring an orderly, responsible end to the war in Iraq.

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