PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 2601, FOREIGN RELATIONS AUTHORIZATION ACT, FISCAL YEARS 2006 AND 2007 -- (House of Representatives - July 19, 2005)
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Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time.
Mr. Speaker, last night in the Committee on Rules I attempted to strike an amendment that was put into this bill that I believe does not belong there. I believe it was inflammatory and totally unnecessary. It implied that those Americans who are concerned about the conduct of the war and talk about withdrawal are unpatriotic. Despite 60 percent of the American people being concerned about the war, the majority refused to remove this amendment from the bill.
Mr. Speaker, all Americans support the troops in Iraq. They are our sons and they are our daughters. We appreciate their commitment, we honor their service and we do not need another resolution to demonstrate that appreciation. What we should do is live up to our commitment to the troops.
Mr. Speaker, it is the Democrats that have fought to raise the Veterans Administration budget the $2 billion it needs this year just to take care of the wounded from Iraq. Think about that for a moment. For what we spend on the war a week, $2 billion, we could take care of our wounded veterans for a year. We care very much about that, and that is how we honor our troops.
Mr. Speaker, Democrats in this House have pushed that debate, and again unsuccessfully, that our troops are not well equipped, that we have not given them the armored vehicles and things they need to save their lives. Now this leadership is going to use rhetoric to try to further divide the Nation. They would rather do that than take care of the troops.
Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, this rule and particularly, as I mentioned, the Ros-Lehtinen amendment is fear politics at its worst. The underlying message the Republican leadership is sending could not be clearer. It is this: If you disagree with the policies of this administration, you are un-American. If you dare to question them, you will hurt our troops in the field. If you ask the tough questions, you are helping the terrorists.
I feel compelled to advise my colleagues that this is a democracy. What we need to do is defeat the previous question and consider the Ros-Lehtinen amendment separately as a freestanding bill. The way it is written now, there is no possibility even to amend it. It is either up or down, shut up or put up.
This is not the way we do things here, and we are leaving out half the population of this country who wants us to debate the war. Once again, we are attempting to cut out the voice of the people here, and we will try on the previous question to remove the Ros-Lehtinen amendment from the bill and immediately consider it later as a freestanding bill, giving Members the opportunity to amend it.
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