Hodes Votes To End War

Press Release

Hodes Votes To End War

Congressman Paul Hodes voted today to establish a firm deadline to end the war in Iraq. The U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Health, and Iraq Accountability Act, which passed the House today 218 to 212, is landmark legislation that sets forth a responsible exit strategy for our forces in Iraq.

"Today we took the first step towards responsibly ending our involvement in the religious civil war in Iraq," Hodes said. "After four long years at war, Congress today refused to give the President another blank check for this misadventure. Today we took a step towards repairing our international reputation, restoring our national security and protecting our troops."

The bill lays out goals for Iraqi progress and deadlines for the accomplishment of those goals, which must be certified by President Bush. If a goal is not met, U.S. forces will begin an immediate redeployment. If the goals are met and certified by the deadline, U.S. forces would begin deploying from Iraq by March 1, 2008, and complete the redeployment by August of 2008.

The bill also increases funding for our returning troops, ensuring that the nightmare of Walter Reed is never repeated. It provides $1.7 billion for Veteran's health care, including $550 million to address maintenance and backlog issues at VA health care facilities. It also includes $2.5 billion for Homeland Security upgrades and funding.

"During my campaign I pledged to support our troops but said I wouldn't vote for more of the same," Hodes said. "This bill meets that pledge. It protects our security and puts the onus on the Iraqis to step up and face the fact that this conflict can only be solved by the Iraqis themselves."

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