Terrible New Threats to our National Security and the Safety of the American People
TERRIBLE NEW THREATS TO OUR NATIONAL SECURITY AND THE SAFETY OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE -- (House of Representatives - September 26, 2007)
[Page: H10936]
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The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey) is recognized for 5 minutes.
Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, we have learned in the last few days and weeks about terrible new threats to our national security and the safety of the American people.
On August 29, a B-52 bomber accidentally flew six nuclear warheads across the country with a combined power of 60 Hiroshima A-bombs. Imagine the horror, the destructive power of 60 Hiroshima A-bombs flying over the American heartland on a course that took them near Minneapolis, Des Moines, Omaha, Kansas City, St. Louis, Tulsa and Little Rock.
Then, on September 16, we learned that American military contractors in Iraq were involved in the shooting deaths of 11 innocent Iraqi civilians in a Baghdad square.
Was it a case of American military contractors gone wild? We don't know for sure yet. But it is becoming increasingly clear that the vast army of 180,000 military contractors in Iraq are not being held accountable for their actions and often make things more difficult for our troops in Iraq. A senior U.S. military official told the Washington Post that the incident in Baghdad was ``a nightmare. This is going to hurt us badly. It may be worse than Abu Ghraib.''
And then on September 22, the press reported that Federal prosecutors are investigating charges that the military contractors involved in the Baghdad incident, Blackwater U.S.A., smuggled weapons into Iraq that may have been sold on the black market and ended up in the hands of terrorists.
Mr. Speaker, we must take immediate action to improve our security. The accidental flight of A-bombs over our homeland should remind us that America must return to a policy of nuclear nonproliferation. This administration has abandoned our decades-old commitment to nonproliferation, and that has been a terrible mistake.
We must also end the occupation of Iraq. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced today that he will try to strengthen the Pentagon's oversight of the contractors. This is a welcome step, but it doesn't solve the real problem. The real problem is that we need military contractors, because our forces are stretched to the limit in Iraq and beyond. The only solution is to end the occupation.
In testimony prepared for delivery before Congress today, Secretary Gates asked for additional funds for the occupation. We must tell him no. The occupation is hurting America politically, economically and morally. The American people deserve better. Congress has the power of the purse, and it is the only real tool we have to force the administration to change course.
We should not spend another dime to continue the occupation. Instead, we must fully fund the safe, orderly and responsible withdrawal of all of our troops and all of our military contractors by a date certain. That is the best way, Mr. Speaker, for our country to change course and restore the moral leadership that is the true source of our national security.
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