Issue Position: Iraq

Issue Position

Issue Position: Iraq

As a former State Auditor now serving in the United States Senate, Claire McCaskill is uniquely able to advocate not only for the dramatic changes that are needed in our nation's policy regarding Iraq, but also to closely follow the billions of taxpayer dollars that have been mismanaged in the region and identify ways to hold officials accountable for these abuses.

Claire serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee, and uses this position to investigate problems with lack of Pentagon oversight, federal contracting procedures that have run amuck, and the impact of these failings on the safety and welfare of Missouri's troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In June 2007, Claire led one of the first Senate delegation trips to Iraq with the express purpose of focusing on the management of our defense funds. In meetings with the top military leaders serving in Iraq - as well as Iraq's Prime Minister and government officials - McCaskill stated that the Iraq government is failing to take the necessary steps to govern itself, and that the United States is not holding the government responsible for this lack of action.

Claire also met with almost 100 Missouri troops serving in Iraq, and heard firsthand the impact that extended tours of duty are having on them and their families in Missouri.

"The current U.S. policy in Iraq is not working and its time to change course and begin the process of bringing our troops home. Saddam Hussein has been removed and a new elected government has put in place and its now time for the Iraqis to take responsibility for running its government. We need to refocus U.S. efforts on training Iraqi soldiers, fighting terrorism around the world and making our military strong."

Claire McCaskill is also working on a number of issues relevant to Iraq and our military. Here are a few:

Wounded Warriors

The Iraq and Afghanistan wars have yielded tens of thousands of injured soldiers, many of whom suffer from traumatic brain injuries. McCaskill wants to ensure that these men and women injured abroad don't fight a whole new battle when they return home.

Media reports have focused on the plight of injured active-duty soldiers who come home to face a maze of paperwork, lengthy delays and lack of guidance in the military's complex health care and disability compensation system.

Senator McCaskill and Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) quickly responded with legislation, the Dignity for Wounded Warriors Act, that seeks to remove these obstacles. The Senate in July 2007 passed a measure that contains many of the provisions of the McCaskill-Obama bill.

But they haven't stopped there and will continue to fight for additional protections for soldiers and their families, including job security for families who need to take time off from work to take care of their wounded love ones.

Wartime Contracting

As a former state auditor, McCaskill brought to Washington her "auditor's hat" and the fiscal conservatism of her state and is applying it to weed waste, fraud and abuse from government, especially in the area contracting.

American taxpayers have spent tens of billions of dollars on Iraq war contracts. Many of those contracts have been given with little oversight. And even when the contracts are over-budget or incomplete, the Pentagon frequently has granted the contractors bonuses worth millions of dollars.

McCaskill has grilled Pentagon officials on these issues from her seat on the Armed Services Committee. Senator McCaskill and Senator Jim Webb (D-VA), have introduced legislation to create a modern-day Truman Commission, which examined failings in World War II wartime contracts. McCaskill's legislation, which has been sign into law, will take a close look at wartime contracts and draft recommendations on how to better oversee them.

Specifically, the measure would:

* Establish an independent and bipartisan eight-member Commission on Wartime Contracting to study and investigate:
1. federal agency contracting for the reconstruction of Iraq and Afghanistan;
2. federal agency contracting for the logistical support of coalition forces in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom; and
3. federal agency contracting for the performance of security and intelligence functions in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.
* Expand the authority of the highly-acclaimed Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction's (SIGIR's) beyond Iraq Reconstruction and Relief Funds. The Special Inspector General would have new authority to conduct audits of agency contracts to identify potential waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in any contract in Iraq or Afghanistan.

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