Issue Position: Iraq and Afghanistan

Issue Position

In 2003, the United States made the decision to engage in a preemptive war in Iraq. This decision ignored international consensus that further diplomatic efforts should be made to determine if Iraq was in possession of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Rather, the U.S. made the decision to engage in a war that has cost countless innocent individuals their lives based on unsubstantiated evidence that was ultimately proven false.

At this time, the war in Iraq has had dramatic human and financial costs. Since the invasion of Iraq, more than 4,300 American servicemembers have died and over 30,000 have been disabled or injured. The number of Iraqi civilian deaths is estimated to be over 100,000. It is also estimated that over 2 million Iraqis have left Iraq since the war began, and more than 2.7 million have moved within the country as a result of sectarian violence. In total, over 14 percent of the Iraqi population is displaced. In addition, each day our nation spends millions of dollars to continue our military occupation of Iraq, with military spending in Iraq since 2003 totaling more than $678 billion.

As you are likely aware, I have continually opposed U.S. military action against Iraq and worked to bring the unjustified war in Iraq to an end. When President Bush began making his case for invading Iraq, I was one of the first Members of Congress to declare my opposition. This was months prior to the October 2002 House vote to authorize the use of force in Iraq if the country failed to comply with the United Nations demands. I continue to oppose legislative measures that do not provide for the protection and safe redeployment of U.S. troops from Iraq.

On February 27, 2009, President Obama announced that all U.S. combat brigades would be withdrawn by August 31, 2010, reaffirming his full commitment to the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) negotiated by the Bush Administration and ratified by Iraq's parliament on November 27, 2008. This will leave a residual presence of 35,000-50,000 U.S. trainers, advisers, and mentors, with these troops to be withdrawn by the end of 2011. As part of this drawdown timeline, on June 30, 2009, the U.S. withdrew its combat troops from major cities in Iraq.

Although we are facing a security environment in Iraq vastly improved over the frequency of violence during 2005-2007, a string of high-profile bombings since U.S. troops withdrew from Iraqi cities on June 30 has raised questions about whether the country's security forces are capable of protecting the population. Some have said insurgents are waiting to take advantage of the U.S. drawdown and that a U.S. military presence might be needed beyond 2011 to ensure further political progress and produce a unified, democratic Iraq that can govern and defend itself.

As a member of the Out of Iraq Caucus, I will continue to support policies to redeploy U.S. troops and continue to call on the Obama Administration to work to establish policies that support and request the sovereignty of the Iraqi people and reestablish America's international credibility.

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