Ms. Woolsey: Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the brave men and women who have fallen in service to our country. This weekend, as we return home to celebrate Memorial Day with our friends and families, let us take time to reflect on the countless sacrifices that have been made by our men and women in uniform.
Since the founding of our nation, the men and women in our armed forces have served this country with honor. They have fought to defend and preserve our nation from forces that have threatened to divide our country and destroy our way of life. America is a better place for their courage and their service.
As a grateful nation, we cannot ignore our responsibility to repay those who have served in defense of our country. This means doing everything we can to provide our veterans with comprehensive health care that is affordable, accessible, and available for life.
Instead of honoring our promises to our veterans, this Administration has tried to turn a blind eye to their problems. This Administration has attempted to push the increasing costs of veterans' health care onto veterans by charging higher premium and deductibles and reducing the number of veterans eligible for healthcare. It's absolutely unacceptable to propose forcing a greater financial burden on our nation's veterans. That's why I'm a proud cosponsor of H.R. 579, the Military Retirees Health Care Protection Act, which would protect our veterans from these unnecessary TRICARE fee increases. Our promise of affordable health care for our veterans is one that we must keep.
Additionally, the generation of veterans returning home from combat areas in Iraq and Afghanistan requires new resources to treat their medical needs. However, rather than reinvesting in treatments for traumatic brain injuries (TBI), the Administration has barely scratched the surface of addressing the mental health needs of our veterans. That's why I'm a cosponsor of H.R. 1944, the Veterans Traumatic Brain Injury Treatment Act, which would require the Department of Veterans' Affairs (VA) to actively screen and develop long-term care programs for veterans suffering from TBI.
Furthermore, we must not allow the substandard care, bureaucratic inefficiencies, and dilapidated conditions at Walter Reed to symbolize our dedication to our veterans. I was I pleased that the House unanimously passed H.R. 1538, the Wounded Warrior Assistance Act, which will reduce much of the bureaucracy that prevents veterans from receiving quality healthcare, require more caseworkers to be hired, improve the system enabling wounded soldiers to transition from active duty to the VA system, and create a system of patients advocates to hold the VA accountable for problems.
We cannot allow this Administration's record of broken promises to our veterans become an accepted standard of treatment. We can do better. I have introduced H.R. 508, the Bring the Troops Home and Iraq Sovereignty Restoration Act, which would require sufficient funding for veterans' health care every year and would guarantee broad physical and mental healthcare for our veterans.
Memorial Day reminds us that meeting the needs of our service men and women requires sustained commitment and determination. We have a moral obligation to ensure that our veterans have the benefits they need. Their profound dedication and patriotism deserve no less.
Ms. Jackson-Lee of Texas: Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2206, the "U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Act of 2007." I concur in House Amendment No.1 to the Senate Amendment because I believe in doing all we can to support our troops. But I cannot concur in House Amendment No. 2 to the Senate Amendment because there is a limit to the patience of the American people. They have been waiting for more than four years for the Bush Administration to develop a successful policy in Iraq and for the Iraqi Government to take responsibility for the security of the Iraqi people.
Mr. Speaker, the legislation before us makes emergency supplemental appropriations for the Iraq War and additional supplemental appropriations for agricultural and other emergency assistance for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2007.
This emergency supplemental provides $120 billion primarily for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and for improving the health care for returning soldiers and veterans. It also provides for the continued recovery of the Gulf Coast from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina and fills major gaps in homeland security.
Specifically, the agreement provides $99.5 billion for the Defense Department for continued military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The legislation includes a $1 billion increase for the National Guard and Reserve equipment and $1.1 billion for military housing. The supplemental legislation provides $3 billion ($1.2 billion more than the President's request) for the purchase of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles (MRAP)--vehicles designed to withstand roadside bombs.
Mr. Speaker, included in the bill is $4.8 billion to ensure that troops and veterans receive the health care that they have earned with their service and another $6.4 billion to rebuild the Gulf Coast and help the victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. There is also emergency funding for the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) totals more than $650 million. Finally, Homeland security investments total more than $1 billion, including funds for port security and mass transit security, for explosives detection equipment at airports, and for several initiatives in the 9/11 bill that recently passed the Senate.
Most important, Mr. Speaker, this legislation includes the benchmarks and reporting requirements that were contained in the Warner Amendment in the Senate, which specifies 18 benchmarks for measuring progress by the Iraqi government, including the benchmarks that President Bush laid out on January 10. But they do not include the timelines included in prior versions of the supplemental that Americans approve, support, and demand.
The Warner Amendment requires the President to submit two reports to Congress on the progress of the Iraqi government on meeting the 18 benchmarks--one by July 15, 2005 and the second by September 15, 2007. If the President fails to certify progress on each of the 18 benchmarks in the September report, the Iraqi government would lose the economic aid being provided by the United States unless the President exercises his authority to waive the certification requirement in accordance with the procedures set forth in the bill. The amendment also requires an independent report from the General Accounting Office by September 1, 2007 on the progress of the Iraqi government in meeting the 18 benchmarks.
Mr. Speaker, in vetoing the previous emergency supplemental, the President claimed it will "undermine our troops and threaten the safety of the American people here at home." Coming from an Administration that has been wrong on every important question relating to the decision to launch the Iraq War as well the conduct of it, this claim is laughable. It is nearly as ridiculous as the President's often stated claim of "progress" in Iraq. The facts, of course, are otherwise.
The U.S. death toll in Iraq reached 83 in just the first 7 days of May--making it the deadliest month of the year and one of the deadliest of the entire war. It is therefore little wonder that nearly 70% of Americans disapprove of the way the President is handling the war. But more important, the President's claim that the Iraq Accountability Act undermines our troops and threatens the safety of the American people here at home is simply not true.
Mr. Speaker, to date, the war in Iraq has lasted longer than America's involvement in World War II, the greatest conflict in all of human history. But there is a difference. The Second World War ended in complete and total victory for the United States and its allies. But then again, in that conflict America was led by FDR, a great Commander- in-Chief, who had a plan to win the war and secure the peace, listened to his generals, and sent troops in sufficient numbers and sufficiently trained and equipped to do the job.
As a result of the colossal miscalculation in deciding to invade Iraq, the loss of public trust resulting from the misrepresentation of the reasons for launching that invasion, and the breath taking incompetence in mismanaging the occupation of Iraq, the Armed Forces and the people of the United States have suffered incalculable damage.
The war in Iraq has claimed the lives of 3,431 brave servicemen and women. More than 25,378 Americans have been wounded, many suffering the most horrific injuries. American taxpayers have paid nearly $400 billion to sustain this misadventure.
By vetoing the bipartisan Iraq Accountability Act last week, the President vetoed the will of the American people. The President vetoed a responsible funding bill for the troops that would have provided more funding for our troops and military readiness than even the President requested.
By vetoing the Iraq Accountability Act, the President rejected a bill that reflects the will of the American people to wind down this war. By vetoing the Iraq Accountability Act, the President turned a deaf ear to the loud message sent by the American people last November.
That is why I will proudly vote for H.R. 2206. This legislation places the responsibility for bringing peace and security where it clearly belongs and that is squarely on the shoulders of the Iraqi government. The legislation crafted by the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee in consultation with the leadership and the members of the Democratic Caucus moves us closer to the day when we end the misguided invasion, war, and occupation of Iraq. It puts us on the glide path to the day when our troops come home in honor and triumph and where we can "care for him who has borne the battle, and for his widow and orphan."
Mr. Speaker, in passing H.R. 2206, this House will be doing the business and expressing the will of the American people. In the latest CBS News/New York Times poll, 64 percent of Americans favor a timetable that provides for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq in 2008. In the same poll, 57 percent of Americans believe that Congress, not the President, should have the last say when it comes to setting troop levels in Iraq.
Mr. Speaker, in passing H.R. 2206, Congress is fulfilling its constitutional responsibilities and exercising the first check on the President's power in six years. As Iraq Study Group Co-Chairman Lee Hamilton has pointed out, "The founders of our nation never envisioned an unfettered president making unilateral decisions about American lives and military power. They did indeed make the president the commander in chief, but they gave to Congress the responsibility for declaring war, for making rules governing our land and naval forces, for overseeing policy, and of course the ability to fund war or to cease funding it."
Mr. Speaker, the President demands a blank check to escalate the war in Iraq against the will of the Congress and the American people. The Constitution does not require it, he certainly has not earned it, and I am not prepared to give it to him. That is why I cannot concur in House Amendment No. 2 to the Senate Amendment. I do concur in House Amendment No. 1 and I urge all members to join me.
(Mr. Wilson of South Carolina asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks).
Mr. Wilson of South Carolina: Mr. Speaker, Memorial Day last week in Baghdad will always be special to me. On that day, I met with General David Petraeus, Iraq's Defense Minister Jasim, and U.S. and Iraqi troops in a Joint Security Station deep in the City of Baghdad.
Then Codel Spratt spent 2 days in Kabul briefed by ISAF Commander Dan McNeil, Major General Robert Durbin, Afghan Defense Minister Wardak, President Hamid Karzai, and Brigadier General Robert Livingston. General Livingston commands the 218th Brigade of the South Carolina Army National Guard, which leads Task Force Phoenix to train the Afghan army and police.
I saw firsthand our coalition forces stopping terrorists overseas to protect American families at home. This meets the threat of al Qaeda's Zawahiri that Iraq and Afghanistan are the central front in the global war on terrorism. Our capable military leaders should not have their initiatives handcuffed by Congress.
As we heard a bombing in Baghdad, we read simultaneously of attacks in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Yemen, Lebanon and Gaza. We must not ignore the worldwide threats.
Congratulations to law enforcement for stopping the bombing of JFK Airport.
In conclusion, God bless our troops, and we will never forget September 11.
The Speaker pro tempore: Under a previous order of the House, the gentleman from Washington (Mr. McDermott) is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. McDermott: Mr. Speaker, there is hardly anyone asking the right question at this time, and it is whether the U.S. involvement in Iraq will end as it did in Vietnam or last forever as it has in Korea. Last week, the President declared his intention to keep America in Iraq forever. That's a sure sign the President's been talking to the Vice President again.
Iraq looks nothing like Korea did in 1952. There is no DMZ and no 38th parallel separating the opposing forces. In Iraq, the war is everywhere. In Korea, the DMZ is one of South Korea's most popular tourist destinations, with buses hauling people back and forth. It's so popular you have to book the trip weeks in advance. It costs $42, by the way, and that's without lunch.
At the DMZ, you can visit the small building where an armistice was signed, and risk stepping across a painted line on the floor separating North and South Korea, which remain technically at war. Is this the President's vision of Iraq? Hardly, but that's what he would like the American people to believe.
It sounds so simple and so safe and so utterly detached from Iraq, where every street corner in Baghdad is a war zone. The President wants an indefinite military presence in Iraq, but a majority of the Iraq parliament signed a petition demanding a timetable for the U.S. to leave, which the President ignores.
The President wants permanent military bases in Iraq despite the thoughtful and bipartisan conclusion of the Iraq Study Group. That group said, "The United States can begin to shape a positive climate for its diplomatic efforts internationally and within Iraq, through public statements by President Bush that reject the notion that the United States seeks to control Iraq's oil or seeks permanent bases within Iraq."
But the President rejected their common sense and ordered the base building to go forward. What exactly are we protecting with the Iraqi people fleeing by the millions? South Korea never looked like this.
In Iraq, students graduating from college used to dream about getting a good job and raising a family. Now they dream of getting out of Iraq alive and as quickly as possible.
Just today, the United Nations issued a new report that says 4.2 million Iraqis have been displaced, half driven out of their homes by rampant and unrelenting bloodshed, and the other fleeing the country. It's estimated by the U.N. that 30,000 Iraqis cross into Syria every month, and Syria says the actual number is much higher. Jordan, meanwhile, has already taken over 1 million Iraqis. What have we done? We have granted 701 Iraqi refugees asylum in the United States.
The President recently announced we're willing to accept up to 7,000 Iraqis. Over 2 million Iraqis have fled their homeland so far, and we're going to take in a few thousand.
When we left Vietnam, we took hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese with us. Within a few months 130,000 Vietnamese had resettled here, and within a few years the number topped 320,000. These were our Vietnamese friends, people who had risked their lives to help us in Vietnam. We didn't desert them and they didn't desert us.
In Iraq, the President says we're willing to take a few thousand in a Nation losing millions of its people. The Iraqi people are fleeing their homes and their homeland in increasing numbers, flooding into nearby countries unable to cope with the refugee crisis.
Millions of peaceful, law-abiding Iraqis from its intellectual establishment, to its merchants, professionals, civil servants, and ordinary citizens are doing whatever they can to leave. And the President is doing everything he can to stay, building bases and demanding a so-called law to gain access to Iraqi's oil.
The President's stay-the-course strategy has evolved into his stay forever strategy. It hasn't worked before and it won't work now.
The President's military escalation is an absolute failure, and the sooner the President admits his mistake, the faster we can develop a national exit plan that protects our soldiers and gives Iraq back to the Iraq people, no strings or military bases attached.
Mr. Speaker, please pass the message to our President. It's time to bring the troops home. A hundred a month are dying, more and more. Last month, the third highest month in the war. It's not getting better. We've got to bring the troops home.
The Speaker pro tempore: Under a previous order of the House, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Sestak) is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. Sestak: Mr. Speaker, I commanded an aircraft carrier battle group of 30 ships off Afghanistan during the war from the Indian Ocean. We were told one day to take those 30 ships into the Persian Gulf, which some thought would be the running start to the Iraqi war.
Of those 30 ships, 20 of them were not United States' ships. They were Japanese. They were Australian. They were Italian. They were Greek. There were many other ships from throughout this world. But when we entered through the Strait of Hormuz into the Persian Gulf, none of those ships came with us except the British and the Australians. At that time, I knew that this war in Iraq would be a tragic misadventure.
Two months after the war in Afghanistan commenced, I was actually on the ground in Afghanistan. I saw for a very short period of time what needed to be done in order to bring about a successful resolution of that conflict.
After the war in Iraq was over and I left my carrier battle group, I was on the ground again for a short period again in Afghanistan and saw what had not been done, because we had diverted not just our attention but our resources, our PSYOPS forces, our special forces, our civil affairs units to Iraq. To me, Afghanistan is a poster child, as it is pre-terrorist and the Taliban have shifted into the southern provinces again and what Iraq has done to U.S. security worldwide.
So, therefore, I believe that the only strategy that we can pursue for success in Iraq is to have a date that is certain by which we will redeploy out of Iraq. We have to do this for two primary reasons.
First, a date certain changes the structure of incentives within the countries that are in that region to change the behavior. Iraqis need to step up to the plate, understanding we will not be there providing political and military cover to pursue the personal fiefdoms within the ministries of Baghdad's governments.
Also, Iran and Syria are involved destructively in this war. Once they know that we will not be there, they have an incentive to work for stability. They do not want the more than 4 million refugees that are dislocated within Iraq, and some have already filled our borders, to continue to overflow it, if we are not there to contain that instability.
Second, they do not want a proxy war between these two allied nations, Syria, Sunni and Iranian Shi'a. If we are not there, they do not want to fuel a proxy war between themselves as they support different religious factions.
But there is a second reason why we must have a date certain with sufficient time to redeploy our troops.
It took us 6 months to redeploy out of Somalia, a much smaller force. In Iraq, we have 140,000 troops and over 100,000 civilians. No one should ever try to redeploy those troops, and what is the hardest military operation to do is withdrawal, when they are most vulnerable in a short period of time.
We must have a date certain as a strategy, as the only leverage remaining to change the behavior of nations within that region to work for stability and to have our troops, those who wear the cloth of this Nation, that we sent there to have a redeployment that can be safe.
I ask this Congress to think the next time, as we must work for an end to this open-ended commitment, that we do so with sufficient time, as my bill said, by the end of December 31, but on an authorization bill, not an appropriations bill, where we again would be forced to vote, as I had to, for the safety of our troops versus the need to redeploy from Iraq, under a strategy which can leave behind an unfailed state.
To bring about greater security, an authorization bill is needed. Being in the military is a dangerous business. It has the dignity of danger. It should never be unsafe because we are forced in an appropriations bill, with a short period of time, to not provide the resources for our forces.
I therefore say that it needs to be an authorization bill with a date certain to bring about a greater security for the United States.
The Speaker pro tempore: Under a previous order of the House, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Solis) is recognized for 5 minutes.
Ms. Solis: Mr. Speaker, tonight I stand here today to honor the contribution of immigrants that have been made to our Nation, particularly defending our Nation in support of comprehensive immigration reform.
We need effective legislation that strikes the right balance between national security and reforming our current immigration system. This should include a path to permanency for millions of law abiding and tax paying immigrants who call the United States their home.
It's my hope that the Senate finalizes debating their immigration reform bill, and that our Chamber continues to work to adopt legislation that will truly reform the system and enhance our Nation's security.
Immigrant families are an important part of our social fabric and our economy. Undocumented workers, you may not know, contribute as much as $7 billion a year in Social Security into our system and $1.5 billion in Medicare every year, yet do not collect those benefits.
Immigrants, you may know, play an important role in defending our Nation. In all of our wars throughout our history, immigrants have fought side by side and have given their lives to defending America's freedoms and ideals.
Twenty percent of the recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor, the highest honor that our Nation bestows on our war heroes, has been granted to sons and daughters of immigrants. Their bravery is proof that immigrants are as willing as any other Americans to defend our country's freedom, and their service is no less important and valuable because of their immigrant status.
For example, as of May 2006, 33,449 noncitizens served in our Armed Forces, and more than 26,000 servicemembers have become U.S. citizens since the Iraq war began, and 75 servicemembers received posthumous citizenship.
Immigrants make up 5 percent of all enlisted personnel on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces, and immigrants continue to demonstrate that they are a part of this country through their service in the military.
Without the contribution of immigrants the military, as we know it today, could not meet its own recruiting goals. Without the assistance of immigrants, the military could not fill the need for foreign language translators, interpreters and cultural experts.
Immigrants provide unique incredibly valuable contributions to the military, and it's critical that we continue to recognize and appreciate their efforts and that of their families.
In the district I represent in California, we've unfortunately suffered several casualties, including that of immigrant servicemembers who gave their lives for our country. One is the fallen Marine Lance Corporal Francisco Martinez Flores who died while serving overseas in Iraq. At the age of 21, and only 2 weeks away from gaining U.S. citizenship, Francisco was killed in the line of duty. He was one of thousands of lawful permanent residents who have volunteered their service to protect the United States by joining the U.S. military.
On April 2003, Francisco was granted posthumous U.S. citizenship and Congress honored his memory by passing a bill that I authored to celebrate his life in the City of Duarte by naming a Post Office after him.
But in 2003, Sergeant Atanacio Haro-Marin, from the City of Baldwin Park, from my district from California also died in Iraq. He came under heavy enemy fire. This young man was born in Zacatecas, Mexico and moved to Los Angeles at 2 years of age. He'll be remembered as a proud and courageous soldier who was living out a long held dream of serving in the U.S. military and will be honored by having a Post Office named after him in the City of Baldwin Park.
The sacrifices that my constituents made inspired me to pursue legislation to help other legal permanent residents who risk their lives every day and die protecting our country's liberties and values, achieve the dream of becoming a citizen.
And in 2003, I introduced the Naturalization and Family Protection for Military Members Act. The bill, which was included in the Department of Defense Authorization Conference Report, was signed into law, and recognizes the enormous contributions of immigrants in the military by providing them with easier access to naturalization and immediate family immigration protections for those killed in action.
It is a tribute to them and their families and all veterans for the enormous sacrifices they've made so we and others around the world can live in freedom.
I'm proud today to tell you that I support our military men and women, and especially those that continue to serve us that are legal permanent residents. We need to see an immigration reform program come forward that is comprehensive, and salute soldiers such as this who have given their ultimate sacrifice for our country.
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| Woolsey: Vet Tribute | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wilson (SC): Iraq Memorial Day | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| McDermott: US Iraq Involvement | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sestak: US/Iraq Security | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Solis: Immigrant Soldiers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Blue Dog Coalition |
