(Washington, DC) - Congressman Herger (R-CA) issued the following statement after passage of the supplemental troop funding bill.  The measure covers the costs of the missions in Iraq and Afghanistan through Sept. 30, 2009.  Herger’s comments follow below:

“I’m pleased that the House of Representatives passed a clean funding bill for our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Our brave men and women in uniform deserve our full support and that includes the funding to successfully execute their missions.  These missions are critically important to America’s national security and our efforts overseas should not be undermined by ‘Capitol Hill Generals’.  I am happy that this bill does not seek to accelerate troop withdrawals in an arbitrary and counterproductive manner.  I believe our commanders with boots on the ground and intimate familiarity with the security situation in Iraq are best positioned to know whether our troops can return home at a faster pace without undermining the enormous security and political gains we’ve seen.  I’m also pleased that the measure provides full support for our nation’s enhanced counterinsurgency strategy in Afghanistan.

“Additionally, I believe the measure correctly denies funding to shut down the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay and rightly requires the President to submit a plan for relocating the detainees by October 1st.  I do not see how closing Guantanamo Bay and potentially moving some of the world’s most dangerous terrorists – men like Khalid Sheikh Muhammad, the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, and Abu Zubaydah, who personally trained some of the 9/11 hijackers – onto American soil will do anything to make us safer.  I have cosponsored legislation that prohibits the Administration from transferring or releasing any terrorist detainees at Guantanamo to any state without express approval from the state’s governor and legislature.  Additionally, several additional certification requirements from Congress would have to be met.  While our armed forces are doing the hard work of protecting our national security overseas, I believe it is our duty to ensure their efforts are upheld here at home.”