“The Constitution of the United States charges the Congress with the responsibility to conduct oversight on the Executive Branch, and I am proud to have helped champion and pass broad bipartisan legislation aimed at overseeing the comprehensive redeployment planning at the Pentagon,” Ross said. “The war in Iraq should not be a partisan issue, it should be one where we all work together for a new direction in Iraq, and I am glad we have taken this step.”

In late September, Ross helped craft a letter urging House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to give the legislation swift consideration in the House. Ross led the effort as a Co-Chair of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of fiscally conservative Democrats, to successfully gain the signatures of 48 House members in the effort.

“I was honored to join with my colleague Representative John Tanner and members of the conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition to initiate and pass this common sense legislation,” Ross said. “It is my hope that the Congress will continue to work across the aisle and remain focused on developing a new direction to do what is best for our troops and for our nation’s security in this ongoing war in Iraq.”

The measure passed the House of Representatives Tuesday by a vote of 377-46.

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