WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Lois Capps today announced her opposition to the $87 billion supplemental spending bill for activities in Iraq and Afghanistan. Capps cited her strong intention to provide the troops with the support they need, but said she could not support another massive spending request from the Administration while it has failed to secure long-term, broad international support, and has not provided Congress with a detailed strategic plan for securing the peace and exiting from the region. At the same time, critical domestic needs continue to go unmet.
Capps said she supported a plan that would have allocated more resources to improve the quality of life for the men and women serving in Iraq, provided for more accountability for the Administration’s efforts in Iraq, and would have provided this funding in a fiscally responsible manner.
The following is the text of Rep. Capps’ statement as prepared for delivery on the House floor:
Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this bill. Last year I voted against the war in Iraq because I believed this administration had overstated its case for this pre-emptive war, rushed us unilaterally into this conflict, and ultimately had no real plan for the postwar reconstruction. Despite the President’s protests, these concerns have proved legitimate.
Iraq is still in chaos. American soldiers, international diplomats, and Iraqi civilians are being killed every day. And the Administration is still a long way from pacifying Iraq or setting up a stable government.
When U.S. soldiers are in harm’s way the first concern of Americans is how to best support our troops. We want to be sure they have the material and equipment they need to protect themselves and complete their mission. And we want to know that our troops are being used appropriately and that the Administration is doing everything feasible to keep them as safe as possible.
The American people have their doubts about the progress in Iraq and the Administration’s wisdom in handling this situation. So do I.
The Administration clearly did little or no planning for post war Iraq. It has proven to be unprepared for the complexities and dangers of restoring Iraqi stability. And we have not yet realized the success in Iraq that the Administration claimed it delivered when it declared the mission accomplished five months ago. In their rush to get public support for the war Administration officials scoffed at experts who predicted that more troops and more money would be needed.
Now the President has requested a staggering $87 billion in taxpayer money to fund his efforts in Iraq. I am amazed at the audacity of the President’s request.
While I do believe we will have to make a substantial financial commitment to the rebuilding of Iraq, I am concerned that this Administration is starving efforts to solve problems here at home. The size of this package, on top of the trillions of dollars in tax cuts mostly for the wealthiest Americans, will significantly add to the budget deficit, already the largest in history. And yet the Administration has said over and over again that there is not enough money for Medicare, for education, for housing, or for any of our domestic priorities.
And Americans seem to be bearing this burden in Iraq alone. The President has failed to get international support or give the United Nations a prominent role in this mission. And the Administration has not shown the Congress or the American people a plan for completing the reconstruction. Nor does it show any signs of having a plan that will reduce the threat to our soldiers in the near future. In fact, the Administration seems to be in denial that anything is wrong in Iraq.
I support giving our troops the funding they need. And I understand and agree with our responsibility to rebuild Iraq. I firmly believe that after dismantling the Iraqi government we cannot pull out until we have restored stability. But sometimes the best way to achieve our goals and support our troops is to send a strong message that the current policy is not working.
This Administration needs a wake-up call on its Iraq policy. Defeating this supplemental would be that wake up call.
The proposal I support would be much better for the troops than the President’s request. It allocates more resources to improve the quality of life for the men and women serving in Iraq. It would have provided for much more accountability for the Administration’s efforts in Iraq. And it would have paid for this huge amount of spending so it would not increase the budget deficit.
It is time for the Administration to reexamine its policy in Iraq. It is time for the US to make changes to assure success. And it is time for the President to swallow his pride, admit that things are not going well in Iraq and ask for international support.
Lets send him this message by defeating this bill.
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