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U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) released the following statement today after voting against the latest Iraq funding bill. The bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 280 to 142. This legislation will now go to the House and Senate conference committee, where it is expected to be approved and sent to the President for his signature.
“I voted against the latest Iraq funding bill because it would give the President $120 billion to continue this disastrous war without any timetable for withdrawal.
I made it perfectly clear from the start that I would not support a bill that would provide the President with a blank check in Iraq without any type of accountability or timelines. Unfortunately, this bill gives the President everything he wants. The President will even have the right to waive all of the benchmarks to continue this war indefinitely.
Regardless of the passage of this funding bill, I am confident that it is only a matter of time until the President is overwhelmed by the realities on the ground in Iraq and public opinion opposing an endless war.
We previously sent the President two different bills that gave him full funding for our troops, but he refused to sign either of them into law because they included a timeline for withdrawal. I voted for those bills because I felt they brought us closer to ending this war.
Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for this latest bill because it does not bring us any closer to achieving that goal. I will continue to work with my colleagues who are committed to ending this war.”
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