For Immediate Release

December 19, 2007

Rep. Dicks' Remarks on Supplemental Defense Funding Bill

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks issued the following statement during House floor debate on legislation providing funds for the ongoing military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan:

"Mr. Speaker. The House of Representatives today is faced with a regrettable decision on the eve of the adjournment of the first session of the 110th Congress. With the appropriations bills that fund the routine operations of all of the departments and agencies of the federal government now approved by both Houses of Congress, we are once again being asked to provide additional funding for the ongoing military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The House has already expressed its view on this question when we voted on November 14th to approve $50 billion in supplemental defense funding with three very clear and very reasonable conditions: that our troops should be properly trained; that our forces will not use torture when conducting interrogations of enemy combatants; and, that we should establish a goal of redeploying all offensive troops from Iraq by the end of 2008. It would have been easy – and appropriate – for the President to sign the bill that was approved by a majority of the Members of this House and supported by a majority of Americans, rendering the debate we are having today unnecessary. The President has remained stubbornly determined to continue our involvement in Iraq without clearly defining a plan for the eventual re-deployment of our troops, and he has stated his intention to veto any legislation that attempts to change the course he has set.

"After more than 4-1/2 years, it is clear that our nation’s involvement in Iraq has cost far too much. It has cost the lives of nearly 3,900 men and women in our military and it has affected the lives of many thousand more who have been seriously wounded -- both physically and psychologically. It has cost at least $450 billion in national debt to date, with hundreds of billions more in future costs that will be incurred no matter how quickly we are able to extricate ourselves. It has also seriously diminished our military readiness and our ability to respond to other national security threats. And finally, our initial invasion and our protracted involvement in Iraq has diminished our international prestige and made it more difficult for the United States to exert leadership and influence around the globe.

"It is against this backdrop that we in Congress have been working toward a strategy of timely redeployment of our troops that I believe is both militarily appropriate and necessary for encouraging the Iraqi government to assume greater control of the security of the Iraqi people. It was discouraging to me on our visit to Iraq last month led by the Chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, Congressman Jack Murtha, that the Iraqi government has clearly not taken advantage of the improved security climate, brought about largely by the increased numbers of U.S. troops in Iraq during this past year. President Maliki and his government have not taken the steps they pledged to take in national reconciliation, in the distribution of the oil revenues or in several other key benchmarks that were established as indicators of progress.

"On the face of it, the provision that has been sent to us by the Senate appears to be strictly about providing funds for the military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is true that these funds would ensure that the soldiers, marines, sailors and airmen in harm’s way are protected and continue to have the equipment, the supplies, the fuel, and the transportation resources that keeps them fed, repairs their equipment, treats their medical needs, and allows them to continue to operate. The reality, however, is that these funds will necessarily have an impact on our entire military. Because of the immediate need to protect troops in wartime conditions, all of the men and women in uniform – as well as the civilian workforce of the Defense Department -- are caught in the position of having to curtail important operations that underpin the very readiness of our forces, not just for Iraq, but for all aspects of our nation’s defense.

"The Army is on the leading edge of these impacts with installations across the country already having been notified to prepare for curtailing operations in the middle of February. The Army can keep going that long only by accelerating spending regular operations funds intended to last for the entire year, and by reprogramming other funds to the maximum allowed in law. If no further action is taken on this funding, the Army intends to furlough as many as 100,000 civilian employees and a comparable number of contractor personnel. In addition, it will sharply reduce travel, training, maintenance and child care and other day-to-day activities at installations across the nation. And we know that the Marine Corps is close behind the timing of the Army in experiencing these impacts, all of which will exacerbate the level of readiness already diminished by our long involvement in Iraq.

"So it is frustrating for me and for many Members of this House to be presented with the Hobson’s choice that we have before us today: whether to impose a terribly chaotic situation on the entire U.S. military or whether to approve another substantial increment of funding for the Iraq war without any clear and well-articulated strategy for the eventual re-deployment of American troops. We are presented with this choice by a President who is unwilling to consider any change whatsoever in our strategy in Iraq and who has clearly not listened to the will of the American people or the views of their representatives here in Congress.

"I have reluctantly concluded at this point that a vote to deny these funds now could potentially harm the troops in theater and could seriously diminish the condition of all of our military forces who still face other threats around the globe. Out of a responsibility to the men and women in uniform, to their families, to the civilian workforce in DOD and to our nation’s overall security, I intend to vote in favor of this resolution.

"At the same time, it is my intention to continue working with what I believe is a growing majority here in Congress and a solid majority in the country to advocate for a major change in the direction of our policy in Iraq, and for the prompt re-deployment of the U.S. troops currently stationed in Iraq."

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