For Immediate Release                                                           Contact:  Eric Wortman 202-226-4571
February 1, 2007

Blue Dogs Call on Democratic Leadership to Demand Fiscal Accountability in Iraq

WASHINGTON D.C.- In response to the recent release of a quarterly report issued to Congress on the progress of Iraq reconstruction, members of the Democratic Blue Dog Coalition sent a letter today urging Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic leadership to support the Coalition’s resolution calling for increased fiscal accountability in funding the Iraq war.

The report, issued January 30th by the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR), counts unsanitary conditions, potential health hazards, poor construction methods and significant cost overruns among the examples of the waste, fraud and abuse rampant in the government’s funding of the Iraq war. 
 
"The latest report from the inspector general only compounds the concern over money wasted and weapons missing," said Congressman Patrick Murphy.  "The families back home in the 8th district of Pennsylvania are frustrated, I am frustrated and it is time for a change.  Our legislation will confront the waste, fraud and abuse and replace it with oversight, responsibility and accountability."

Earlier this month the Blue Dog Coalition introduced a resolution calling for increased oversight and accountability with regard to how taxpayer dollars are spent on the war.  House Resolution 97 focuses on four points for demanding fiscal responsibility in Iraq: a call for transparency on how Iraq war funds are spent; the creation of a Truman Commission to investigate the awarding of contracts; a need to fund the Iraq war through the normal appropriations process and not through “emergency” supplementals; and using American resources to improve Iraqi assumption of internal policing operations.

The conservative Blue Dog Coalition was formed in 1995 with the goal of representing the center of the House of Representatives and appealing to the mainstream values of the American public.  The Blue Dogs are dedicated to a core set of beliefs that transcend partisan politics, including a deep commitment to the financial stability and national security of the United States.

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