[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3938 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3938

  To repeal the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq 
 Resolution of 2002 (Public Law 107-243) and to require the withdrawal 
               of the United States Armed Forces in Iraq.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 23, 2007

 Mr. Dingell introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Armed 
Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 
   each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the 
                jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To repeal the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq 
 Resolution of 2002 (Public Law 107-243) and to require the withdrawal 
               of the United States Armed Forces in Iraq.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Bring Our Troops Home Responsibly 
Act of 2007''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Prior to the initiation of the war in Iraq, the 
        President cited concerns about weapons of mass destruction 
        programs as one justification for the use of military force in 
        Iraq. On October 6, 2004, the head of the Iraq Survey Group 
        (ISG), Charles Duelfer, announced to the Committee on Armed 
        Services of the Senate that the group found no evidence that 
        Iraq under Saddam Hussein had produced and stockpiled any 
        weapons of mass destruction since 1991.
            (2) Prior to the initiation of the war in Iraq, the 
        President cited Saddam Hussein's role as a brutal dictator who 
        tortured and killed thousands of Iraqi civilians during his 20-
        year rule as a justification for the use of military force in 
        Iraq. Saddam Hussein was captured by United States forces on 
        December 13, 2003, convicted of charges related to the 
        execution of 148 Iraqi civilians on November 5, 2006, and 
        executed on December 30, 2006.
            (3) Prior to the initiation of the war in Iraq, the 
        President cited possible links between the Al-Qaeda terrorist 
        network and Saddam Hussein's government as a justification for 
        the use of military force in Iraq. Reports by the Central 
        Intelligence Agency, the Defense Intelligence Agency, and the 
        Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Defense 
        have all concluded that there was little evidence of any such 
        links. While there is currently violence in Iraq directed 
        towards American troops, a September 2007 Congressional 
        Research Service report found that attacks by the group Al-
        Qaeda in Iraq make up only a small percentage of the total 
        number of attacks on United States troops in Iraq.
            (4) Prior to the initiation of the war in Iraq, the 
        President cited the importance of spreading democracy in the 
        Middle East as a justification for the use of military force in 
        Iraq. On October 15, 2005, the Iraqi people voted to ratify a 
        new constitution, on January 30, 2005, the Iraqi people elected 
        275 members of a newly created Iraqi National Assembly, and on 
        May 20, 2006, Nouri al-Maliki was approved as Prime Minister of 
        Iraq by the National Assembly and sworn in.
            (5) The President has failed to secure international 
        support for the continuing efforts in Iraq. While the President 
        has executed a plan known as the ``troop surge'', every other 
        nation participating in the occupation of Iraq is reducing 
        troop levels. The United Kingdom has reduced its troop levels 
        from 45,000 to approximately 4,500. Twenty nations that had 
        once been members of the international coalition contributing 
        troops have completely withdrawn those troops from Iraq.
            (6) The United States has accomplished all of the military 
        goals announced by the President at the outset of the war in 
        Iraq. The brave men and women of the Armed Forces have 
        performed admirably, showing both dedication to their mission 
        and professionalism in carrying that mission out.
            (7) The Bush Administration has, at various times, 
        confirmed that the military goals of the war in Iraq were 
        complete. On May 1, 2003, the President stood in front of a 
        banner reading ``Mission Accomplished'' and declared an end to 
        major military operations in Iraq. On May 30, 2005, the Vice 
        President stated in a television interview that the insurgency 
        was in its ``last throes''.
            (8) It is clear that the American people are looking for a 
        change in strategy in Iraq--one that will allow the Nation to 
        safely and responsibly bring members of the Armed Forces home 
        as quickly as possible. However, the strategy outlined by the 
        President in his September 13, 2007, address makes it clear 
        that the President has no plan for substantially reducing the 
        number of troops in Iraq while he is in office. It is 
        unconscionable for President Bush to leave this situation for 
        the next President to fix.

SEC. 3. REPEAL OF PUBLIC LAW 107-243.

    The Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution 
of 2002 (Public Law 107-243) is hereby repealed.

SEC. 4. STATEMENT OF POLICY.

    It is the policy of the United States--
            (1) that, based upon the findings of section 1, the United 
        States has accomplished those military goals that were 
        established at the outset of the use of military force in Iraq, 
        and that it no longer benefits the national security of the 
        United States for members of the United States Armed Forces to 
        remain in Iraq;
            (2) that the United States should begin withdrawing its 
        Armed Forces from Iraq in a safe, responsible, and orderly 
        manner, and that such withdrawal should begin no later than 30 
        days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and should be 
        accomplished by 12:00 p.m. on January 20, 2009;
            (3) that the congressionally mandated report produced by 
        the Iraq Study Group contains a set of recommendations which, 
        if followed, would assist the United States in accomplishing a 
        troop withdrawal in the most responsible manner possible and 
        prepare the Iraqis to return to full self-government;
            (4) that it is the moral duty of the United States to 
        continue assisting the Government of Iraq in rebuilding and 
        reconstruction efforts, as well as efforts to find a lasting 
        political solution to the ongoing sectarian conflict that has 
        occurred since the United States military invasion of Iraq, and 
        that doing so will require that the United States engage in 
        vigorous diplomatic efforts and the engagement of other 
        regional and global actors; and
            (5) that the United States is further morally obligated to 
        provide humanitarian assistance for the millions of Iraqi 
        refugees that have been displaced since the beginning of the 
        war in Iraq, especially those Iraqi civilians who have become 
        targets for violence because they have worked with or assisted 
        the United States military or the Iraqi Government.

SEC. 5. WITHDRAWAL OF UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES FROM IRAQ.

    (a) Not more than 30 days after the date of the enactment of the 
Act, the Secretary of Defense shall begin the withdrawal of members of 
the Armed Forces from Iraq, and shall complete this withdrawal by 12:00 
p.m. January 20, 2009, except as otherwise provided in this Act.
    (b) No funds appropriated or otherwise made available to the 
Department of Defense shall be expended to increase the number of 
members of the Armed Forces in Iraq beyond the number of such members 
in Iraq on the date of the enactment of this Act.
    (c) No funds appropriated or otherwise made available to the 
Department of Defense shall be expended for the construction of 
permanent United States military installations in Iraq.
    (d) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, the Department 
of Defense may retain such members of the Armed Forces in Iraq as 
required for the following purposes:
            (1) Protection of the United States Embassy, including 
        Embassy personnel.
            (2) Limited counter-terrorism activities directed at the 
        Al-Qaeda terrorist network, provided that the members of the 
        Armed Forces carrying out such activities are not permanently 
        deployed in Iraq.
            (3) Nonoffensive military operations designed solely to 
        address humanitarian concerns in Iraq, including assistance to 
        refugees.
            (4) Assisting the Iraqi military in ensuring that Iraq's 
        borders are secure.

SEC. 6. REPORTING REQUIREMENT.

    Not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
the Secretary of Defense shall submit to Congress a report outlining a 
strategy to remove the United States Armed Forces from Iraq by 12:00 
p.m. on January 20, 2009.
                                 <all>