[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1111 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1111

 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that any funding 
      provided by the United States to the Government of Iraq for 
reconstruction, training for Iraqi security forces, and fuel for United 
   States operations in Iraq should be provided in the form of loans.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 16, 2008

  Mr. Klein of Florida submitted the following resolution; which was 
              referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that any funding 
      provided by the United States to the Government of Iraq for 
reconstruction, training for Iraqi security forces, and fuel for United 
   States operations in Iraq should be provided in the form of loans.

Whereas the United States has been engaged in Iraq for more than five years at a 
        great cost to the United States in both lives and resources;
Whereas, March 19, 2008, marked the fifth anniversary of the engagement of the 
        United States in Iraq;
Whereas the United States Government has spent $600 billion to fight the war in 
        Iraq and that expenditure has contributed greatly to the Nation's debt;
Whereas United States taxpayers have provided $45 billion in funding for the 
        reconstruction in Iraq;
Whereas world oil prices have reached more than $111 a barrel;
Whereas consumers in the United States are paying record gas prices of 
        approximately $3.29 a gallon;
Whereas the United States Government spends $153 million per month on fuel in 
        Iraq, at approximately $3.23 per gallon for gasoline, diesel, and jet 
        fuel while Iraqis pay $1.30 per gallon for fuel;
Whereas when the war began, Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz said, 
        ``We're dealing with a country that can really finance its own 
        reconstruction, and relatively soon'';
Whereas Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld testified before the Senate 
        Appropriations Committee on March 27, 2003, that, ``When it comes to 
        reconstruction, before we turn to the American taxpayer, we will turn 
        first to the resources of the Iraqi government and the international 
        community'';
Whereas Iraq has the world's second largest proven oil reserves that hold more 
        than 112 billion barrels of oil;
Whereas, due to high oil prices and expanded oil production, it has been 
        predicted that the Government of Iraq is likely to experience an 
        enormous revenue windfall;
Whereas, based on oil revenues, it is predicted that the Government of Iraq's 
        budget surplus is expected to top $180 billion over the next three 
        years;
Whereas in January 2008, the Government Accountability Office issued a report 
        stating that, according to Iraq's official expenditure reports, the 
        Government of Iraq had spent only 4.4 percent of its $10.1 billion 
        investment budget as of August 2007;
Whereas Iraq has not made satisfactory progress toward achieving the political 
        benchmarks established by the United States Congress; and
Whereas the Government of Iraq needs to invest in the future of Iraq by paying 
        all future costs of reconstruction, training of security forces and 
        fuel: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives 
that--
            (1) any funding provided by the United States to the 
        Government of Iraq for reconstruction, training for Iraqi 
        security forces, and fuel for United States operations in Iraq 
        should be provided in the form of loans; and
            (2) the United States Government should work with the 
        Government of Iraq to ensure that the Government of Iraq 
        obligates its own budget surplus for reconstruction projects 
        before reconstruction aid from the United States is obligated.
                                 <all>