110 HRES 1123 IH: Calling on the President of the United
U.S. House of Representatives
2008-04-17
text/xml
EN
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Whereas, on August 26, 2007, Iraqi leaders sent, and
President George W. Bush endorsed, a communiqué stating the two nations are
committed to developing a long-term relationship of cooperation and friendship
as two fully sovereign and independent states with common interests;
Whereas, on November 26, 2007, Iraq and the United States
signed a Declaration of Principles for a Long-Term Relationship of Cooperation
and Friendship Between the Republic of Iraq and the United States of America,
that signaled the beginning of a formal discussion towards the forming of a
bilateral agreement between the two countries and that contemplated
wide-ranging security commitments by the United States for the defense of the
Government of Iraq from both internal and external threats;
Whereas the Administration has announced
its intention to negotiate this bilateral agreement as two separate pacts, a
“strategic framework agreement” on broad economic, social, and security issues,
and a “status of forces agreement,” which in this case would also provide these
forces with the authority to fight
;
Whereas the Administration has announced
that it will not seek the approval of Congress for either agreement, a stance
that is disputed by some in Congress and by the judgment of some constitutional
scholars to the extent that either agreement includes the obligation or the
authority for United States Armed Forces to engage in combat operations;
Whereas the Congressional Budget Office has estimated that
the annual cost of maintaining about 55,000 troops over the long-term in Iraq
would be about $10 billion in a non-combat scenario and $25 billion with combat
operations;
Whereas the Congressional Budget Office’s estimate assumes
only minimal procurement costs for replacing or upgrading war-worn
equipment;
Whereas currently there are more than over
140,000 members of the United States Armed Forces serving in Iraq in a combat
situation;
Whereas the United States Congress has appropriated over
$526,000,000,000 for operations in Iraq;
Whereas for fiscal year 2009, the Administration has
included a $70 billion placeholder request for Iraq in the Department of
Defense budget;
Whereas the United States is currently
experiencing an economic downturn, and the Chairman of the Federal Reserve
recently testified before Congress that a “recession is possible”;
Whereas with 115 billion barrels of proven crude oil
reserves, Iraq has the world's third-largest endowment of oil, amounting to 11
percent of the global total;
Whereas the current price per barrel of oil is over $110;
and
Whereas the current government in Iraq has a vested
interest in the continued presence of United States Armed Forces in Iraq: Now,
therefore, be it
That the United States House of
Representatives calls on the President of the United States not to commit the
United States to any status of forces agreement or any other bilateral
agreement with the Republic of Iraq that involves the presence of the United
States Armed Forces in Iraq unless the agreement includes a provision under
which the Republic of Iraq agrees to reimburse the United States for all costs
incurred by the United States related to the presence of United States Armed
Forces in Iraq after the effective date of the agreement, including the costs
of pay and allowances for members of the United States Armed Forces serving in
Iraq.