[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 123 (Tuesday, September 9, 2003)]
[House]
[Page H8021]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     THE TIME FOR TRUTH AND CANDOR

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the House of 
January 7, 2003, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern) is 
recognized during morning hour debates for 5 minutes.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, President Bush's televised speech on 
Sunday night, calling for tens of billions of dollars in additional 
funding to support the U.S. occupation of Iraq, was extremely 
disappointing, disappointing because the President failed to explain to 
the American people the details on how he is going to change this 
failing policy.
  It is clear that his administration rushed to war with too little 
thought given to the implications of an American occupation of Iraq. We 
were not welcomed with open arms as some administration officials have 
predicted. On the front page of today's Washington Post is an article 
entitled ``Spy Agencies Warned of Iraq Resistance,'' detailing how U.S. 
intelligence agencies warned the Bush Administration before the war 
that there would be significant armed opposition to a U.S.-led 
occupation. In all the many briefings I attended, I do not recall any 
administration official sharing that information. We have not found the 
weapons of mass destruction that we were told existed in such 
abundance.
  And while the administration continues to link Iraq to the terrible 
tragedy of September 11, so far it has produced no evidence to support 
such a claim. In fact, the occupation of Iraq has increased the 
terrorist presence in that country, not lessened it.
  On Sunday night President Bush had the opportunity to tell the 
American people of his plan, including his exit strategy for the brave 
American men and women who are serving in Iraq with such incredible 
distinction. Instead, the President detailed nothing.
  This is a war that should never have happened. As awful as Saddam 
Hussein was, he was not an imminent or direct threat to the people of 
the United States. Months into the war, the Congress and the American 
people are still waiting to hear a clear, consistent and convincing 
justification for it. Why did we need to invade Iraq? What was so 
urgent that it required us to go to war when we did? Why could we not 
have spent the necessary time to build an international consensus on 
how to best deal with Saddam? What was so threatening to our country 
that made this Congress spend only 1 day, 1 day debating the 
authorization authorizing war?
  As of today, 284 brave young Americans have lost their lives and 
1,450 have been wounded. And in preparation for this war, this Chamber 
could only manage to devote a single day in October debating it. That 
is shameful.
  Now the President says he wants another $87 billion and expects 
everyone to just go along, no questions asked. Mr. Speaker, like so 
many people throughout this country, I have a lot of questions and I am 
not prepared to just go along. I want to make sure that American troops 
have all the resources they need and I am not advocating that we walk 
away from our obligation to the people of Iraq. However, I also want to 
make certain that the hard-earned tax dollars of the American people 
are not wasted on more of the same. I have no problem with helping Iraq 
build hospitals, health clinics, schools, roads and housing. But I do 
have a problem with the lack of support by this administration for the 
building of hospitals and health clinics, schools, roads, and housing 
right here in the United States.
  Why did the President not tell us on Sunday that in the face of this 
enormous price tag, he is willing to forego his tax cut for 
millionaires so that we can avoid going deeper into debt? If this is a 
time for sacrifice, then why do the people in the income bracket of 
President Bush and Vice President Cheney not have to make any 
sacrifice? I cannot vote for 87 billion additional dollars without some 
accountability and some clarification. What is the plan? How long are 
we going to be there? Eighty-seven billion dollars is for just 1 year. 
What about next year or the year after that? How is the $87 billion 
going to be spent? How were the $79 billion we appropriated in April 
spent? We are now at $166 billion and counting.
  The President wants us to spend $87 billion more mostly for Iraq. For 
months some of us have been trying to get just $1.8 billion more for 
our veterans' health care only to be told by the administration that 
there is not enough money. We have been trying to get $7 billion so 
that the Pell grant program fully lives up to its promise and students 
are not buried under a mountain of debt. The administration says no. We 
have been trying to get just $300 million to fund the Global Food for 
Education Initiative, to provide a nutritious meal in a school setting 
for millions of children, but the administration tells us that the 
money just is not there.
  The American people need to know what is at stake here. They need to 
know about the choices the administration is asking us to make. This is 
a time for truth and candor. We have had enough spin. We have had 
enough deception. This is also the time for this Congress to do what it 
failed to do before the war: ask the tough questions, demand the 
straight answers, and debate thoughtfully the implications of what we 
are doing. We must be more than a rubber stamp, and I would urge my 
colleagues respectfully to proceed with caution.

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