[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 147 (Monday, October 20, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2094-E2095]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   EMERGENCY SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT FOR DEFENSE AND FOR THE 
              RECONSTRUCTION OF IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN, 2004

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. SILVESTRE REYES

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 17, 2003

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 3289) making 
     emergency supplemental appropriations for defense and for the 
     reconstruction of Iraq and Afghanistan for the fiscal year 
     ending September 30, 2004, and for other purposes.

  Mr. REYES. Mr. Chairman, tomorrow we will vote on spending 86.9 
billion dollars of American taxpayers' hard-earned money on our on-
going military operations and reconstruction in Iraq and Afghanistan.
  This massive request for supplemental funds to pay for our activities 
in Iraq and Afghanistan brings home--to the pocketbooks of every 
American taxpayer--the cost of our involvement in these countries.
  If this bill passes tomorrow, we will have spent a total of 175 
billion dollars on Iraq and Afghanistan--38 billion dollars more than 
we are spending for Federal health, education and labor programs here 
at home. And 47 billion dollars more than we are spending for our 
veterans, housing, economic development, NASA, environmental protection 
and scientific research here at home.
  I am not going to argue about our activities in Afghanistan--they are 
wholly appropriate and necessary in order to dismantle the Al-Qaeda 
terrorist network.
  However, Iraq is different.
  We have gotten ourselves into a situation in Iraq that is both 
dangerous to our troops and critically important to our worldwide 
leadership duties and responsibilities. The situation is now so serious 
that, to me, it is less important that we arrived at this point by 
serious miscalculation, perhaps manipulation and half-truths, than to 
understand that ``failure is not an option.''
  We have the most professional, most dedicated, best-trained and best-
equipped military in the world. It is absolutely necessary that we 
supply anything and everything to support and ensure the safety and 
success of our troops. They represent the best this country has to 
offer, and their sacrifices should never be taken lightly or for 
granted. As commander in chief, the president committed them to this 
war, and now we must provide them with all the resources and support 
they need. I support every penny of this request that supports our 
troops. And in addition to supporting them this week, we must also 
remember to fully support and fund the veterans programs that they will 
rely on in the future.

  The Administration is asking us to support a request for 
reconstruction in Iraq of 18.6 billion dollars that, according to 
Ambassador L. Paul Bremer (administrator of the Coalition Provisional 
Authority), is probably just the down payment. Bremer has indicated 
that reconstruction costs alone may top 60 to 70 billion dollars.
  This bill would provide 5.7 billion dollars to rehabilitate Iraq's 
electric power infrastructure. In my district, which includes the city 
of El Paso, and in other districts on the U.S.-Mexican border, hundreds 
of thousands of our own citizens don't have electricity. Never mind 
that a failure in our own power grid caused a huge blackout in the 
Northeast recently, and that Hurricane Isabel left hundreds of 
thousands in the dark, while many of my colleagues were told by Federal 
disaster relief agencies that they don't have the funds to help.
  Also included in this bill is 793 million dollars for health care 
programs and upgrades to hospitals and clinics. El Paso, a city of 
700,000, is in desperate need of affordable health services and is in 
the midst of a health care crisis caused by severe budget cutbacks at 
the State and Federal levels.
  This bill includes 4.3 billion dollars to expand access to safe 
drinking water and improve sanitation. Hundreds of thousands of people 
along our Nation's border don't have safe drinking water or sanitation 
services. In fact, nearly 5,000 households in the El Paso area lack 
complete plumbing.
  This supplemental includes another 500 million dollars for 
transportation and telecommunications projects in Iraq. Meanwhile, more 
than 10,000 households in the El Paso area have no telephone service 
available for their use.
  Mr. Speaker, there are those in the Administration who talk about our 
``responsibility'' to provide these services to rebuild Iraq when we 
along the border are constantly told there is not enough money to 
assist in the development of these services here at home. What about 
the responsibility to our own citizens in our own country?
  This Administration comes to us and the American people expecting to 
receive a blank check with no questions asked. It seems to think the 
tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001, can be used to ramrod anything and 
everything. It acts as though it is unpatriotic to ask for 
justification and accountability. Mr. Speaker, it is not unpatriotic to 
ask for justification and accountability for the taxpayers' money--it 
is one of the most patriotic actions a member of this body can take.
  The request for funds to rebuild Iraq is bundled together in this 
bill with the money essential to support our troops. At the same time 
that their sons and daughters are being

[[Page E2095]]

wounded and killed in Iraq, the American people are being asked to pay 
the bill for programs and projects in Iraq that are desperately needed 
here.
  I intend to support this flawed supplemental request, but only 
because the safety of our brave men and women in uniform depends on it.

                          ____________________