[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 71 (Wednesday, May 19, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5740-S5741]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               THE COMMANDER'S EMERGENCY RESPONSE PROGRAM

  Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I come to the floor of the Senate today 
to share with my colleagues and the American people a genuine success 
story coming out of Iraq. It is a story that demonstrates how American 
ingenuity, coupled with common sense and commitment, is leading to 
immediate, visible and valuable improvements in the lives of the Iraqi 
people.
  I am speaking of the Commander's Emergency Response Program. This is 
a program that allows our troops on the ground to fund low-cost, high-
impact humanitarian and small reconstruction projects that benefit the 
quality of life of the Iraqi people and contribute to our country's 
stabilization efforts in Iraq.
  The Commander's Emergency Response Program, or CERP, is a program 
that has generated significant success and one that deserves to be told 
and told and told.
  With the wave of bad news coming out of Iraq in recent weeks, it is 
easy to lose sight of the progress we have made in that country and of 
the many accomplishments our Armed Forces have already reached.
  Our men and women in uniform have performed magnificently, and the 
Commander's Emergency Response Program gives them a tool to fund small-
scale projects that have an immediate, visible, and high-value impact 
on the lives of the Iraqi people. We are literally talking about 
repairing homes, painting schools, restocking hospitals, and restoring 
freshwater supplies to villages. No project is too small; no task is 
too trivial.
  To date, our commanders on the ground have spent over $250 million 
through the Commander's Emergency Response Program, funding over 21,000 
projects at an average cost of less than $7,000. That is right, $7,000.
  Our local commanders have used the CERP to reopen hospitals and 
clinics all across Iraq to administer over 22 million vaccinations. 
They have distributed new textbooks to 5.9 million students who are 
attending school, some for the first time. Our commanders have funded 
over 1,000 water and sewer projects, bringing clean water to farmers 
and to villages.
  In Rutba, CERP funds were used for electrical and plumbing repairs to 
the local youth center. The repairs, which cost less than $9,000, were 
completed within 10 days.
  In Baghdad, the 30th Medical Brigade used the CERP funds to purchase 
inspection equipment for seven slaughterhouses.
  The list of small, yet meaningful, projects could go on and on. Most 
importantly, the CERP lets our troops act quickly without becoming 
entangled in redtape or bureaucracy.
  Individually, these small-scale projects contribute to the 
improvement in the daily lives of Iraqi citizens step by step. 
Collectively, these thousands of projects become something larger, like 
pieces of a puzzle that join together to reveal a larger picture--a 
good picture.
  Collectively, these projects illustrate the concern of the U.S. 
military for the Iraqi people, the commitment that our men and women in 
uniform bring to improving the lives of Iraqis every single day, and 
the creativity in our approach to ensuring security and stability in 
Iraq.
  We do not read much about these kinds of activities, but collectively 
these projects give our troops on the ground an opportunity to reach 
out to Iraqi citizens and to build a bond of mutual trust and good 
will.
  BG David Blackledge, the commander of the 352nd Civil Affairs Command 
in Iraq, said one of the reasons

[[Page S5741]]

the Commander's Emergency Response Program has been so successful is 
that it is administered by the local battalion or brigade commander on 
the ground who is living and interacting with the citizens of his or 
her area of responsibility on a daily basis.
  Who can better identify the immediate needs that can be addressed 
through low-cost, high-impact projects than the soldiers right there on 
the ground?
  With all due respect for the policy people here in Washington, they 
cannot see the potholes in the roads, they cannot see the dilapidated 
buildings and infrastructure that has degenerated for years under the 
tyrannical dictatorship of Saddam Hussein. Our troops on the ground see 
these obstacles every day, and the Commander's Emergency Response 
Program lets them address these problems immediately and effectively 
with the cooperation and assistance of the Iraqi people.

  Let me be clear--very clear: In most cases, the actual work is done 
by Iraqis themselves, so that in addition to yielding immediate and 
visible results, projects funded from the CERP provide jobs to Iraqis 
who are eager to rebuild their country and to stimulate the Iraqi 
economy.
  Some people might be concerned that our commanders are walking around 
Iraq and Afghanistan with thousands of dollars of cash in their 
pockets, spending it without congressional oversight. Let me assure 
those people that is not so. The coalition has instituted strict 
controls to ensure complete accountability of the funds from the 
Commander's Emergency Response Program.
  The Commander's Emergency Response Program is a low-cost, high-impact 
program, the effects of which will be felt throughout Iraq. It has been 
instrumental in gaining the confidence of the Iraqi people and in 
generating a tremendous amount of good will toward our troops on the 
ground.
  Sometimes all it takes to improve the lives of Iraqi citizens and to 
build relationships is to repair a door that was damaged in a raid, or 
to provide a power generator to a factory so its Iraqi employees can 
get back to work. These are the types of small, yet meaningful, 
projects our commanders can tackle with the Commander's Emergency 
Response Program. These projects do not cost much in terms of dollars, 
but the return is tremendous. It is critical we continue to incorporate 
this approach into our reconstruction efforts in Iraq. Our commanders 
need reasonable, sound financial flexibility to match the speed of 
their operations and the dynamic nature of our battlefields.
  The Commander's Emergency Response Program provides our commanders 
with a flexible tool to respond quickly and decisively to humanitarian 
problems. If fixing a well quickly solves a local problem and shows a 
neighborhood the coalition is improving their lives, then that is an 
important tool for our troops to have.
  Initially, this program was funded from seized Iraqi assets. I am 
proud to say we gave the Department of Defense the authority to 
continue the Commander's Emergency Response Program in the current 
fiscal year 2004 supplemental appropriations bill. I look forward to 
again supporting the Department as we pass the fiscal year 2005 
Department of Defense appropriations bill.
  I close with a final thought. Our men and women in uniform liberated 
25 million Iraqi people in a military campaign with swiftness, 
precision, and success--success unparalleled in history. We can 
attribute this success to the foresight and creativity that allowed us 
to prepare and equip a total force the world has never seen. Now we are 
applying that same foresight and creativity as we tackle the difficult 
task of reconstructing and stabilizing Iraq.
  The Commander's Emergency Response Program provides visible, high-
impact support to the Iraqi people so they can create a foundation for 
a free and stable society. It is a true success story in Iraq. I am 
proud of the troops who use it to help the Iraqi people every day, and 
I am proud to support this very important program.
  Kate Kaufer and Sid Ashworth of the Appropriations Subcommittee on 
Defense prepared these remarks for my presentation.
  I thank the Chair. Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Utah.

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