[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 33 (Thursday, March 17, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E497-E498]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 EMERGENCY SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT FOR DEFENSE, THE GLOBAL WAR 
                  ON TERROR, AND TSUNAMI RELIEF, 2005

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. TAMMY BALDWIN

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 16, 2005

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 1268) making 
     emergency supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year 
     ending September 30, 2005, and for other purposes.

  Ms. BALDWIN. Mr. Chairman, yesterday I voted against passage of H.R. 
1268, the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Iraq and 
Afghanistan and Tsunami Assistance bill.
  In March 2003, before the war began, I wrote to the President with 22 
of our colleagues to ask him to specifically define our objectives and 
to provide an exit strategy. We asked the President a number of 
questions including: ``Under what circumstances will our military 
occupation of (and financial commitment to) Iraq end? And how will we 
know when these circumstances are present.'' We and the American people 
never received an answer to these crucial questions. Even today, the 
Administration is unwilling or unable to answer. This is simply 
unacceptable.
  Time and again, the President has requested money to fund the war in 
Iraq while refusing to answer our questions about this war and provide 
a comprehensive strategy for bringing our troops home. In our 
democracy, the Congress controls the purse strings. Before allocating 
additional funds, we must insist that the administration articulate the 
conditions necessary to bring our troops home, and push them to do that 
as soon as possible. The administration's refusal to address that is 
quite astounding to me and should be of great concern to all Americans 
who believe in principles of accountability and checks and balances.
  In addition to my concerns about a lack of overall strategy and 
benchmarks for success in Iraq, I am very disappointed with the 
administration's handling of Iraq spending, in both process and 
substance. Emergency supplemental spending should be reserved for true 
emergencies, those instances in which the need for expenditures is 
unforeseen or unforeseeable. The vast majority of funds in this 
supplemental fail to meet that criterion. Both last year and this year, 
the Administration excluded Iraq costs from their budget requests, 
although most of the costs could be estimated. Shortfalls or additional 
needs then could have been funded through a supplemental. That is the 
proper way to manage taxpayer funds.
  I want to make it clear that I believe that our men and women in the 
armed forces serving in Iraq are doing their jobs with great honor. 
They have my unequivocal support and respect. My vote against this 
spending bill should not be characterized as a rejection of them or the 
resources they need to carry out their duties, If this bill had been 
defeated yesterday, funds would have continued to flow to Iraq tomorrow 
and over the next few months. Voting down this bill would have allowed 
ample time for the President to respond to our concerns and resubmit 
his funding request.

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