[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 39 (Thursday, April 7, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E571]
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. XAVIER BECERRA

                             of california

                    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:

  Mr. BECERRA. Mr. Chairman, while I will support the bill before the 
House today, I will do so with deep and serious reservations.
  In October of 2002, I cast an important vote to deny the President 
authorization to send American troops into Iraq to strike unilaterally. 
I thought then, and I know now, that his actions were not the best 
course for our nation.
  One year later in October of 2003, I made yet another testing 
decision to oppose legislation, which on the one hand allocated $87 
billion to support American operations in Iraq but on the other hand 
lacked accountability for these taxpayer dollars and placed the 
mounting cost of rebuilding Iraq and Afghanistan squarely on the 
shoulders of our children and grandchildren.
  The apprehensions I had then about sending America's sons and 
daughters into harm's way in Iraq and about signing a blank check for 
this military adventure, have now materialized. Congress is now 
attempting to address the glaring consequences of an ill-advised, 
preemptive and unilateral military action through this third emergency 
supplemental appropriation of $81.4 billion. To date--and I say ``to 
date'' because there is no end in sight--President Bush has directed 
over $275 billion of taxpayers' monies away from schools, healthcare, 
Social Security, and the like to pay for his decision to go to war in 
Iraq.
  Today we know that President Bush's premise for commencing a war 
against Iraq--the alleged weapons of mass destruction possessed by 
Saddam Hussein--was not true.
  The Bush Administration's confident prediction of a quick and easy 
victory followed by a quick return home for our troops has become a 
nightmare. And now the Administration refuses to commit to a time-table 
for the withdrawal of our troops from Iraq.
  The Bush Administration's estimate that reconstruction in Iraq would 
cost between $1 and $2 billion and could be financed by Iraqi oil 
revenues has now turned into a reconstruction quagmire. We hear more 
about military contractor Halliburton's billing excesses and contract 
abuses than about any re-built school or hospital.
  In terms of accountability, the Inspector General has reported that 
almost $9 billion in funds designated for reconstruction efforts have 
been mishandled and remain unaccounted for. The FY 2005 Defense 
Appropriations Act passed in July of 2004 instructed the Department of 
Defense to submit two accountability reports to Congress, one by 
October 31, 2004 and the other by January 1, 2005. In these reports, 
the Pentagon must provide a comprehensive review of all military 
operations, including reconstruction and military readiness, and 
provide detailed cost estimates for these operations. Congress has yet 
to receive either report or any concrete information about the future 
costs of this war.
  I still do not believe that our troops should have been in Iraq under 
these conditions, facing these obstacles virtually alone, fighting 
battles for which the Pentagon did not properly plan or prepare. But 
with over 150,000 of America's brave men and women still in Iraq, it 
would be difficult to cast a vote against providing the much-needed 
funds that this supplemental provides to them. Far too many of our 
soldiers have died and remain in harm's way because of their superiors' 
miscalculations. As long as our troops remain in harm's way, it is our 
duty to provide them all of the equipment, tools, vehicles, weapons, 
and benefits that they need and deserve to protect themselves and give 
democracy a chance in Iraq.
  Democrats have fought hard to include accountability measures in this 
legislation, to extract from it extraneous and unnecessary projects, 
and to focus America's precious taxpayer dollars on resources for our 
nation's veterans and troops. This bill, unlike previous Bush 
Administration requests, allocates the dollars for armor and equipment 
that our troops on the ground need if they must patrol the streets and 
roads of Iraq. Democrats also fought hard to cure deficiencies in the 
bill which put at risk increased death benefits and life insurance for 
the families of our fallen soldiers.
  Unfortunately, despite $9 billion of unaccounted funds, an amendment 
by Mr. Tierney of Massachusetts that would have provided $5 million to 
establish a select committee to investigate reconstruction efforts in 
Iraq and Afghanistan was defeated by my Republican colleagues. The Bush 
Administration, it seems, will continue to spend money without adequate 
oversight and accountability.
  Additionally, the bill includes funding for extraneous non-emergency 
projects that would more properly be addressed through the regular 
appropriations process. While some of these projects were removed on 
the House floor through the amendment process, funding for unrelated 
military construction and $4.6 billion for an Army ``transformation'' 
plan remain.
  Most blatant of all the extraneous provisions are those of H.R. 418, 
the REAL ID Act, which the Republican procedural rule has allowed to be 
attached to this supplemental following its passage. The immigration 
policies of our nation deserve a proper and thorough debate, and 
legislation that provides emergency funding for our troops, for 
humanitarian aid, and for foreign assistance is not the appropriate 
vehicle to enact the sweeping, controversial immigration policy 
embodied in HR 418.
  I will support H.R. 1268 because of the critical funds and resources 
that it provides to our troops and their families. However, as this 
bill moves forward I will work with my colleagues to ensure that my 
concerns are addressed in the final version of the bill that comes back 
for final approval after joint House and Senate consideration. I do not 
foreclose the possibility of voting against the final version of this 
legislation should it come back in a form departing further from its 
core purpose of focusing on our men and women in uniform. These are the 
tough decisions, and they must be made in the best interest of the 
American people.




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