[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 68 (Thursday, April 26, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E877-E878]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  U.S. TROOP READINESS VETERANS' HEALTH, AND IRAQ ACCOUNTABILITY ACT, 
                                  2007

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. MICHAEL N. CASTLE

                              of delaware

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 25, 2007

  Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the Fiscal Year 2007 
Emergency Supplemental Spending bill.
  A few weeks ago, the House of Representatives passed a version of 
this legislation that included billions of dollars in non-emergency 
spending and numerous provisions relating to troop withdrawal that were 
not requested by the Administration or our military leaders. The 
conference agreement before us today endorses these extraneous 
provisions, and as a

[[Page E878]]

result the President has made clear he will veto this bill.
  As our Nation continues to debate the future of U.S. involvement in 
Iraq, some of my colleagues have argued that Congress should mandate a 
hard deadline for the redeployment of U.S. troops. While I believe that 
Congress has an important role to play in this debate, such crucial 
decisions should not be made without substantial input from our 
military and foreign policy leaders. I have disagreed with many aspects 
of our strategy in Iraq, but I feel strongly that requiring an 
arbitrary date for troop withdrawal would endanger our soldiers and 
undermine efforts to maintain stability in the Middle East.
  Now is the time for Democrats and Republicans to unite around a 
strategy that funds our troops and supports an effective way forward in 
Iraq. We cannot afford to waste precious moments arguing over political 
objectives and pork barrel spending projects, such as those included in 
this conference report.
  Mr. Speaker, I intend to vote against this bill and I call upon my 
colleagues to dispense with the political rhetoric and get to work 
immediately on passing a bipartisan emergency supplemental spending 
bill.

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