[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 177 (Thursday, November 15, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2451]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   ORDERLY AND RESPONSIBLE IRAQ REDEPLOYMENT APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2008

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. JAMES R. LANGEVIN

                            of rhode island

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesay, November 14, 2007

  Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I wish to express my support for H.R. 
4156, the Orderly and Responsible Iraq Redeployment Appropriations Act, 
which will begin the redeployment of U.S. forces out of Iraq, 
strengthen our military and enhance our national security. By passing 
this measure, the House of Representatives is, yet again, sending a 
clear signal to the President that we need a new course in Iraq.
  Though I opposed the resolution authorizing the use of force in Iraq, 
I later voted for numerous supplemental appropriations bills to ensure 
that we provided sufficient equipment and resources for our troops. 
They have done an amazing job in undertaking a difficult and changing 
mission, and they deserve nothing but the full support of the Nation 
and its leaders. However, nearly 5 years after our initial invasion of 
Iraq, the best way to support our troops is to bring them home. In May 
of this year, I voted against the supplemental appropriations bill for 
fiscal year 2007 because it gave the President far too much authority 
to continue a war that had been repeatedly mismanaged by the civilian 
leadership at the Pentagon.
  Unfortunately, 6 months later, very little has changed. The 
underlying causes of violence in Iraq, which are ethnic and sectarian 
in nature, have not been addressed. In September, the Government 
Accountability Office found that the Iraqi Government had met only 3 of 
18 congressionally mandated benchmarks for legislative, economic, and 
security progress. These problems cannot be solved by U.S. military 
force, and we should not expect our troops to be involved in a civil 
war. We need to shift our forces from combat operations and redeploy 
them out of Iraq while we refocus our Nation's efforts on fostering a 
political reconciliation among Iraq's tribal, ethnic, and religious 
groups to end the violence.
  The bill before us today provides a blueprint for ending the war and 
bringing our troops home. It requires the President to begin 
redeployment of troops immediately, with a goal of completing 
redeployment by December 2008. It also shifts our forces away from a 
combat mission to focus on force protection, counterterrorism efforts, 
and the training of Iraqi security forces. Furthermore, it prohibits 
the deployment of U.S. troops that are not deemed fully mission 
capable. This provision is particularly important because our men and 
women in uniform have faced repeated deployments with insufficient rest 
and training time, and we must take bold steps now to prevent our 
military being strained to the breaking point. Our readiness levels are 
already dangerously low because of operations in Iraq, which endangers 
our national security in the event of a national disaster, a terrorist 
attack, or some other contingency.
  H.R. 4156 recognizes that we need a new direction in Iraq and does 
not give the President a blank check to maintain the status quo. For 
that reason, President Bush has threatened to veto the measure. I am 
deeply disappointed that he is so out of touch with the American people 
and their priorities. He has requested nearly $200 million to continue 
operations in Iraq with absolutely no strings attached, while he 
ignores pressing needs here at home. On Tuesday, he vetoed the Labor-
Health and Human Services-Education Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 
2008, claiming that it was too expensive. Operations in Iraq have cost 
a total of more than $450 billion, yet the President is unwilling to 
invest $10 billion in priority areas such as medical research, 
elementary and secondary education, Pell grants, health services to 
underserved populations, and heating assistance to low-income 
Americans.
  While it is not a perfect bill, H.R. 4156 is an important step to 
force a fundamental shift in our Iraq policy and to bring our troops 
home. I would have preferred to see an earlier deadline for troop 
redeployment, and I have cosponsored legislation with that goal. 
Nevertheless, a vote for H.R. 4156 is a vote for change, and I thank my 
colleagues for supporting it.

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