[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 81 (Friday, May 16, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E953-E954]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2008

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 15, 2008

  Ms. McCOLLUM of Minnesota. Mr. Speaker, today Congress will once 
again fund President Bush's Iraq War. With this $162 billion in funding 
for the Pentagon there will have been more than $750 billion committed 
to fight wars in Iraq and Afghanistan--all of it paid for with debt. In 
Iraq, the American people have witnessed tremendous valor from our 
armed forces, including the sacrifice of more than

[[Page E954]]

4,000 Americans who have lost their lives and another 15,000 who were 
seriously wounded. Unfortunately, presidential leadership has not risen 
to this same high level of commitment for our soldiers. The Bush 
administration and their supporters in Congress are responsible for the 
greatest foreign policy disaster in American history and today their 
failed policies will be financed with debt for another year.
  Today, I will oppose continuing to fund the Iraq War as I have in the 
past. This war is not making America safer, but it is weakening our 
military capacity, exhausting our troops and undermining our Nation's 
economic security. It is time to invest in America and the needs of the 
American people. I am appalled by the stories about defense contractors 
engaging in war profiteering, corrupt Iraqi officials fueling the 
sectarian divide, and reconstruction projects financed by the American 
people left unfinished or unused because of poor planning.
  Now in the sixth year of the Iraq War, America is seeing the conflict 
in Afghanistan, the heart of the war on terror, grow more intense as 
the Taliban resurges. My support for the on-going U.S. effort in 
Afghanistan remains strong. I was in Afghanistan and Pakistan in March 
and the threats posed by the Taliban and al-Qaeda in those countries 
are real. It is tragic that the Bush administration's deception and 
failed policy in Iraq has taken the focus off of al-Qaeda and the 
Taliban.
  Mr. Speaker, despite the failings and costly mistakes made by the 
Bush administration, the Democratic leadership in Congress is giving 
this Nation hope that the Iraq War will come to an end and that 
Washington will once again invest in the needs of the American people. 
Yet, the Bush administration rejects any spending on domestic 
priorities that will benefit the American people.
  Look around our country. Healthcare is in crisis. America's 
infrastructure is deteriorating and collapsing--as we've seen with the 
1-35W bridge in Minneapolis. With oil prices reaching $125 per barrel 
there is still no significant federal investment in a massive expansion 
of renewable energy research, development and implementation. The list 
is long and it is the result of absolute neglect to invest in America 
by the Bush Administration and a Republican Congress that together led 
this nation from 2001 through 2006.
  Democrats have new priorities for America and some of those 
priorities are clearly reflected in H.R. 2642. This bill provides a 
significant investment in those men and women who have served our 
country and deserve our gratitude and our support. H.R. 2642 restores 
GI education benefits to the veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars 
to help ensure their future success and our economic recovery. The cost 
of providing four-year college scholarships for our veterans for an 
entire year is less than we spend in one day in Iraq, and helps to 
change our mission from squandering tax dollars in Iraq towards 
investing in America.
  The Majority has also responded to the economic crisis facing too 
many families by including extended unemployment benefits for workers 
who have exhausted the 26 weeks of regular benefits. The U.S. economy 
has lost 260,000 jobs in the last four months, and 1.35 million workers 
have been unemployed longer than 26 weeks. This extension will provide 
relief for the over 4 million Americans, including nearly 70,000 
Minnesotans, who are struggling to find a job, and help to stimulate 
the economy in a cost-effective, fast-acting way. To ensure that states 
and hospitals can continue to provide health care services for our most 
vulnerable, this bill includes a rejection of the Bush Administration's 
proposed regulations to slash federal funding from Medicaid.
  H.R. 2642 gives relief to a growing global crisis by providing $1.6 
billion in emergency international food aid. Food assistance is 
desperately needed by the millions of families facing hunger and 
starvation this year due to rising food prices, natural disasters, 
economic downturns, and conflict situations. This is a moral and 
humanitarian response to end suffering around the world and is also a 
positive step the United States can take to restore our reputation in 
the international community.
  Democrats will also try once again to change the policy and mission 
in Iraq. An amendment I support will require redeployment out of Iraq 
by December 2009, require that Iraqi's contribute to the cost of their 
reconstruction, require that our military does not pay more for fuel 
than the Iraqis, requires additional training and rest for our soldiers 
and would finally and explicitly prohibit torture. Unfortunately, the 
Administration continues to oppose these common-sense, responsible 
policies to keep our troops safe, reduce the burden on the American 
taxpayer, and repair our standing in the world.
  America needs a new direction--in Iraq and at home. Democrats are 
fighting to end the war responsibly, to reduce the debt burden on our 
children and grandchildren, and to reinvest in our future.

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