[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 75 (Friday, May 27, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E971]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2012

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. GWEN MOORE

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 25, 2011

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 1540) to 
     authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2012 for military 
     activities of the Department of Defense and for military 
     construction, to prescribe military personnel strengths for 
     fiscal year 2012, and for other purposes:

  Ms. MOORE. Madam Chair, I rise reluctantly to oppose the amendment 
offered by my distinguished colleague and friend, Mr. Conyers, 
regarding Libya.
  I share the gentleman's concerns about the prospect of U.S. troops 
being dragged into a third war. Eight years after our ill-advised 
misadventure in Iraq and a decade after sending our troops to 
Afghanistan, we have extensive evidence of the many failings of a 
military only strategy to address the world's ills, including fanatical 
dictators bent on harming their own citizens as in Libya.
  However, while I share the gentleman's concerns, I am also troubled 
that the amendment, as written, would have unintended consequences and 
would unnecessarily hamstring the use of the military for a host of 
non-combat purposes in Libya.
  For example, the amendment would prohibit U.S. ground forces from 
being used to provide humanitarian aid to the Libyan people. Whether we 
like it or not, one of the things our nation's military is very good at 
is providing humanitarian aid to people in need around the world. We 
saw this after the earthquake in Pakistan in 2004 and again when 
massive floods hit Pakistan in 2010 and again in Haiti after last 
year's earthquake.
  The U.N. has warned of a humanitarian crisis unfolding in Libya with 
hundreds of thousands of people lacking access or in danger of losing 
access to basic necessities. Unfortunately, the amendment makes clear 
that the only authorized reason for U.S. troops in Libya is to rescue 
U.S. military personnel that are in danger. Such a narrow exception 
unduly hampers the ability of the President to conduct a range of 
efforts well short of occupation that our military may be in the best 
position to undertake.
  Additionally, under this amendment, our military could not be used to 
rescue allied NATO personnel, to help rescue U.S. citizens whose lives 
may be in danger in Libya or to conduct an airlift of U.S. citizens out 
of the country, or even to help provide aid to a U.N. or African Union 
peacekeeping mission should a political solution be found to remove 
Colonel Qadhafi from power.
  Let's be clear. My vote against this amendment is not a vote for 
sending U.S. troops to Libya to fight a civil war. Having voted a 
number of times for resolutions and legislation to restrict the use of 
and/or remove our troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, my record is very 
clear that I am not in support of occupation of foreign nations. Yet, 
even those efforts allowed a broad range of commonsense exceptions 
which I think are missing here.
  If the Constitution still lives, the introduction of ground troops 
for the purposes of combat--which my colleagues are concerned would 
occur in Libya--in any nation would clearly require an authorization of 
war by Congress. If that were to occur, Congress should and must hold 
an up or down vote to either authorize the use of such troops for 
combat or call for their withdrawal.
  The U.N. Resolution authorizing international efforts to protect 
civilians in Libya explicitly rules out the use of foreign ground 
troops. The President has made very clear that U.S. ground troops will 
not be sent to Libya. I will take him at his word.

                          ____________________