[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 40 (Tuesday, March 19, 2013)]
[House]
[Page H1580]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             WASTE IN IRAQ

  (Ms. GABBARD asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Ms. GABBARD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the service and 
sacrifice of the nearly 5,000 coalition troops, including 28 of my 
brothers and sisters from Hawaii, soldiers like First Lieutenant Nainoa 
Hoe of Kailua or Sergeant Deyson Cariaga from Honolulu, whom I had the 
honor of serving with, who paid the ultimate price during Operation 
Iraqi Freedom.
  Today marks the 10th anniversary of the American invasion of Iraq. 
And while this war has largely faded from the headlines, we must take 
every opportunity to learn from our experiences. There are many lessons 
we should learn, one of the most egregious being the serious waste, 
fraud, and abuse of taxpayer dollars, waste that was apparent to those 
of us on the ground as well as to outside experts. An alarming report 
this month by the special inspector general for Iraqi reconstruction 
also determined at least $8 billion of our reconstruction funds have 
been wasted.
  In Congress today, we have an opportunity to learn from that lesson. 
We have to pursue commonsense ways to balance our budget without 
hurting our middle class families, endangering our national security, 
or shortchanging our veterans. We must focus on our mission to serve 
the people who sent us here and honor our servicemembers and their 
families who have made immeasurable sacrifices in the service of our 
country.

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