[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 17]
[House]
[Pages 23853-23854]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   THE WAR IN IRAQ AND ITS AFTERMATH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Madam Speaker, 160 or so years ago, former 
President John Quincy Adams, then a Congressman, came to the House 
floor and shared with Members of Congress letters from his 
constituents, mostly from women, who at that time could not vote. In 
those days, the conservative leaders of the House of Representatives 
actually passed a House rule prohibiting, banning the discussion or the 
debate of slavery in the U.S. House of Representatives. John Quincy 
Adams, believing that slavery should be abolished first and, second, 
believing that the elected Representatives of our country should be 
allowed to debate that issue, came to the House floor day after day, 
night after night, week after week, sharing those letters from 
constituents protesting the actions of the conservative leadership in 
this Congress.
  In that tradition, I have, night after night since July, come to this 
House floor sharing letters from my constituents about their concerns 
about the war in Iraq and about what has happened now with the 
President's not owning up and telling us the truth about the war and 
the aftermath of the war. We have faced the same problem here where 
this Congress has refused to debate many of the questions investigating 
whether the President and the administration told the truth about our 
reasons going into Iraq and told the truth since about the unbid 
contracts going to Halliburton, about how much money we are spending, 
about our plan to get out of the war, about how he is, in fact, taking 
care of our troops, something that unfortunately has been forgotten. 
And I want to share letters from my constituents today with Members of 
the House of Representatives.
  I will start with Tonya who writes: ``I am a veteran, and I know 
better than most people what the military needs right now. I support 
our troops in every way possible,'' Tonya, a veteran, writes. ``They 
all deserve raises and increases in their hazardous-duty pay,'' 
something that President Bush has opposed. ``In my opinion, our troops 
should be brought home. Let the UN and the Iraqi people clean up the 
mess.'' This can be done. ``Use that same $87 billion to stimulate the 
economy in the United States.''
  Ann writes: ``Congress must shift from the passive stance taken after 
September 11 and accept their constitutional responsibility of 
oversight. Congress has required far too little accountability from the 
Bush administration and allowed them far too much discretion. This 
President has proven to be a failed leader incapable of running this 
country.'' What Ann is talking about is the unbid contracts. We are 
spending $1 billion a week in Iraq right now. Three hundred million 
dollars of that has gone to private contractors, many of them the 
President's friends, many of them people who contributed money to the 
President's campaign. One of those companies that Ann is talking about 
is Halliburton, a company which has been beneficiary of hundreds of 
million of dollars in unbid contracts and just happens to be the 
company where Vice President Cheney used to be the CEO, and a company 
that is still paying Vice President Cheney $13,000 a month. That is 
Ann, a constituent.
  Peter writes: ``The President and his clique should recognize the 
mistakes of the past and do what's fair to the Iraqi people. Let them 
decide for themselves, let them become a sovereign nation under the 
auspices of the UN. Bring back the troops, work through and with the 
UN. Spend the $87 billion and more at home for schools, health care, 
basic infrastructure. Take care of the people at home.''
  George writes: ``If Bush wants his mess cleaned up by U.S. taxpayers, 
then he needs to concede that the tax cuts for the wealthy cannot 
stand.'' What George is referring to is that 42 percent of the tax cuts 
this Congress passed went to the 1 percent wealthiest people in this 
country. The average millionaire got a $92,000 tax cut, while half of 
my constituents got literally zero. George writes: ``Nothing good will 
come of this, with control passing to the UN for rebuilding.'' And, 
yes, we must pay for what we broke. ``The tax cuts for the wealthy 
should be repealed immediately.''
  The last letter I will read, Barbara writes: ``We cannot leave Iraq 
in the mess we have created. However, if the $87 billion is to be used 
to rebuild, we should have contractors from Iraq do the work, not 
Halliburton.'' Remember, that is the company where Vice President 
Cheney still receives $13,000 every month from while our Government is 
giving unbid contracts to that

[[Page 23854]]

company to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars in Iraq. ``We 
need to turn this disaster over to the UN, if it is willing, get the 
world involved and turn this into a worldwide humanitarian effort. Bush 
has been extremely successful at raising money for his unopposed'' in 
the primary ``reelection campaign. Perhaps he should get out there and 
start requesting donations to rebuild Iraq, and let's not forget 
Afghanistan. I would gladly return my $400 tax rebate, and I am sure 
that his supporters would continue to attend the $2,000-a-plate dinners 
for the cause they support.''

                              {time}  1730

  Madam Speaker, it is pretty clear that people all over my district, 
my State, this country are unhappy with how the President has failed in 
supporting the troops by opposing pay raises, by cutting veterans 
benefits when they come home, and that my constituents are concerned 
about the billions of dollars we are spending in Iraq with no 
accountability. Madam Speaker, my constituents are concerned about the 
corruption coming right out of the White House where unbid contracts 
are going to the President's friends, the President's contributors, and 
the Vice President's company, which still continues, continues every 
month since he has been Vice President, every month since they have 
been given contracts in Iraq, continues to give Vice President Cheney 
$13,000 every single month.

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