[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 18]
[Senate]
[Pages 24532-24533]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                                  IRAQ

  Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I will state some of my principles as we 
debate the supplemental appropriations on Iraq.
  One year ago, America was on the brink of war. Congress debated then 
whether America should go it alone to confront Saddam Hussein or get 
international support to bring the world with us. This week, Congress 
takes up a nearly similar debate: Do we go it alone or do we find a way 
to share the burden and the cost of the war?
  Who should pay for the occupation and reconstruction of Iraq? 
According to the Bush administration, the answer is the American 
taxpayer, to the tune of $87 billion.
  I agree that as we consider this debate, we should have four 
principles to guide our thinking. First, there must be international 
burden sharing. If the stability of Iraq is in the world's interest, 
then the world should help pay for the reconstruction. The 
administration must be more aggressive in the pursuit of reconstruction 
funds from other countries and other international institutions.
  Second, wherever possible, American aid should be loans, not 
giveaways. Iraq has the world's second largest oil reserves. These oil 
fields are capable of pumping out millions of barrels a day. That 
should translate into billions of dollars. Those profits should help 
with the reconstruction.
  Third, we must always be clear that we support our troops. These are 
ordinary men and women called to do extraordinary and dangerous and 
difficult missions. They put their lives at risk to serve our country. 
Our troops need the equipment, the gear, the backup. And their families 
need financial support. Military families, with loved ones are in Iraq, 
need financial support to make ends meet and the health care they 
should get.
  Fourth, the administration must lay out its plan to end the 
occupation of Iraq. There was a plan for the war. Now we need a plan 
for the peace. The American people deserve full disclosure: a real 
assessment of where we are going, how long we will be there. Iraq must 
not turn into a quagmire. We cannot pour in our funds and send more 
troops with no end in sight.
  Last year, when we debated about the war, I said if it is important 
enough to the world to go, the world should go with us. I voted to go 
to the U.N. to have international legitimacy and international burden 
sharing, to share the dangers along with our troops as well as to share 
the cost of rebuilding Iraq.
  During the debate I said: What is going to happen to our troops? And 
I asked it in classified situations and other briefings we received. I 
wanted to know if our troops were going to be greeted with a landmine 
or with a parade. Well, now we know the answer to that.
  Our troops need all the support they can get. I believe we need more 
troops, but I do not think we need more American troops; they should 
come from other countries.
  I believe there is money that needs to be spent in Iraq but not only 
our money. I think there needs to be international money. We had a 
coalition of the willing. Now we need a coalition of the wallet. Let 
them step to the plate to share the financial responsibility to create 
stability and a democracy in Iraq.
  You bet I am behind our troops. And we want to vote to make sure they 
have the help and the assistance they need, not only the right gear. We 
understand they do not even have the proper body armor they need.
  We also want to support their families here at home. They come back 
for 2 weeks for a breather, but their families' hearts are broken as 
the men and women go back to the war. We need to support those families 
financially, and we need to support those things in terms of health 
care.
  When it comes to burden sharing, we now know the other countries are 
not stepping up. They are tepid. They were timid about the war, and 
they are tepid about reconstruction. Only 61 countries have committed 
to helping. They have committed $1.5 billion to the reconstruction of 
Iraq, according to Ambassador Bremer's testimony. That is not enough.
  But we were also assured by Secretary Rumsfeld that we could get the 
money for reconstruction from Iraqi oil. Well, let's get it. I support 
the kind of thinking that Senator Dorgan has presented, which is to 
replace the $20 billion in grants for Iraqi reconstruction with loans, 
and to also create a framework for other nations to participate in 
those loans.
  On a bipartisan basis, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison is working on an 
amendment to make $10 billion in American aid work via a loan through 
the World Bank, a $10 billion loan through the World Bank, with other 
nations contributing to the World Bank's Iraq reconstruction trust 
fund. That is the kind of thinking we need, and we need to work on a 
bipartisan basis. America needs to know we are trying to work on a 
bipartisan basis. But I repeat: We need loans, not giveaways.
  Now, there are others who say: Oh, my gosh, Iraq is shackled with 
debt.
  That debt was created by an illegitimate government in Iraq. And who 
is the money owed to? Well, the money is owed to Russia, to Saudi 
Arabia, to France. Why can't they forgive the debt? Make that their 
share. Just forgive the debt. Rather than giving more money, let France 
forgive the debt. Let Russia forgive the debt. Let Saudi Arabia forgive 
the debt. Let Iraq start with a clean slate and pay back America for 
what it is doing.

[[Page 24533]]

  My constituents in Maryland are very patriotic, and they will do 
whatever is necessary to defend this Nation. But they have families and 
children to educate, mothers and fathers who are grappling with the 
health care costs of being older, retirement plans to do, and homes to 
buy. It is not fair to ask the American taxpayer to share the full 
burden of fighting this war.
  While we are worried about Russia's debt, what about our debt? If we 
are worried about Iraq being too burdened with debt, what about our 
debt?
  Now we need a debt of gratitude for what we are doing around the 
world. I think the way it can be repaid is to forgive the Iraqi debt. 
Let them start with a clean slate just as they are starting with a 
clean government, and move on.
  When you look at the way they are spending money on reconstruction, 
they have money for schools, they have money for tech centers, they 
have money for job training and job centers, water and sewer grants--
all of what we need in our own communities.
  We know the people in Iraq have suffered. They have suffered under 
Saddam Hussein. They are now suffering under what looks like an 
internal civil war going on now among the different tribes.
  I know the children need health care, the communities need 
electricity, and they need to have an economy to get back on their 
feet. But, my gosh, I sure wish some of this money was also being spent 
here at home.
  The request for Iraq includes 250 tech centers with 20 laptop 
computers each, and computer training. They are going to build seven 
communities, with 3,500 units of affordable housing. And--guess what--
we are going to build a primary school, two secondary schools, a health 
clinic, a place of worship, and a market in each community.
  Yet at the same time, HOPE VI and other programs to revitalize 
American cities have been zeroed out. Technical centers to get our kids 
ready for the new century is sharply reduced. Infrastructure that we 
desperately need to protect public health and the environment, such as 
water and sewer grants, is so spartan and skimpy in my own VA-HUD bill.
  So we have to look at where we are spending our money, and we have to 
look at where we are creating debt. If we are creating debt to improve 
our economy, to get our jobs going, I think we know that a little 
borrowing today might create jobs tomorrow. But now we are doing 
massive borrowing to rebuild Iraq, while others tell us they cannot 
afford to send troops and they cannot afford to spend money. I am 
saying we are beginning to not be able to afford this war in Iraq.
  So I hope we can work on some solutions to have Iraq emerge as a 
democracy and bring our troops back home. We have to concentrate on how 
we can have our national honor abroad but restore our national 
Treasury.
  I look forward to working on a bipartisan basis with my colleagues. 
We have to get down to business and get strategy on how we are getting 
out of Iraq, and also how we are getting out of debt.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Oregon is recognized for 
10 minutes.

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