[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 18]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 25295]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   EMERGENCY SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT FOR DEFENSE AND FOR THE 
              RECONSTRUCTION OF IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN, 2004

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. JERRY F. COSTELLO

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 17, 2003

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 3289) making 
     emergency supplemental appropriations for defense and for the 
     reconstruction of Iraq and Afghanistan for the fiscal year 
     ending September 30, 2004, and for other purposes:

  Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong opposition to the 
process being used by the Republican Leadership to bring the 
Supplemental Appropriations bill before the House.
  This process denies members from having the opportunity to consider 
or vote on the Obey substitute or to have two separate votes: one to 
provide the funds for our troops and the other to fund the 
reconstruction of Iraq.
  Each Member of this body strongly supports our troops and will 
provide the necessary money, supplies, and equipment to ensure their 
safety. However, the President and the Republican Leadership has tied 
funding for our troops to funding for Iraq reconstruction. They know 
that tying the reconstruction money with the money for our troops makes 
it very difficult to vote no on this $87 billion package. This puts me 
and other members in a position to either vote for the entire package, 
which includes giving the President a blank check with little 
accountability for spending or risk having them accuse those who vote 
against the package as being unpatriotic or not supporting our troops. 
Both charges are not only false but also outrageous.
  I voted against the resolution to give the President the authority to 
send our troops to war in Iraq. I did so because I believed that 
allowing the weapons inspectors to continue to do their job in Iraq 
would cost us nothing and would give us more time to attempt to bring 
the United Nations on board. The President should have assembled an 
international coalition similar to the coalition that his father put 
together to undertake Desert Shield and Desert Storm in 1990-1991. 
However, this President instead decided to go it alone and told the 
United Nations and other countries that they were either with us or 
against us. Unfortunately, when one country decides to go it alone as 
the President did with Iraq, American soldiers fight alone, die alone 
and the American taxpayers pay for it alone.
  There was a great deal of national support at the start of the war 
with Iraq because the American public was told the operation would be 
short and that reconstruction would be financed with revenue generated 
from the oil in Iraq. In fact, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz 
told congressional committees that American soldiers could be out of 
Iraq within 30-60 days and the vast revenue from the oil in Iraq could 
pay for the entire reconstruction of Iraq. The administration is now 
estimating that we could be in Iraq for the next five years and with 
this supplemental today, the American taxpayers will have already spent 
between $150-$200 billion.
  Congress has already provided $103 billion in defense funding, over 
and above regular defense appropriations, for military operations in 
Afghanistan, for homeland defense, and, most recently in April's 
Emergency Wartime Supplemental appropriations bill for the war in Iraq. 
The deficit is growing to new highs and the government cannot keep 
spending at this rate.
  Since coming to Congress, I have consistently and strongly supported 
our troops and national defense spending. I am extremely proud of our 
servicemen and woman that have sacrificed so much in Iraq and elsewhere 
around the world. I am very concerned about the safety of our troops, 
who are serving long tours in tough conditions. Our men and women in 
uniform and their families are going well beyond the call of duty.
  It is disgraceful that the Bush Administration and my Republican 
colleagues would tie funding for our military with controversial and 
unaccounted reconstruction funding. It is important to note that the 
nonpartisan Congressional Research Service contradicts the 
administration's position that the $67 billion for the military is 
needed immediately. According to the study, the Army could finance 
operations through next April or May with the money already 
appropriated.
  Mr. Chairman, I cannot in good conscience support giving this 
President or any president a blank check with little or no 
accountability. Therefore, I ask my colleagues to join me and reject 
the $86.9 billion Supplemental Appropriations bill and send it back to 
the committee with instructions to immediately bring the bill back to 
the floor as two separate bills today: one that provides funding for 
our troops, which would pass unanimously, and one that would provide 
for reconstruction. We should let the decision concerning money for 
reconstruction and who will profit from it stand on its own merits.

                          ____________________