[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 19]
[House]
[Page 26412]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       IRAQ SUPPLEMENTAL FUNDING

  (Mr. PENCE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PENCE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my profound disappointment 
this morning with the news that House and Senate conferees developing 
the Iraq supplemental bill have apparently removed language which would 
have made a portion of the reconstruction dollars the American people 
are sending to Iraq take the form of a loan. I had unsuccessfully 
offered an amendment in the House which would have made one-half of the 
reconstruction dollars be repaid to the American taxpayers, and I 
believe the overwhelming majority of the people of this country believe 
this oil-rich nation should bear some of the cost of rebuilding its own 
civil society.
  I regret Congress has chosen to reject the counsel of the majority of 
the American people and the world community. A decent respect for the 
opinions of mankind should cause Congress to reflect on the fact that 
at this weekend's donor conference in Madrid, two-thirds of the $13 
billion made available for reconstruction by foreign countries in Iraq 
takes the form of loans and credits.
  In the end, regardless of my disagreement with the means, I will 
support the Iraq supplemental bill which will go far to ensure the safe 
return of our troops and the triumph of freedom in this tyranny-weary 
land.

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