[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 9]
[House]
[Pages 12912-12913]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




      URGING SUPPORT FOR SUCCESSFUL WITHDRAWAL STRATEGY FROM IRAQ

  (Mr. RANGEL asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the 
previous question on the rule on the defense appropriation bill so that 
the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi)

[[Page 12913]]

might give us an opportunity to vote, to consider and vote on her 
amendment, which actually contains a strategy for success in Iraq by 
allowing or asking the President to tell us, within 30 days after the 
enactment, what is his plan for success to bring the troops home.
  Whether you voted for or against the war, or whether you are 
concerned about it, everyone has to be concerned about our troops that 
are there. The way this war has been waged is putting a huge strain on 
our men and women in uniform, and has become a threat to our armed 
forces' capacity to meet future needs. And if you take a look at what 
is happening with our military being spread through 120 countries, you 
will recognize that the administration's so-called ``strategy'' 
requires more troops to add on to the troops that are already in Iraq.
  The problem that we are having is recruitment. We are not finding, 
notwithstanding the increases in bonuses up to $40,000, that we are 
getting the recruits that we need. We also find that they reduced the 
standards. One no longer has to be a high school graduate; they are now 
taking sub-high school graduates. And all the while, the President has 
still made no direct appeal to areas of this country, other than those 
where jobs and opportunity are lacking, to join the service and share 
in the sacrifices needed to defend this great republic.
  So I am hoping if you are concerned about our troops, you will give 
us a chance to ask the President, how in the heck are we going to get 
out of this so that we can preserve our armed forces and stop taking 
advantage of the heroes who have served far more than their fair share?

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