[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 15]
[House]
[Page 20067]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  CONGRESS SHOULD SHOW THAT IT IS COMMITTED TO SECURING THE AMERICAN 
                              PEOPLE TODAY

  (Mr. WU asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WU. Mr. Speaker, the chairman of the independent, bipartisan 9/11 
Commission said the Federal Government is not fulfilling its job of 
protecting the American people. The 9/11 Commission went on to say that 
the war in Iraq is a distraction, draining resources from critical 
American security needs.
  Like the 9/11 Commissioners, I am concerned that the war in Iraq is 
preventing us from dealing with the real threat, a terrorist attack in 
America. Over the last 3 years, the war in Iraq has cost the American 
taxpayers more than $320 billion, and yet, as the unanimous National 
Intelligence Estimate shows, we are less safe today because of the 
continuing war in Iraq. At the end of this year, the war in Iraq will 
have gone on longer than World War II.
  Despite this distraction from the real struggle against terrorism, as 
the National Intelligence Estimate said, this Congress should show that 
it is committed to securing the American people today. We cannot afford 
to wait until after the November election.

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