[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 9]
[House]
[Pages 12559-12560]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        ANTI-AMNESTY RESOLUTION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the House of 
January 31, 2006, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Stupak) is 
recognized during morning hour debates for 5 minutes.
  Mr. STUPAK. Mr. Speaker, 11 days ago in this House, we had a partial 
limited debate on the war in Iraq. The same day, it was reported in a 
number of the area newspapers that there was consideration of giving 
amnesty to those Iraqis that killed, maimed, or injured U.S. troops or 
citizens. A few of us took to the floor during the Iraq debate and 
raised the issue of amnesty. Is this what we are fighting for in Iraq, 
the type of democracy that gives people who kill American soldiers 
amnesty?
  Last week, I joined with Democratic leadership, Mr. Larson, Mr. 
Clyburn, Mr. Murtha, Mr. Skelton, Mr. Abercrombie, and others, and 
introduced House Joint Resolution 90, which says: Disapproving the 
grant of amnesty by the government of Iraq to persons

[[Page 12560]]

known to have attacked, kidnapped, wounded, or killed members of the 
Armed Forces of the United States or citizens of the United States in 
Iraq.
  Mr. Speaker, proposing amnesty for Iraqis who have killed our troops 
is another stunning example of the failure of this administration's 
handling of the war and their overall policy. I, like the rest of the 
American people, would like to know, what did the President know about 
this amnesty and when did he know it? I find it coincidental that the 
day after the President comes back from his secret trip to Iraq, we 
start hearing these reports in newspapers about an agreement on 
amnesty.
  In 3 years of war, we have lost more than 2,500 of our best and 
brightest Americans. The war in Iraq now boils down to amnesty for 
insurgents who attack and kill U.S. troops? This amnesty proposal 
appears to have the tacit agreement of the Bush administration and the 
Iraqi government officials, as they were quoted in the Washington Post 
as saying, and I quote, ``There is some sort of understanding between 
us and the U.S.-led multi-national force in Iraq that there is a 
patriotic feeling among Iraqi youth and the belief that those attacks 
are legitimate acts of resistance and defending their homeland. These 
people will be pardoned definitely, I believe.''
  So officials in the Iraqi government believe that this is a done 
deal, and that attacking U.S. troops is a courageous act of self-
defense. We could not disagree with it more, and that is why we have 
our House Joint Resolution 90.
  I want to know, who agreed with the Iraqi government? How did they 
get this understanding that it is part of the policy of the United 
States that it is okay to kill U.S. troops? Was it someone in the 
Department of Defense, someone in the Secretary of State, or, again, 
during the meeting the President had in Iraq a few weeks ago, was that 
part of it?
  The amnesty was reported in the papers the same day that two U.S. 
troops were found to be tortured and mutilated in Iraq. Do we give 
their torturers, their killers amnesty? Is this what the Commander-in-
Chief does, lead troops into war, and then it develops into a civil war 
and those who kill U.S. troops get amnesty?
  We ask the Republican leadership to bring House Joint Resolution 90 
up before this floor. Let's bring it up before the Fourth of July 
recess, pass this House resolution, it should move quickly, and it 
should be a bipartisan resolution.
  There is a lot of talk in this town, and some people like to use the 
word cut and run. Let me ask this. If the administration and if this 
Congress accept a policy that says it is okay to kill U.S. troops, what 
sort of message are we sending to the Iraqis on the street that it is 
okay to kill U.S. troops? But, more importantly, what sort of message 
are we sending to the 130,000 troops that are over there fighting in 
Iraq? To me, a proposal giving amnesty to those who have murdered 
Americans is the real definition of cut and run.
  I urge the Republican leadership to allow our resolution to come to 
the floor, House Joint Resolution 90. No amnesty in Iraq, no amnesty 
for those who kill, maim, torture U.S. troops or our citizens in the 
country of Iraq.

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