[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 10]
[House]
[Page 13476]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 HOW EXACTLY IS BUSH SUPPORTING OUR TROOPS WHEN HE THREATENS A VETO OF 
                                  DOD?

  (Mrs. CHRISTENSEN asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, last week Democrats and Republicans 
came together in a strong bipartisan fashion to approve a defense 
authorization that prioritizes the immediate needs of our military 
personnel.
  While the President believed that a 3 percent pay raise was suitable 
for our troops in combat, Democrats and Republicans in this House said 
our military personnel deserved more, and approved a bill that gives 
them a 3.5 percent raise. The President's response, a threatened veto.
  How exactly is the President supporting our troops when he threatens 
to veto a bill that he says gives our troops too large a pay raise? Has 
the President forgotten how much he's asked them to sacrifice over the 
last 4 years? Troops were initially told that their stays in Iraq would 
last a year, only to be informed at the end of that year that those 
stays were being extended by several months as a result of the 
President's troop escalation plan.
  Mr. Speaker, if President Bush really wants to support our troops, he 
would reconsider his veto threat and help us give our troops a much 
deserved pay raise.

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