[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 18]
[House]
[Page 25587]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1515
  TERRIBLE NEW THREATS TO OUR NATIONAL SECURITY AND THE SAFETY OF THE 
                            AMERICAN PEOPLE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, we have learned in the last few days and 
weeks about terrible new threats to our national security and the 
safety of the American people.
  On August 29, a B-52 bomber accidentally flew six nuclear warheads 
across the country with a combined power of 60 Hiroshima A-bombs. 
Imagine the horror, the destructive power of 60 Hiroshima A-bombs 
flying over the American heartland on a course that took them near 
Minneapolis, Des Moines, Omaha, Kansas City, St. Louis, Tulsa and 
Little Rock.
  Then, on September 16, we learned that American military contractors 
in Iraq were involved in the shooting deaths of 11 innocent Iraqi 
civilians in a Baghdad square.
  Was it a case of American military contractors gone wild? We don't 
know for sure yet. But it is becoming increasingly clear that the vast 
army of 180,000 military contractors in Iraq are not being held 
accountable for their actions and often make things more difficult for 
our troops in Iraq. A senior U.S. military official told the Washington 
Post that the incident in Baghdad was ``a nightmare. This is going to 
hurt us badly. It may be worse than Abu Ghraib.''
  And then on September 22, the press reported that Federal prosecutors 
are investigating charges that the military contractors involved in the 
Baghdad incident, Blackwater U.S.A., smuggled weapons into Iraq that 
may have been sold on the black market and ended up in the hands of 
terrorists.
  Mr. Speaker, we must take immediate action to improve our security. 
The accidental flight of A-bombs over our homeland should remind us 
that America must return to a policy of nuclear nonproliferation. This 
administration has abandoned our decades-old commitment to 
nonproliferation, and that has been a terrible mistake.
  We must also end the occupation of Iraq. Secretary of Defense Robert 
Gates announced today that he will try to strengthen the Pentagon's 
oversight of the contractors. This is a welcome step, but it doesn't 
solve the real problem. The real problem is that we need military 
contractors, because our forces are stretched to the limit in Iraq and 
beyond. The only solution is to end the occupation.
  In testimony prepared for delivery before Congress today, Secretary 
Gates asked for additional funds for the occupation. We must tell him 
no. The occupation is hurting America politically, economically and 
morally. The American people deserve better. Congress has the power of 
the purse, and it is the only real tool we have to force the 
administration to change course.
  We should not spend another dime to continue the occupation. Instead, 
we must fully fund the safe, orderly and responsible withdrawal of all 
of our troops and all of our military contractors by a date certain. 
That is the best way, Mr. Speaker, for our country to change course and 
restore the moral leadership that is the true source of our national 
security.

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