[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 20]
[House]
[Page 28191]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




THE PRESIDENT'S MISPLACED PRIORITIES: WHAT WE COULD DO HERE WITH MONEY 
                             GOING TO IRAQ

  (Mr. ARCURI asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. ARCURI. Mr. Speaker, earlier this week, President Bush proposed 
that our Nation spend another $196 billion in Iraq next year. Today we 
will spend $330 million fighting the war in Iraq. Imagine that. Every 
day, $330 million in taxpayer dollars is going to Iraq.
  Just imagine for one moment what we could do here in the United 
States with that money instead. We could hire an additional 1,700 
Border Patrol agents to work our borders for an entire year. We could 
provide health care to 50,000 more veterans so they receive the 
essential health care treatment that they need. We could enroll 46,000 
more children in Head Start for 1 year, so they can receive early 
childhood education. If we took 1 day of funding from the Iraq war, we 
could help nearly 800,000 families keep their heat on this winter 
through the LIHEAP program. We could provide 270,000 more children 
health care coverage through the CHIP program.
  Mr. Speaker, while President Bush has no problem sending billions of 
dollars to Iraq, he is neglecting essential needs here in America. The 
Democratic majority in this Congress refuses to follow that lead.

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