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




 BUSH NEGLECTS DOMESTIC PRIORITIES TO CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON WAR IN IRAQ

  (Mr. YARMUTH asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, when President Bush vetoed a bill earlier 
this month that would provide health care coverage to 10 million 
American children, he said the spending was excessive. The bipartisan 
bill invested $35 billion more in children's health over a 5-year 
period. Three weeks later, President Bush announces that he needs $196 
billion to fight the war in Iraq over the next year. If $35 billion for 
children's health is excessive, what exactly is his request for the 
war?
  I know the President believes that Congress is his personal ATM 
machine, but article I of the Constitution says different, and we will 
not rubber-stamp his funding request for the war.
  As we have in the past, Democrats will continue to exert pressure on 
the administration to change course in Iraq so that we can begin to 
bring the troops home. There is no military solution to the war; yet 
the Bush administration refuses to put pressure on the Iraqi Government 
to enact the political reforms that are necessary to bring about 
stability in the country.
  While we push the administration to change course in Iraq, we also 
remain firm in our conviction to pass the children's health care bill 
that covers 10 million American children.

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