[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 23]
[House]
[Page 31487]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              WAR IN IRAQ

  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, the Joint Economic Committee of Congress 
reported yesterday on the hidden costs of the occupation of Iraq. We 
learned that the true cost so far is $1.3 trillion, or nearly double 
the amount the administration has been talking and has requested. And 
the price tag could soar to nearly $3.5 trillion if we continue on the 
administration's reckless course in Iraq.
  The hidden financial costs of our involvement in Iraq are staggering, 
but yesterday we also learned that there are hidden human costs as well 
that are truly, truly heartbreaking.
  CBS News reported last night that the suicide rate among veterans is 
over twice as great as the suicide rate for the general population. In 
2005 alone, there were at least 6,256 suicides among veterans in the 45 
States that provided data to CBS. That is an astonishing 17 suicides 
per day for just that one year.
  Those statistics are for veterans of all wars, and they are shocking. 
But the statistics for veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan are even more 
devastating. Veterans aged 20 to 24 have the highest suicide rate of 
all. For these young men and women, the suicide rate is two to four 
times higher than the suicide rate for the general population.
  And yet another report published yesterday in the Journal of the 
American Medical Association found that the mental health problems of 
Iraq veterans are much greater than previously thought. It found that 
Iraq veterans are more likely to report alcohol abuse, family 
conflicts, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder after being 
home for 6 months than immediately after their return. The suicide 
statistics tell us that the real Iraq death toll is significantly 
higher than the official count of just over 3,860. And the mental 
health statistics tell us that the real number of wounded is much, much 
higher than the reported number of around 28,000.
  All of this terrible news means that we can no longer sit around and 
do nothing about the occupation of Iraq. We must take action 
immediately, and we must take it in two ways.
  First, America must do a much better job of meeting the physical and 
mental health needs of our veterans. The administration has underfunded 
and ignored the Veterans Administration system, leaving veterans stuck 
in a bureaucratic nightmare that stops them from getting the health 
care that they need. Congress has passed a bill that would help 
veterans to get care much faster. It improves conditions at VA 
hospitals and invests in new ways to treat physical and mental problems 
caused by the war. The President needs to sign that bill as soon as 
possible.
  And, second, we must move immediately to end the occupation of Iraq 
and redeploy our troops. That is why I voted today for H.R. 4156, the 
Orderly and Responsible Iraq Redeployment Appropriations Act.
  While the bill is not perfect, it essentially says that funds 
authorized for Iraq will not be used to continue the occupation, but 
are to be used to achieve the safe and orderly redeployment of our 
troops out of Iraq.
  That is what I and many others have been demanding, and that is what 
the American people have been asking. It is time to stop the death. It 
is time to stop the suffering. It is time to bring our brave troops 
home and do everything we can to help them and their families to 
rebuild their lives. Anything less is unacceptable and immoral.

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