[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 5]
[House]
[Pages 7459-7460]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1315
                    THE FUTURE FOR CONGRESS AND IRAQ

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Wilson of Ohio). Under a previous order 
of the House, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey) is 
recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, today is a very solemn day for our Nation. 
The House just voted to pass a bill that will continue to fund the 
ongoing occupation of Iraq. I know all too well how my colleagues 
anguished over their decision, but we must be clear what this vote 
means.
  The supplemental, the largest in the history of our country, will pay 
for the President's escalation, an escalation that he calls a surge 
that we voted against just a few weeks ago.
  It will include benchmarks and requirements that the administration 
can waive with the bat of an eye; and, most importantly, it could keep 
our troops on the ground for another year and a half at least.
  Let's remember that the public did not elect Democrats to bring our 
troops home in 2008. They elected us to bring them home now.
  I am truly and sincerely sad to say that as we debate the future of 
our troops, our troops are being targeted by terrorists, are being 
wounded by IEDs, and the most tragic and heart-breaking part of all, 
they are dying, and they are killing.
  The American public knows the simple truth, Mr. Speaker: You can't be 
against the occupation and vote for this supplemental of at least $100 
billion. The Democrats were elected in November because the American 
people want us, are expecting us, and are demanding of us that we bring 
our troops home as soon as possible. They do not trust the 
administration to do the right thing. They want us to hold the 
administration accountable.
  We must stand up to an administration that has lied to get us into 
this war and will keep lying to keep us in

[[Page 7460]]

it. It is sad when a Nation cannot trust its Commander in Chief to put 
the lives of the troops above his political legacy. But in that 
position, a Congress must take real and enforceable steps to bring an 
end to the occupation.
  I have come to this spot over 195 times to speak about the 
unmitigated disaster that is Iraq. This is my moral obligation and that 
of our country.
  To those who are watching and wondering about the future of our Iraq 
policy, I say: I will not stop, I will not rest, and I will not back 
down in my fight until every single last soldier and marine is home 
safe with his or her family.
  This fight is far from over. Over the next several months, we will 
revisit this issue many, many times. I will work with my colleagues to 
make each measure stronger and each measure more effective and to bring 
our troops home to their families earlier rather than later. It is with 
their families that they belong. Today will be marked in history. I 
know that the future of our standing in the world and the future of 
Iraq depends on us being bold and brave and taking the actions that 
will bring our troops home.

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