[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 1]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 338]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          PERSONAL EXPLANATION

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                           HON. NIKI TSONGAS

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, January 16, 2008

  Ms. TSONGAS. Madam Speaker, I wanted to take a moment to explain my 
absence for the quorum call on January 15th. I recently returned from 
visiting U.S. forces serving in Iraq and Afghanistan as part of a 
bipartisan Congressional Delegation trip led by my colleague, 
Representative Lincoln Davis.
  The purpose of this Congressional Delegation trip was to meet 
firsthand with our brave men and women in uniform currently deployed in 
Iraq and Afghanistan to thank them for their outstanding service and to 
learn what additional resources they may need on the ground. I also met 
with military commanders as well as with national leaders in Iraq and 
Afghanistan to get the latest information on the security, political, 
and economic conditions in both countries. I think it is important for 
all members of Congress to see what is happening on the ground in Iraq, 
but as a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I take that 
responsibility particularly seriously.
  As a result of the Congressional Delegation trip, I was unable to 
participate in the votes held on Tuesday evening. If I would have been 
here, I would have voted ``present''.

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