[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 2]
[Senate]
[Pages 2504-2505]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          FEINGOLD AMENDMENTS

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, this afternoon we will indulge in a 
little bit of nostalgia with another vote on the Feingold bill to cut 
off funds for our troops in Iraq. I don't know what our friends on the 
other side expect to accomplish, but if past experience is any guide, 
we already know the outcome.
  Last May, 67 of us voted against the proposal to cut off funds for 
our troops in the field. Mr. President, 4 months later, 70 Senators--3 
more--voted against it the second time. Two weeks after that, 68 
Senators voted against it for a third time. And in December, 71 of us--
more than three-fourths of the Senate--voted no once again to cutting 
off funds for troops in the field.
  So the outcome of the final vote on the Feingold bill is obvious: The 
Senate is on record not once but four times that it will not cut off 
funds while our troops are in the field.
  All the more so will we oppose it when the fight in Iraq, by all 
accounts, is showing clear-cut tactical progress, and now, at last, 
some important political progress is also apparent over in Iraq.
  This bill does give us an opportunity--an opportunity to step back 
and highlight the remarkable progress that has been made in Iraq since 
the first time our friends proposed cutting off funds last May. It 
gives us a chance to highlight why we were wise to reject it even when 
the outcome in Iraq was unclear, much less now when progress is clearly 
being made.
  Two months ahead of another visit by General Petraeus and Ambassador 
Crocker, we should acknowledge the heroic sacrifices of our men and 
women in uniform and the important turnaround they have achieved in 
Iraq on behalf of the American people. The brave Iraqis who have stood 
with them also deserve our praise. All of this is in our Nation's long-
term security interests.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The majority leader is recognized.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I will make a statement prior to the Iraq 
votes, and I will be happy to lay out why we are doing this. We are 
doing this because the majority of the American people recognize this 
war in Iraq is costing huge amounts of money. Some are saying now as 
much as $15 billion a month.
  But let's say it is not that much. Let's say it is only the lower 
figure of $10 billion to $12 billion a month. I met yesterday with the 
Speaker and all the 28 Democratic Governors, and they are desperate for 
money to do what their States need in dealing with health care, 
infrastructure, and fighting

[[Page 2505]]

crime. They are desperate. Where is the money they need? It is going to 
Iraq in the sum of about $400 million a day.
  So we are going to continue to debate this because the American 
people know what is taking place, and I will discuss this more fully 
right before the votes on the two cloture motions that have been filed 
on the Iraq situation.

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