[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Page 5357]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 506--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE THAT FUNDING 
 PROVIDED BY THE UNITED STATES TO THE GOVERNMENT OF IRAQ IN THE FUTURE 
 FOR RECONSTRUCTION AND TRAINING FOR SECURITY FORCES BE PROVIDED AS A 
                     LOAN TO THE GOVERNMENT OF IRAQ

  Mr. NELSON of Nebraska submitted the following resolution; which was 
referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 506

       Whereas the United States has been engaged in Iraq for more 
     than 5 years at a great cost to the United States in both 
     lives and resources;
       Whereas March 19, 2008, marked the fifth anniversary of the 
     engagement of the United States in Iraq;
       Whereas the United States Government has spent 
     $600,000,000,000 to fight the war in Iraq and that 
     expenditure has contributed greatly to the Nation's debt;
       Whereas taxpayers in the United States have provided 
     $45,000,000,000 in funding for reconstruction to the country 
     and the Government of Iraq;
       Whereas world oil prices have reached more than $100 a 
     barrel;
       Whereas consumers in the United States are paying record 
     gas prices of approximately $3.29 a gallon;
       Whereas, when the war began, Deputy Secretary of Defense 
     Paul Wolfowitz said, ``We're dealing with a country that can 
     really finance its own reconstruction, and relatively 
     soon.'';
       Whereas, due to high oil prices and expanded oil 
     production, it has been predicted that the Government of Iraq 
     is likely to experience an enormous revenue windfall;
       Whereas, in January 2008, the Government Accountability 
     Office issued a report stating that, according to Iraq's 
     official expenditure reports, the Government of Iraq had 
     spent only 4.4 percent of its $10,100,000,000 investment 
     budget as of August 2007;
       Whereas Iraq has not made satisfactory progress toward 
     achieving the political benchmarks established by Congress; 
     and
       Whereas the Government of Iraq needs to invest in the 
     future of Iraq by paying a larger share of the costs of 
     reconstruction: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that any 
     funding provided by the United States to the Government of 
     Iraq for reconstruction and training for security forces 
     after the date on which the Senate agrees to this resolution 
     be provided as a loan to the Government of Iraq.

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