[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 5996]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          AMERICANS ASK: WHY IS BUSH SPENDING BILLIONS IN IRAQ

  (Ms. WATSON asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. WATSON. Madam Speaker, today, Tax Day, millions of Americans know 
that their tax dollars will support rebuilding Iraq instead of 
rebuilding America. Americans have already spent $44 billion in 
rebuilding Iraq at a time when the Iraqis have a huge oil revenue 
reserve.
  Today, taxpayers may be wondering how this money could be spent in 
Iraq, our money, instead of rebuilding the U.S.A. With the $339 million 
that we are spending daily in Iraq, we could instead provide an 
additional 18,000 American students with Pell Grants so they can attend 
college. We could also hire and keep 4,400 ``COPS on the beat.'' Our 
moneys could be used, if we spent them here, to have 2,000 more border 
guard agents to protect our borders.
  Madam Speaker, as Americans pay their taxes today, they have a right 
to know why billions are being spent each month in Iraq instead of here 
in the U.S.A.

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