Washington, D.C. - Congressman Joe Donnelly released the following statement about the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Health and Iraq Accountability Act.
I voted yes on H.R. 1591 in order to continue the full funding of our troops in Iraq. This bill was the only legislation that provided the necessary funding to protect and support our servicemen and women.
I said numerous times during the campaign that Congress must continue providing full funding for our troops in the field - this bill does that by investing $95.5 billion in our military, including almost $900 million for new Humvees and $2.4 billion to improve protections against Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). Though I do not like the idea of setting a timeline for the redeployment of our troops, I will not vote against our troops in the field, period.
In addition, the Iraqis must take responsibility for their future. This bill is the only proposal on the table that sets enforceable benchmarks for the Iraqi government and makes clear to the Iraqi government that we will not have our soldiers in the middle of a religious civil war indefinitely. Distinguished Hoosier and co-chairman of the Iraq Study Group, Lee Hamilton, has said that tying continued U.S. support, including the presence of our troops, to benchmarks is the strongest leverage we have to force the Iraqis to act. He, too, has said that this supplemental - despite its imperfections - should move forward.
In an ideal situation, the president, and not the Congress, would hold the Iraqi government accountable for improving the political and security conditions in its country. However, this administration has not held the Iraqi government accountable, even while the security situation has steadily deteriorated to the point of open civil war between rival religious sects. In early January, I wrote to the president. I asked him what the consequences would be if the Iraqi government failed to meet the benchmarks the president articulated, benchmarks the Iraqi government has agreed to meet, in a nationally televised speech. To this day, I have still received no response.
The president has previously stated that he hoped Iraqi troops would be serving on the front line and that U.S. troops would primarily be in a training role before the end of this year. This funding bill extends our offensive mission beyond the president's own transition date. We are essentially asking the Iraqis to take ownership of their own country again while fully funding and protecting our servicemen and women in their mission. These steps are critical for both Iraq and the United States.
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