One of America's Worst Foreign Policy Mistakes

Floor Speech

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Mr. POLIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in solemn observance today of the 13th anniversary of the week that one of the worst foreign policy mistakes of the 21st century was made, the invasion of Iraq, March 20, 2003.

The human cost of the invasion: 4,491 U.S. servicemembers who gave their lives and countless more who were injured or who came back with difficulties facing the challenges of everyday life.

Iraqi deaths were between 151,000 and 500,000, including many innocent women and children, and millions more were driven from their homes.

The economic cost of the war in Iraq: $1.7 trillion are the estimates of that cost, money that was taken out of the hands of U.S. taxpayers, away from our roads, bridges, infrastructure, and schools to send to Iraq. And the national security cost of that colossal mistake: namely, the creation of ISIS and, in fact, arming ISIS with weapons that were paid for by American taxpayers, supplied to the failed Iraqi military.

``When will we ever learn?'', in the words of the late, great Pete Seeger.

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