Gillibrand Votes for More Iraq Transparency

Press Release

Gillibrand Votes for More Iraq Transparency

Today, local Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand voted for H. Res. 734, a Resolution written by the Government Reform and Oversight committee, expressing displeasure with the Administration for attempting to cover up corruption in Iraq by retroactively classifying portions of previously public documents.

"Last November, American voters asked for Congress to provide more oversight over the Iraq war," said Congresswoman Gillibrand, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, "Today I was pleased to cast yet another vote in favor of providing more transparency to the running of this war."

Previously, Congresswoman Gillibrand, who traveled to Iraq earlier this year, voted to require an independent GAO Report on 18 benchmarks for progress in Iraq in order to provide the public with an accurate assessment of our progress. In September, the Armed Services Committee received the results from the report. Specifically, the independent report found that "the Iraqi government met 3, partially met 4, and did not meet 11 of its 18 benchmarks. Overall, key legislation has not been passed, violence remains high, and it is unclear whether the Iraqi government will spend $10 billion in reconstruction funds."

Congresswoman Gillibrand also supported the creation of the Independent Jones Report to assess the readiness of the Iraqi Security Forces and participated in many of the 228 hearings (152 House hearings & 76 Senate hearings) that have been held on issues related to the Iraq War since the beginning of the 110th Congress.

"Congress is finally providing the oversight that has been missing since the beginning of the Iraq War," said Congresswoman Gillibrand. "And in the last few weeks, we have also begun to tackle the problem of out-of-control and unaccountable contractors."

Two weeks ago, the House passed H.R. 2740, Holding Security Contractors in War Zones Overseas Accountable and last week she voted for the War Profiteering Prevention Act (HR 400). These bills were designed to ensure that there is oversight over all private security contractors in war zones overseas and that they will be held accountable for any criminal behavior.

The Defense Appropriations bill also includes funding to provide more oversight of military contractors, including funding to improve the oversight of contractors, and a requirement that the Secretary of Defense develop minimum standards for all contractors performing security functions.

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