Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act for FIscal Year 2009 Part 1

Floor Speech

DUNCAN HUNTER NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2009 -- (House of Representatives - May 22, 2008)

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Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Chairman, as we speak, the administration is negotiating a strategic framework agreement with Iraq that goes well beyond the typical Status of Forces Agreement. Contrary to what my colleague, Mr. Hunter says, from California, essentially it does amount to a treaty. Read the words of the Declaration of Principles. It will need to be ratified by the Iraqi Parliament and therefore it must be ratified by the United States Congress as well. This is the issue that goes to the heart of our constitutional duties as a Congress and the power to declare war, with which we have been entrusted as representatives.

After voting against this war, I have supported the goal of responsibly redeploying our troops for over 2 years, and after President Bush and Prime Minister al-Maliki signed the Declaration of Principles last year. It is a document that outlines unprecedented security commitments and assurances to Iraq from the United States. If in fact it is just a Status of Forces Agreement as usual, then the administration should repudiate this Declaration of Principles and start with a genuine Status of Forces Agreement.

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