Rep. Courtney Rejects Iraq Supplemental Because without Future Plan, it is Another Blank Check to President

Press Release

Rep. Courtney Rejects Iraq Supplemental Because without Future Plan, it is Another Blank Check to President

Congressman Courtney rejected the Iraq funding portion of the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations bill, which was considered last evening by the House of Representatives. The bill was voted on in two parts, one part provides $165 billion to continue the war in Iraq, while the second funds a domestic initiatives package, including funding for the new GI Bill for veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan.

"I have said it before and I will say it once again, that a supplemental funding bill without an end-game strategy is one that I cannot support," stated Courtney. "President Bush will walk away from this vote with a blank check to continue the war and walk away from his Presidency with a military stretched past the breaking point. This will be his legacy and the next President's burden."

Congressman Courtney did, however, support the second piece of the two part supplemental, which is a domestic spending package.

The second part includes the following important provisions:

- Funding for a new GI Bill for veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan;

- Thirteen week extension of unemployment insurance for all states;

- Postpones six Medicaid regulations that Bush had proposed that would cut funding to
Connecticut;

- And provides $2.65 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster relief
fund, Army Corps of Engineers and Small Business Administration to address recent flooding
in the Midwest.

"The new GI Bill meets the educational demands for the 21st Century, and I am proud to offer our returning servicemen and women something better for their service to their country," Courtney added.

There were nearly 3,000 GI students in Connecticut in 2007.

The second piece of the emergency supplemental includes a provision that would require the Iraqi government to enter into a cost-sharing agreement with the United States for the costs associated with reconstruction in Iraq. Congressman Courtney and other House freshman sent a letter to appropriators in April calling for the provision that protects U.S. taxpayers.

Congressman Courtney believes that the effort, which has now passed Congress, offers real change and real accountability.

Letter attached.

April 30, 2008

The Honorable Dave Obey, Chair
Committee on Appropriations
H-218, The Capitol
House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable John P. Murtha, Chair
Subcommittee on Defense Appropriations
H-149, The Capitol
House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Chairman Obey and Chairman Murtha,

As you work with our colleagues to craft upcoming spending bills, we ask you to consider language emphasizing the government of Iraq's cost-sharing responsibility.

With so many competing priorities, from emergency domestic spending to funding for our national security, it is clear that taxpayer dollars will be stretched thin. As you know, with the amount of money that we have spent in Iraq, we could fund virtually every emergency domestic priority in this country, as well as fully fund the war against terrorism in Afghanistan. As new Members of Congress, we hope to be able to return to our districts with news that Congress is asking the Iraqi government to stand up for itself.

Specifically, we hope that you will consider language in upcoming spending bills that requires the Government of Iraq to take more ownership over the reconstruction projects and training for security forces. Additionally, the Iraqi government should take responsibility for the $153 million per month that the United States Government spends on fuel in Iraq. Both the American and Iraqi people will gain from increased involvement of the Iraqi government in these endeavors.

Whether our colleagues support or oppose the Iraq war strategy, we can all agree that when it comes to the $600 billion in American taxpayer dollars that we have spent over the last five years, we must find another way. American taxpayers are spending $339 million a day in Iraq. The amount of money we spend in Iraq each day could house 48,000 homeless veterans, hire over 2,000 new Border Patrol guards for a year or give 2.6 million uninsured Americans access to health care. We write to you in the hopes that you will agree that it is time for us to pursue this issue in a more fiscally responsible manner.

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