Issue Position: Iraq

Issue Position

Security Situation

In April of 2007, Congressman Lynch led a bipartisan Congressional Delegation, consisting of Democratic and Republican Members of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, to Iraq to examine the security environment and the progress of U.S. reconstruction efforts in the region. Congressman Lynch's trip, his sixth to Iraq, has only strengthened his conviction that the security situation in the country is deteriorating and that sending additional troops will not quell the sectarian conflict between the Sunnis and the Shiites. Lynch personally conveyed his findings to President Bush when he and the other members of the trip met with the President, Vice President Cheney, White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten, National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley, and other Administration officials in the Oval Office following their return.

In addition, Congressman Lynch has strongly opposed the President's surge and remains committed to bringing American troops home in a safe and orderly manner. Given that the continued dominant American presence in the region has encouraged Iraqis to develop an unhealthy reliance on the United States, Congressman Lynch believes that Iraqi must assume greater responsibility for their own governance.

Consequently, Congressman Lynch voted in favor of the Troop Readiness, Veteran's Health and Iraq Accountability Act (H.R. 1591), which revokes the blank check given to President Bush by the Republican-led Congress. Specifically, this legislation promotes greater accountability by the Iraqi government and the Bush Administration by conditioning the presence of American troops to the Iraqi government attaining various benchmarks. Notably, the bill encourages the Iraqi government to focus on national reconciliation through the equitable distribution of oil revenues, create greater political opportunities for the Sunni minority, amend the Iraqi Constitution to discourage greater fragmentation, and stop shielding the Shiite militias that have been engaged in sectarian conflict. Regrettably, President Bush vetoed this measure on May 1, 2007. One day later, Congressman Lynch joined 221 of his House colleagues in voting in favor of legislation to override the President's veto. However, with 197 Republicans voting in opposition to the veto override, the measure, unfortunately, did not pass the House.

Furthermore, part of Congressman Lynch's strategy for Iraq, which he urged fellow Congressmen to include in the above bill, is a mechanism to more effectively hold the Iraqi government accountable for attaining these benchmarks and create the conditions necessary for an orderly withdrawal. Drawing from the lessons of history, Congressman Lynch's Iraq Transition Act of 2007 (H.R. 533), recommends the establishment of a national bipartisan commission comprised of appointees from the White House, House and Senate, whose specific and targeted purpose would be to help facilitate a deliberate and expeditious transition from U.S. military control to Iraqi civilian control.

Reconstruction Efforts

The Bush Administration has spent over $30 billion in U.S. taxpayer funds, as well as over $20 billion in Iraqi money, on Iraq Reconstruction. Regrettably, our efforts to rebuild Iraq and provide necessary assistance to the Iraqi people have been plagued by unprecedented waste, fraud, and abuse. For example, Pentagon auditors recently reported to Congress that questionable and unsupported costs stemming from U.S. reconstruction contracts in Iraq have risen to over $10 billion, with one in every six dollars audited identified as suspect.

As a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Congressman Lynch continues to participate in the Committee's ongoing investigation and oversight of our reconstruction efforts in Iraq. In April 2007, Congressman Lynch led a Congressional Delegation consisting of fellow Democratic and Republican members of the Oversight Committee to Iraq to examine U.S. reconstruction projects in the region firsthand.

Congressman Lynch also reintroduced legislation in the 110th Congress to promote greater accountability and transparency in Iraq contracting. Specifically, Congressman Lynch has reintroduced The Iraq Contracting Fraud Review Act of 2007 (H.R. 528), a bill that would require the Secretary of Defense to review every Iraq reconstruction contract that has been "touched" by any contractor or federal official indicted or convicted for contracting abuses. Congressman Lynch has also reintroduced The Iraq Weapons Accountability Act of 2007 (H.R. 529), legislation to ensure that the Department of Defense keeps track of all small arms weapons provided by the Department to the Iraqi Security Forces.

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