Contractor Accountability

Floor Speech

CONTRACTOR ACCOUNTABILITY -- (House of Representatives - September 16, 2008)

(Ms. SCHAKOWSKY asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute.)

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, one year ago today, Blackwater contractors opened fire in Baghdad's Nisoor Square, killing 17 Iraqi civilians. This wasn't the first time private security contractors used excessive force.

It has now been 21 months since the Christmas Eve murder in the Green Zone, and 3 1/2 years since a Blackwater helicopter dropped CS gas on a traffic jam in Baghdad. Yet there have been no arrests, no charges, no trials and no conviction. In fact, the Blackwater contractor responsible for the Christmas Eve shooting is now employed as a prison guard in Washington State.

Instead of holding Blackwater accountable for violating the law, last April the State Department rewarded Blackwater by renewing their billion dollar contract. Before we even consider giving Blackwater another penny of U.S. taxpayer dollars, we should hold private security contractors accountable under the law.

On the 1-year anniversary, I urge my colleagues to cosponsor the Stop Outsourcing Security, SOS, Act, H.R. 4102, to begin phasing out the use of private security contractors. The longer we wait to fix this problem, the worse the situation is going to get, not only for Iraqi civilians, but for our troops on the ground.

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