This week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 4939, the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense, the Global War on Terror, and Hurricane Recovery of 2006.
This bill, which I voted for, appropriates $94.5 billion in funding for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and hurricane recovery efforts in the Gulf Coast. The funding specifically includes $65.8 billion for military operations, personnel, and maintenance in Iraq and Afghanistan.
While the United States is at war, we owe all of the brave men and women who serve our country a tremendous debt and there is no better way for us to properly thank them for putting their lives on the line to defend the freedom of others than to adequately fund their work.
The $65.8 billion of funding appropriated for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan ensures that the much needed resources, equipment, supplies, and family support groups are available for our service members without interruption.
While I greatly support adequately funding our troops, it must also be pointed out that each month, we spend $6.4 billion in Iraq. With billions of our tax money being spent in Iraq, I believe that there must be accountability for how this money is being spent. It is past time for the President to develop a plan that will eventually bring our troops home.
The Iraqi people need to understand that while we are prepared to train their police and military forces to defend themselves, enforce order, and transition to democracy, Iraq must soon accept responsibility for their own country and their citizens.
If you ask a hundred different people about their view on the post-war Iraq policy, you will invariably get a hundred different answers. However, what makes me especially proud to be an American is that one thing we almost all agree on is that we must adequately fund and support the brave men and women who are putting their lives on the line everyday to accomplish the difficult mission of bringing democracy to a land a long way from Arkansas.
