FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                             CONTACT: Kevin Lawlor, 202/225-1880

October 4, 2007                                                                                             www.tauscher.house.gov

Rep. Ellen Tauscher Backs Legislation Holding Private Contractors In War Zones Accountable

“Congress has once again stepped in to correct an injustice that is left in the wake of President Bush’s failed policies in Iraq.”

Washington, DC – In the wake of new revelations regarding the conduct of Blackwater security forces, the House voted on legislation today that would hold all contractors working for the U.S. government in Iraq and other conflict zones accountable for their actions.  The Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Expansion and Enforcement Act of 2007 would clarify the law and ensure that all contractors working overseas for any U.S. government agency are covered by federal criminal codes. 

Rep. Ellen Tauscher voted in support of the legislation and released the following statement.

 “Private contractors working for the United States in war zones must fully comprehend that they are not operating above the law.  As a country, we cannot tolerate misconduct or criminal behavior on the part of anyone representing the United States overseas. 

“The Bush administration’s mismanagement of the war effort has relied too heavily on contracted workers as opposed to trained members of the U.S. Armed Forces – contractors whose training is unknown to us, whose salaries are exponentially higher than our own troops, and who are apparently subject to no laws.  Congress has once again stepped in to correct an injustice that is left in the wake of President Bush’s failed policies in Iraq.”   

Rep. Ellen O. Tauscher 

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