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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Jerrold Nadler (NY-08), a member of the Out of Iraq Caucus, today issued the following statement on the Orderly and Responsible Iraq Redeployment Appropriations Act, currently pending before the House. His remarks as delivered on the floor are as follows:
“Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the rule and the bill because I believe the bill does two critical and important things.
“First, it provides $50 billion to finance military withdrawal from Iraq, to be completed by the end of next year. I voted against beginning the war, and I have consistently tried to end American involvement in the war. Saddam Hussein is gone, there were no weapons of mass destruction, and there was no Iraqi involvement with Al Qaeda or with 9/11. Al Qaeda in Iraq is now subject to attack by both Shiites and Sunnis, and poses no ongoing threat to the U.S. We have no stake in the Iraqi civil war, and it is time to end our occupation.
“I signed a letter to the President back in July with over 60 of my colleagues vowing not to support any more money for the war in Iraq, unless it was for the protection and redeployment of our troops. I believe this bill is consistent with that commitment. The time has come to end the war, and the money we provide should be used only for that purpose.
“The second critical thing this bill does is to end torture by the U.S. government. By including in this bill the ‘American Anti-Torture Act,’ which was introduced by myself and Rep. Delahunt, we are saying once and for all ‘no more torture.’ The law now requires the Department of Defense to follow the Army Field Manual, which bars torture or ‘cruel and inhuman’ procedures such as ‘waterboarding.’ This bill extends these limits to every U.S. government agency, including the CIA, and ensures a single, uniform, baseline standard for all interrogations of people under U.S. control. In short, that means no more waterboarding. No more clever wordplay, no more evasive answers, and no more uncertainty with regard to what is allowed and what is not. It is time to restore the honor of the United States, and force the Administration to act in a manner consistent with the Constitution.
“I want to thank all of the organizations who have worked with us on this issue, and I want to personally express my appreciation for their efforts to end the cruel, illegal, and immoral practice of torture by this Administration.
“When the bill is passed, the President will have two options. He could sign this bill, and help bring the war in Iraq to a speedy end. Or he could veto the bill, in which case he will have to explain why he is denying funds to the troops, for we will not vote for further funding, without a requirement to withdraw the troops, as in this bill.
“Mr. Speaker, let’s end this war and let’s end torture. I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.”
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