WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today the House of Representatives considered H.R. 2642, the Fiscal Year 2008 Supplemental Appropriations bill which provides funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  This proposal was considered by the House as three amendments: Amendment #1 provided funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; Amendment #2 put a series of conditions and restrictions on the Iraq war funding; and Amendment #3 funds certain key domestic priorities. 

Congresswoman Lois Capps voted against Amendment #1, which would give President Bush another blank check to fund his failed policies in Iraq.  Capps voted for Amendment #2 in order to bring much needed change to our policy in Iraq, including providing for the responsible redeployment of U.S. troops from Iraq and measures to meet the needs of our troops – such as prohibiting the deployment to Iraq of any unit that is not “fully mission capable” and any unit that has not spent adequate time at home as called for under Pentagon guidelines.  Capps also voted for Amendment #3, which funds key domestic priorities such as the new GI bill and extended unemployment benefits.

A copy of the Congresswoman’s full statement on the supplemental funding bill follows:

“Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of our troops, and in support of a responsible U.S. policy in Iraq.

“I have opposed the Iraq war from the very beginning.  Over five years later, this war has taken the lives of more than 4,000 of our brave troops.  Our armed forces are incredibly strained, and our nation’s image tarnished in the wake of this foreign relations disaster.

“I have opposed continued funding of this war in the past, and I will vote against Amendment #1, which gives the President another blank check.  Amendments #2 and #3 of this bill, however, are a marked and deliberate shift away from the failed and short-sighted policies of President Bush. 

“And #2 requires that all troops be fully trained and equipped before deployment, and calls for a redeployment of U.S. troops from Iraq to begin in 30 days.  It also bans any permanent U.S. bases in Iraq and codifies contracting fraud as a criminal offense.

“Amendment #3 will restore the education benefits under the GI bill to include a full, four-year college education for veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Madame Speaker, this war has taken an incredible toll on American troops, their families, and our entire country.  We cannot turn back the hands of time, but we can move forward to bring our troops home, end this war, and provide them with the tools they will need to continue their education.

“As this New Direction Congress has done time and again, today we will tell the President that he is wrong.

“Let us truly support the troops and vote to bring them home.

“I yield back.”

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Pictured above: (center) Congresswoman Capps meets with Central Coast firefighters to discuss emergency preparedness.