WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today Congresswoman Lois Capps, together with a majority of her colleagues in the House of Representatives, voted to approve the conference report on the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans’ Health and Iraq Accountability Act.  Capps praised the legislation for establishing a clear timeline for ending the war in Iraq and for ending the era of blank checks to fund the Bush Administration’s failed policies in Iraq and called on the President to sign the legislation.

It is anticipated that the Senate will take up and pass this legislation on Thursday and then send it to the President’s desk.

“I am pleased that the Democratic led Congress is taking the steps necessary to end this war and hold the Bush Administration accountable for its failed policies in Iraq,”  said Capps.  “For four years the Republican controlled Congress merely rubber stamped the President’s misguided policies in Iraq, endorsing blank checks and open ended troop commitments for a fatally flawed policy.  The bill the House passed today ends the era of blank checks and open ended commitments for the war in Iraq.  It is my hope that the Senate will pass this legislation tomorrow and the President will sign it into law. 

“I have been disappointed, but not really surprised, that until now President Bush has so stubbornly refused to work with Congress on finding a way out of this quagmire.  He continues to insist on another blank check like the ones given to him over the past four years by the Republican-led Congress. But the tragic result of his stubbornness has been thousands of U.S. deaths, an untold number of Iraqi civilians killed, hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars spent, and chaos in Iraq.  President Bush’s expectation that the new Congress should simply rubberstamp his failed policies in Iraq is at odds with common sense and the desire of the American people to end the war and bring our troops home.”

A copy of the Congresswoman’s statement on the conference report on the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans’ Health and Iraq Accountability Act follows:

Statement of the Honorable Lois Capps

On the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Health and Iraq Accountability Act (HR 1591)

April 25, 2007

Madam Speaker, I rise to support the conference report on the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans’ Health and Iraq Accountability Act.

For more than three years, when the President came to Congress to ask for funding for Iraq, the Republican leadership’s only question was, “How much?”

When the President wanted to extend the tours of duty for troops already deployed and imposed stop-loss orders, the Republican leadership’s only question was, “How soon?”

And when the President decided to send more troops to Iraq in one of the failed surges, the Republicans only asked, “How many?”

Madam Speaker, today we end the era of Congressional fealty to the President’s failed policies in Iraq. 

Today we stop writing blank checks for this war.

We vote today for a new direction in Iraq.

My constituents know that we can’t win this war militarily.  They know that it’s time to start bringing our troops home.

It’s time for the President to stop the rhetoric and work with us to end this war.

Support the troops.  Bring them home.

I yield back.

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