House Votes to Redeploy Troops from Iraq,
Denies President a Blank Check for War
WASHINGTON, D.C.—
The U.S. House of Representatives today passed the Orderly and Responsible Iraq Redeployment Appropriations Act (H.R. 4156). The House denied President Bush approval for the $200 billion he has requested to continue the war, instead providing $50 billion to meet the immediate needs of U.S. troops and aid their redeployment. This legislation requires that U.S. troops be redeployed starting within 30 days. In addition, the legislation requires that the mission of U.S. forces in Iraq shift from primarily combat to protecting U.S. troops, citizens and diplomats, engaging in counterterrorism, and providing limited support to Iraqi security forces.
Congresswoman Mazie K. Hirono said, “We are telling the President that Congress will continue to push for a real change in policy in spite of his ongoing failure to listen to the American people. We are also reassuring our troops that we will continue to support them by providing the funds they need, by redefining their mission to bring them home soon, and by not allowing them to be sent to Iraq unless they are fully trained and equipped. And we are letting the public know that we understand their eagerness to bring the disastrous and costly war to an end as soon as we can.”
The legislation requires redeployment of U.S. troops now serving in Iraq to begin within 30 days of enactment, with a goal of completing redeployment by December 15, 2008.
In addition, the bill extends prohibitions against torture in the Army Field Manual to all U.S. government agencies and personnel.
The legislation faces challenges in the Senate, whose rules allow the Republican minority to block it with a filibuster. President Bush has also threatened to veto the bill. Nonetheless, Congresswoman Hirono said, "We have listened to the American people and know that now more than ever they want this war to end. This legislation accomplishes what the public has demanded and what is right for our troops and our nation. Congress needs to persist in our efforts despite the President’s recalcitrance. We understand that our fight to move in a new direction is not over."
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