Time to Use the Power of the Purse By U.S. Senator Russ Feingold As posted on Daily Kos January 11, 2007 Last night, as the President told the American people that he wants to send more troops to Iraq, his Iraq policy hit rock bottom. The American people are demanding an end to the war, and it has to end for the sake of our national security. But the President just wants to dig us into a deeper hole, by sending more of our brave men and women into Baghdad and Anbar Province. This war has got to stop, and Congress has the power stop it: the power of the purse. And I’m not just talking about blocking the troop surge here. Using the power of the purse just to stop the troop surge may be better than doing nothing, but if we don’t go beyond that, we will be accepting the status quo. We have to do more. When I questioned Secretary Rice today at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, she refused to accept that our single-minded focus on Iraq is having any impact on our ability to handle other challenges around the world. But her denials don’t change the fact that we're losing ground in Afghanistan, we're failing in our efforts with Iran and North Korea, our military is strained, and Al Qaeda is being strengthened – all while this administration has been obsessed with Iraq. Some have suggested that Congress may have the power to end funding for the war, sure, but they won’t dare to use it because the White House has convinced so many people that to support the troops you have to keep funding the war effort, and keep those Americans in harm’s way. That’s the worst form of political manipulation and a shameful effort to suppress debate on ending the war and bringing our troops home. U.S. troops in Iraq are incredibly hard working and dedicated. But we do not support those troops by keeping them in a war that has been based on a fraud from the very beginning. That charge is just a scare tactic to keep the war going, no matter what the cost. It’s time for Congress to do now what the President refuses to do – bring those troops out of Iraq. If you have time, take a look at my op-ed, which ran this morning in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The President may be ignoring the will of the American people, but Congress isn’t helpless here. We have the power to stop this war. We can bring the troops home, and do it without putting them in more danger. I am going to be working on this over the next few weeks, and taking a hard look at how to do this right. The President has made his position clear: He won’t stop pouring American soldiers into Iraq, and into harm’s away, until somebody stops him. Congress should use its main power, the power to cut funding, to end this disastrous war. I plan to be on Countdown with Keith Olbermann tonight and I will be looking at your comments so tell me what you think.