WASHINGTON, DC – A broad coalition of House Democrats introduced a bill Wednesday that demands a new Iraq strategy from President Bush and his military advisors now that the members of the U.S. Armed Forces have completed the initial mission: the removal of Saddam Hussein.

The resolution was introduced Wednesday by U.S. Reps. John Tanner (D-TN), Neil Abercrombie (D-HI), Ellen Tauscher (D-CA), William Delahunt (D-MA), Kendrick Meek (D-FL), Jim Costa (D-CA) and Allyson Schwartz (D-PA).

The resolution:
•        recognizes that the U.S. Armed Forces and U.S. civilians have worked valiantly, and that it is time for Iraq to manage its future;
•        notes that when Congress authorized military force in 2002, it was concerned about an Iraqi government that has since been removed from power;
•        states that the new, freely-elected Iraqi government poses no threat to the United States;
•        gives the President 60 days to present a new plan moving U.S. combat forces out of policing sectarian violence and into a mission of fighting terrorists;
•        calls for the redeployment of U.S. troops not needed for the mission to find and fight terrorists.

“Our military has performed magnificently in every task that has been asked of them,” said Rep. John Tanner (D-TN), a veteran of the U.S. Navy and Tennessee National Guard, and the chairman of the U.S. delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. “The latest reports show the Iraqi government is unable or unwilling to work together to manage its own country, though General David Petraeus has said that a ‘political aspect’ is vital to achieving victory in Iraq. President Bush must present a clear strategy for resolving the political strife and handing control of Iraq to the Iraqi people.”

“We are more than four years into a strategy that has failed by any measurement, at a cost of nearly four thousand American lives and hundreds of billions of American dollars,” said Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-HI), who chairs the House Armed Services subcommittee on Air and Land Forces. “It’s time for Congress to say, ‘Enough!’ It’s time for a change of mission.”

“Since the beginning of this war, all we have seen from the Bush administration has been a series of missteps, miscalculations and miscues followed by a string of excuses and warnings about ‘staying the course,’” said Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-CA), Chair of the Strategic Forces Subcommittee as well as vice chair of the American delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. “It’s time to tell the President that his policy is critically flawed and we will no longer allow him to ignore the realities on the ground in Iraq or recklessly endanger our military readiness and our foreign policy.”

“I opposed this war from the beginning,” said Rep. Bill Delahunt (D-MA), a senior member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and a co-founder of the Out of Iraq Caucus. “Now even those who supported it recognize that – as the President famously announced on an aircraft carrier over four years ago – the military's mission in Iraq has been accomplished. It's far beyond time to craft a way out for our forces so they can re-focus on fighting al-Qaeda – which, according to a report issued yesterday from the President's own National Intelligence Council, has regenerated itself to the extent that it once again poses a direct threat to America.”

“Democrats are calling for a new direction in Iraq, while the White House continues to push a failed policy that the American public rejects.  A do-nothing, wait-and-see approach to the Iraq War is not a strategy for success – it’s a recipe for failure,” said Rep. Kendrick Meek (D-FL), a member of the Air and Land Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee. “This bill helps move us away from policing sectarian violence in Iraq and back to using our military to do something all Americans can agree on – fighting terrorism.”

“The Administration's strategy in Iraq has been at best bungled, and at worse, has created an absolute mess in the Middle East,” said Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA), who serves on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. “While our brave men and women in uniform have been fighting this war, the President continues to make the same errors over and over again. This bill presents a clear and comprehensive strategy for redeployment, which protects our interests in the Middle East, focusing on multi-terrorists threats and working with our allies and countries in the region to promote stability.”

“The President’s ‘stay the course’ strategy in Iraq is not acceptable,” said Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-PA). “It is time for the Iraqi government to take responsibility for its own security and its own future. It is time to require the President, as Commander and Chief, to bring our troops home.”

 

The full text of the bill follows:

A BILL

To require the President, in coordination with the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and other senior military leaders, to develop and transmit to Congress a comprehensive strategy for the redeployment of United States Armed Forces in Iraq.
 
SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

Congress finds the following:

(1) The Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 (Public Law 107–243), enacted into law on October 16, 2002, authorized the President to use the Armed Forces as the President determined necessary and appropriate in order to defend the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by the Government of Iraq at that time.

(2) The Government of Iraq which was in power at the time the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 was enacted into law has been removed from power and its leader indicted, tried, convicted, and executed by the new freely-elected democratic Government of Iraq.

(3) The current Government of Iraq does not pose a threat to the United States or its interests.

(4) After more than four years of valiant efforts by members of the Armed Forces and United States civilians, the Government of Iraq must now be responsible for Iraq’s future course.

SEC. 2. COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGY FOR THE REDEPLOYMENT OF THE ARMED FORCES IN IRAQ. 

(a) Strategy required.--Not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act , the President, in coordination with the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and other senior military leaders, shall develop and transmit to Congress a comprehensive strategy for the redeployment of the Armed Forces in Iraq.

(b) Matters to be included.--The strategy required by subsection shall include planning to achieve the following:

(1) The transition of United States combat forces from policing civil strife or sectarian violence in Iraq.

(2) United States military operations to deny international terrorists a safe haven, conduct counterterrorism operations against al Qaeda in Iraq and other global terrorist organizations, protect the Armed Forces and facilities of the Armed Forces, and support and equip Iraqi forces to take full responsibility for their own security.

(3) A projection of the number of members of the Armed Forces required for the missions described in paragraphs (1) and (2).

(4) The safe redeployment of the Armed Forces and the orderly removal of material, equipment, and logistical requirements not needed for the missions described in paragraphs (1) and (2).

SEC. 3. ARMED FORCES DEFINED.

In this Act, the term Armed Forces has the meaning given the term in section 101 of title 10, United States Code.

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Contacts:
Randy Ford (Tanner), 202.225.4714, randy.ford@mail.house.gov
Dave Helfert (Abercrombie), 202.225.2726, dave.helfert@mail.house.gov
Kevin Lawlor (Tauscher), 202.225.1880, kevin.lawlor@mail.house.gov
Mark Forest (Delahunt), 202.225.3111, mark.forest@mail.house.gov
Adam Sharon (Meek), 202.225.4506, adam.sharon@mail.house.gov
Bret Rumbeck (Costa), 202.225.3341, bret.rumbeck@mail.house.gov
Rachel Magnuson (Schwartz), 202.225.6111, rachel.magnuson@mail.house.gov

To view a pdf version of this release please click here.

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