Congressman Dave Reichert

Contact: Amanda Halligan (206) 275-3438

Mercer Island, WA, Aug 31 - Congressman Dave Reichert (WA-08) today released this statement following President Obama’s speech regarding Iraq and the economy:

“I appreciate the President’s recognition of our brave men and women in uniform who have worked so hard to bring a measure of peace and stability to Iraq,” Reichert said. “The progress we have made in that country to date would not have been possible without the stellar capabilities or the sacrifice of our courageous military men and women or their leaders. I thank them, and their families, for their selfless dedication and commitment to the service of our country.

“As this phase of the war comes to a close, we must not forget that even though this is being characterized as the end of the combat mission, thousands of troops continue to serve directly in harm's way. We still have troops who are sweeping for IEDs. We still have troops who at any moment could become victims of a suicide bomb attack. And we must not forget that the situation in Iraq is still fragile, and we must give our troops every possible resource and advantage to complete the mission set before them. I hope the President will listen to the Generals he has trusted to implement his policy decisions, and that he ensures they have the support they need to be successful.

“I also appreciate the President’s focus on the need to get our economy back on track,” Reichert continued. “But the way we’ll get there is by having members of Congress focus on common-sense, bipartisan solutions that extend critical tax relief, provide access to credit and to job-creating investments and incentives, remove obstacles from the paths of our innovative entrepreneurs, and enact our pending free trade agreements. That’s what will deliver the economic recovery Americans need and deserve, and I’ll never stop fighting for these proposals.”

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