WASHINGTON, DC - The Co-Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and a Co-Founder of the Out of Iraq Caucus, Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) today issued the following statement following the passage of H.R. 3087, the so called ‘Tanner-Abercrombie-English bill':

“Four and a half years after the invasion of Iraq the American public is fed up with the Administration's policy, and is demanding that the Congress stand up to him and force him to bring our troops home.  Regrettably today’s vote is a day late, and a buck short in that regard, and will do nothing to remove our brave young men and women from the President’s quagmire.

“If we have learned one lesson in the run-up and the execution of the war it is that we cannot trust this President.  That’s why as a coequal branch of government the Congress must use our constitutional powers, and the power of the purse, to take control of the war and force the President to bring our brave young men and women home.

“Unfortunately, this bill misses an opportunity to hold the President accountable by simply calling for a ‘status report,’ on the existence of any redeployment plans, a loophole that would allow the occupation indefinitely.  We should instead be forcing him to submit time bound redeployment plans which would fully fund the safe and orderly redeployment of all of our troops and military contractors from Iraq by a date certain.

“With almost four thousand of our young men and women dead, and just under 28,000 wounded, we are far past the time for ‘status reports,’ such as those outlined in this bill, and we cannot allow the continuation of this occupation indefinitely.  The American public is counting on the Congress to stand up to the President and end this war, and this bill just doesn’t do it.”