Senator Cantwell's Statement on the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations bill for Iraq and Afghanistan
WASHINGTON, D.C. – "Mr. President, I rise to discuss the emergency supplemental spending bill before us that will give our troops the resources they need to do their jobs; hold the President more accountable for his postwar plan; and help the Iraqi people get back on their feet.
I believe that the Iraqi people deserve U.S. assistance in getting their country back on its feet. It is for this reason that I am supporting funding in this supplemental appropriations bill for Iraqi reconstruction.
However, I am very concerned that the administration does not have a clear, comprehensive and convincing plan to do this.
It is for this reason that I have strongly opposed providing the Bush administration with a blank check in the expenditure of funds in this supplemental.
Instead, this supplemental bill includes a broad set of reports and oversight mechanisms, including:
A permanent inspector general charged with overseeing the Coalition Provisional Authority on its operations and financial transactions.
Audits for the use of reconstruction funds, including how they are solicited, bid and granted.
A monthly report from the Coalition Provisional Authority on its progress in the stated goal of replacing U.S. troops with multinational forces and Iraqi security personnel.
A report on the administration's utilization of National Guard and Reserves, and the impact that this has on our country's homeland security.
A requirement for the President to submit to Congress its projected costs for Iraqi operations through 2008 and any change to these projections.
Quarterly reports to Congress on the status of the hunt for weapons of mass destruction.
These are important mechanisms that demonstrate clearly that this funding does not come without strings attached. On the contrary, these mechanisms will hold the administration accountable for developing a strategy and ensure transparency in supporting Iraqi reconstruction.
We also need to be clear that the U.S. cannot do this alone. I believe the U.S. must take the leadership role to ensure that Iraq benefits from the legitimacy, cooperation and money that only a broad coalition can guarantee.
That is why I supported a provision in this bill that requires the President to report to Congress on his efforts to increase international donations and to assess how the U.S. can best leverage U.S. taxpayer dollars for international support and international debt forgiveness.
The administration has had some success in gaining international support; notably yesterday's United Nations Security Council resolution, which was a unanimous statement supporting multilateral efforts to stabilize, reconstruct and support Iraq's transition towards a sovereign democracy.
Also, the administration has taken an important step in engaging foreign countries to commit troops, including the recent agreement from Turkey. The administration has also shown progress in soliciting financial contributions, including the $1.5 billion Japanese commitment.
However, this is really just a start. Foreign troops and foreign contributions remain considerably lower than where they need to be.
The administration needs to be committed to broadening its coalition of support and making the Iraqi reconstruction a global challenge met by the international community.
I believe that it is also very important that the administration speaks with a solid, unified voice regarding its efforts and strategy in Iraq.
It seems that every day we hear a different plan, a different projection, a different statement on needs and demands from one of several agencies and "spokespeople" that claim to speak for the administration.
The American people need and deserve accountability and clarity--not only on the challenges that we face, but also on the solutions that we are seeking to execute.
This clarity is particularly important for the central questions of how long reconstruction will take, what the U.S. role will be, and, perhaps most importantly, how long our troops will remain in harm's way.
The uniformed men and women of our armed forces have served their country well. Their military efforts have demonstrated historic success, and they continue to sacrifice for our country on a daily basis in securing and stabilizing Iraq.
Washington State is proud to be the home of thousands of troops, sailors and airmen that have served in Iraq and Afghanistan from home bases from such places as Fort Lewis, Fairchild Air Force Base, and Everett Naval Station.
These men and women are meeting the call of duty superbly and we must provide them with the equipment and support that they deserve.
We also owe a particular debt of gratitude for our National Guard and Reserve units, which have been mobilized in historic numbers and for sustained lengths of time--leaving their jobs and families to serve their countries. In fact, in my state, the 81st Armored Brigade--almost 4,000 citizen-soldiers--were alerted for a possible deployment to Iraq.
Given this important sacrifice made by reservists, I am particularly pleased that this supplemental package includes my bipartisan fair deployment amendment.
Like many guard and reservists--including the National Guard Association, the Reserve Officers Association, and the National Military Families Association--I was disturbed last month by the administration's sudden change in deployment policy.
My amendment addresses the change by requiring that deployment times for guard and reserves begin as soon as they are activated, we ensure that every day of service counts.
I have long said that we need to be consistent in how we calculate the deployment times for our Guard and Reserve personnel and this will do this by starting the clock ticking when their boots are out of the house.
In addition, this includes resources for health care for reservists and their families, as well as critical funding for our veterans.
First, I was a proud co-sponsor of an amendment that will extend TRICARE coverage to reservists and their families who are not currently covered by health insurance, and provide assistance to those reservists who are called up to duty so that they do not have to cancel their existing health care coverage.
Second, I also proudly cosponsored a Bond-Mikulski amendment that will provide $1.3 billion in funding for veterans health care. This amendment means that Washington State will receive approximately $30 million in new VA health care funding, providing care to approximately 6,000 veterans who would not receive it.
This has been an important, productive and historic debate for the future of Iraq, the Middle East region and, most importantly, in shaping America's role in the world.
This ultimate bill ensures that Congress will retain a major role in overseeing the way this money is spent and I remain committed to ensuring that we give our troops the tools they need to do their jobs, get the international support that we need, and make sure that our mission in Iraq is completed quickly and that our troops can come home."
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