Wednesday, April 25, 2007

House of Disappointment; 218-208    [Kathryn Jean Lopez]

From John Boehner:

WASHINGTON, D.C. - House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) issued the following statement after House Democrats approved a supplemental conference report designed to undermine our generals and hamstring our troops in the Global War on Terror:

"Today members on both sides were privileged to hear from General Petraeus about the path to success in Iraq. He gave us an honest assessment of what is happening on the ground, both the progress that has been made and the challenges that remain with al Qaeda and sectarian violence. Unfortunately, Democrats remain committed to condemning the General's plan to failure, even as it begins to show sign of progress and before it reaches full-strength.

"The bill passed by Democrats today pulls the rug out from under our troops and commanders, forces their time-certain surrender, and insults their valor by exploiting their needs to pass billions of dollars in additional Washington spending. This bill deserves to be vetoed as quickly as possible so we can begin a serious debate about doing what's right: passing a clean troop funding bill. Our troops deserve our support; they deserve better than this."

From the White House:

Seventy-nine days after President Bush sent Congress a request for emergency war funding for our troops, the House of Representatives has passed disappointing legislation that insists on a surrender date, handcuffs our generals, and contains billions of dollars in spending unrelated to the war.

Last November, the American people voted for a change in strategy in Iraq – and the President listened. Tonight, the House of Representatives voted for failure in Iraq – and the President will veto its bill.

Democrats have forced this process to continue for too long. The President calls on the Senate to quickly pass this legislation so the President can veto it and then work with the Congressional leadership on a clean bill that funds our troops while respecting the judgment of our military commanders and helping ensure the safety of the American people.

04/25 09:58 PMShare