Iraq Oversight Committee Barred from Hearing Soldier’s Testimony

I am outraged that the Pentagon has barred active duty military officers from speaking at a recent House Armed Services Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee briefing on the training of Iraqi forces.  The subcommittee on which I sit has been conducting an investigation in order to assess the readiness and willingness to engage insurgents, which is key to protecting our young men and women on the front lines.  Congress has a constitutional duty for oversight, and while we understand and respect the military chain of command, the Pentagon must allow Congress to do its job.

I have called repeatedly for accountability in Iraq, and this latest investigation by the subcommittee is vital to this goal.  The Bush Administration has said that as Iraqi troops stand up American troops will stand down.  This policy has been a colossal failure.  Since “Stand Up Stand Down” was announced in 2004, we have lost 2,500 American lives and countless thousands of others maimed or injured.  It has also been a fiscal disaster for the American taxpayer.  It costs the American military about $30,000 to train and equip a U.S. soldier, but it has cost the American taxpayers $65,000 to train one Iraqi solider or police officer.

I call on the Pentagon to allow these active duty military officers to speak to our panel.  Both Congress and the Pentagon want a peaceful and stable Iraq, and this investigation by the House Armed Services Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee is an important step to assess our strategy going forward.

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