Washington, D.C. Today, Congresswoman Jane Harman (D-Venice) released the following statement on The Iraq Troop Redeployment Bill:

One need look no further than the chaos in Pakistan or the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan to understand that troop levels in Iraq cannot be maintained – and that the surge, which I have always opposed, has done nothing to achieve political stability.

Today, with this bridge funding vote, Congress signals to the White House yet again that enough is enough, that the combat mission in Iraq must end, and that we will force that change. 

No one in this chamber questions the courage or commitment of our brave women and men in uniform or their willingness to tackle any challenge put before them.  But we have sent them on an ill-defined mission with no apparent end point, and which consumes staggering amounts of our talent and treasure at the expense of countless other priorities.

This bill also redresses a glaring loophole in the Military Commissions Act – a bill I strongly opposed.  By requiring that all US government agencies and personnel must adhere to interrogation techniques contained in the Army Field Manual, we send an unmistakable signal to the rest of the world that the United States – the world’s oldest functioning democracy – does not permit cruel, inhumane and degrading practices, or torture, and complies fully with federal law banning torture and our international obligations.

The Iraq Troop Redeployment Bill is good policy, and long overdue.