WASHINGTON D.C. - U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords released the following statement tonight following House passage of a $96 billion measure to fund U.S. forces in Iraq.
Today the U.S. House of Representatives voted to fund American troops serving in Iraq.
Several Iraq-related proposals were brought to the floor of the House of Representatives today. I supported a supplemental appropriations bill (H.R. 2206) that provides our troops with the armor, equipment, and supplies they need to do their job. During more than four years of combat in Iraq, our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines have served our nation with great courage and honor.
As General John Batiste commented today, U.S. Armed Forces are being stretched to the breaking point and the President’s strategy is not working. Iraq needs diplomatic and economic solutions - military force alone is simply not the answer. This war began as a search for weapons of mass destruction but has devolved into a civil war between factions of religious extremists unwilling to set aside their age-old animosities for the sake of their country. Unless Iraq’s sovereign government is willing and able to make the tough political compromises needed for stability, our troops should not be fighting in its civil war.
For these reasons, I supported legislation that links our military funding in Iraq to principled and reasonable benchmarks for political and economic progress. I voted for this legislation because Congress must honor its responsibility to provide our troops with the equipment they need in combat while also recognizing that Iraqis must take concrete steps towards creating a stable country for themselves.
I opposed legislation introduced by Congressman James McGovern from Massachusetts (H.R. 2237) that would have prompted an immediate withdrawal. This is not a realistic option. As a member of the House Armed Services and Foreign Affairs Committees, I have spent countless hours in briefings and hearings related to the occupation of Iraq. I am convinced that redeployment of our troops must occur in the most responsible and practical manner for the safety of our men and women in uniform and the security of the region.