Lee: Proposed Troop Reduction in Iraq Shows Progress Within Administration
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Kristal DeKleer, (202) 225-1882
Washington, D.C.– Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) issued the following statement in response to Department of Defense Secretary Leon Panetta’s announcement that the Obama Administration is considering reducing the troop level in Iraq to three or four thousand by the end of 2011:
“I believe the Administration is headed in the right direction as leaders consider dramatically shrinking the military force in Iraq. As the year-end deadline for complete withdrawal of the United States military nears, I am aware that advisors continue to press for a larger presence there for years to come. In the face of this pressure, we should take this moment to strengthen our efforts to push for a complete withdrawal by the end of the year.
“I introduced legislation to achieve this goal by prohibiting funding for any extension of the December 31, 2011, deadline to remove all U.S. troops and military contractors from Iraq. H.R. 2757, The Iraq Withdrawal Accountability Act of 2011, represents the will of the vast majority of the American public that supports the current plan to remove all U.S. troops from Iraq by the end of 2011. I applaud all efforts by the Administration to fully implement this policy.
“I will continue to urge President Obama to remove all our troops and military contractors from Iraq. A safe, responsible, and complete withdrawal of the 47,000 troops in Iraq would save tens of billions of dollars annually, create more stability in the region, and protect our nation’s strategic security interests here and abroad. Now is the time to lay our weapons down and pick our people up – and it is time for the Iraqi government to do the same.”
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