March 15, 2005
(Washington, DC) – Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA-09) and Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-Chair Representative Lynn Woolsey (D-CA-06) hosted a press conference to announce their opposition to the Iraq supplemental spending bill. They were joined by Representatives Jim McDermott (D-WA-07), John Conyers (D-MI-14) and Danny Davis (D-IL-07). Representative Lee gave the following statement:
“First of all, I want to express my profound respect for our brave men and women serving our nation on the ground in Iraq. As the daughter of veteran, I appreciate their commitment and their service.
“The Bush administration has asked for an additional $80 billion for the War in Iraq and operations in Afghanistan. That will bring the total to well over $300 billion, and it is appropriate for us to ask for an accounting of just where this money has gone. For example, The Coalition Provisional Authority was unable to account for almost $9 billion dollars. Where did that money go? We deserve to know just what we have paid for, and what has been achieved with our tax dollars.
“Are we safer today than when this war began two years ago? The answer is plainly no. If you believed the administration, the goal of the war was to prevent weapons of mass destruction from falling into the hands of terrorists. Now it appears that this unnecessary war may have increased that threat.
“This administration allowed nuclear materials to be looted from the Huwaitha nuclear facility, materials that could be used in a dirty bomb. They allowed hundreds of tons of high explosive to be stolen from the al Qaqaa compound, explosives that are being used against our troops. Now we learn that they allowed looters to just walk away with equipment that can be used to make parts of missiles or weapons of mass destruction.
“Two years after the invasion, the threat of a terrorist attack using nuclear materials is greater than it was before the war. We are less safe as a result of this administration’s actions.
“Instead of stopping terrorism, this administration’s policies have allowed it to expand. According to the National Intelligence Council, the CIA director’s think tank, this administration’s war has turned Iraq into a breeding ground and a training ground for Islamic terrorists, right in the heart of the Middle East. Again, the world is less safe as a result of this administration’s policies.
“Congress passed a law that required the administration to give a thorough accounting of both how our tax dollars have been spent pursuing these policies in Iraq and what the administration’s expectations are for future expenses. Despite this law, the administration has flatly refused to account for how our tax dollars have been spent in Iraq, or what the future costs will be.
“Given the documented failure to provide our troops with both the body armor and the armored vehicles necessary for them to perform the difficult job they have been assigned, it is not only reasonable to expect some accountability when it comes to these funds. Given the documented cases of waste and fraud perpetrated by contractors like Halliburton, requiring accountability on these funds is the only responsible thing to do.
“It is the height of hypocrisy for members of Congress to say they support our troops and to fail to insist on accountability on how funds in Iraq are spent.
“The Bush administration wants another blank check. No oversight, no accountability. But they have failed to offer Congress or the American people a concrete plan for how they will stabilize the situation in Iraq and bring our troops home.
“Through pride or ignorance the Bush administration has failed to recognize that our troops presence has become the rallying point for the insurgency. Their presence is actually feeding the insurgency they are being asked to put down. It is an impossible situation they are being put in. The administration should take the targets off our troops backs and offer Congress and the American people a concrete plan on how they will begin to clean up they mess they have made and bring our troops home quickly and safely.
“This administration has much to account for. They have made our nation and the world less safe in ways we are only beginning to measure. There have been too many blank checks, and not near enough accountability. I will vote against this emergency supplemental, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.
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Rep. Lee Opposes Iraq Supplemental
Blasts Lack of Accountability and Exit Strategy, Says War Has Made the World Less Safe
(Washington, DC) – Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA-09) and Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-Chair Representative Lynn Woolsey (D-CA-06) hosted a press conference to announce their opposition to the Iraq supplemental spending bill. They were joined by Representatives Jim McDermott (D-WA-07), John Conyers (D-MI-14) and Danny Davis (D-IL-07). Representative Lee gave the following statement:
“First of all, I want to express my profound respect for our brave men and women serving our nation on the ground in Iraq. As the daughter of veteran, I appreciate their commitment and their service.
“The Bush administration has asked for an additional $80 billion for the War in Iraq and operations in Afghanistan. That will bring the total to well over $300 billion, and it is appropriate for us to ask for an accounting of just where this money has gone. For example, The Coalition Provisional Authority was unable to account for almost $9 billion dollars. Where did that money go? We deserve to know just what we have paid for, and what has been achieved with our tax dollars.
“Are we safer today than when this war began two years ago? The answer is plainly no. If you believed the administration, the goal of the war was to prevent weapons of mass destruction from falling into the hands of terrorists. Now it appears that this unnecessary war may have increased that threat.
“This administration allowed nuclear materials to be looted from the Huwaitha nuclear facility, materials that could be used in a dirty bomb. They allowed hundreds of tons of high explosive to be stolen from the al Qaqaa compound, explosives that are being used against our troops. Now we learn that they allowed looters to just walk away with equipment that can be used to make parts of missiles or weapons of mass destruction.
“Two years after the invasion, the threat of a terrorist attack using nuclear materials is greater than it was before the war. We are less safe as a result of this administration’s actions.
“Instead of stopping terrorism, this administration’s policies have allowed it to expand. According to the National Intelligence Council, the CIA director’s think tank, this administration’s war has turned Iraq into a breeding ground and a training ground for Islamic terrorists, right in the heart of the Middle East. Again, the world is less safe as a result of this administration’s policies.
“Congress passed a law that required the administration to give a thorough accounting of both how our tax dollars have been spent pursuing these policies in Iraq and what the administration’s expectations are for future expenses. Despite this law, the administration has flatly refused to account for how our tax dollars have been spent in Iraq, or what the future costs will be.
“Given the documented failure to provide our troops with both the body armor and the armored vehicles necessary for them to perform the difficult job they have been assigned, it is not only reasonable to expect some accountability when it comes to these funds. Given the documented cases of waste and fraud perpetrated by contractors like Halliburton, requiring accountability on these funds is the only responsible thing to do.
“It is the height of hypocrisy for members of Congress to say they support our troops and to fail to insist on accountability on how funds in Iraq are spent.
“The Bush administration wants another blank check. No oversight, no accountability. But they have failed to offer Congress or the American people a concrete plan for how they will stabilize the situation in Iraq and bring our troops home.
“Through pride or ignorance the Bush administration has failed to recognize that our troops presence has become the rallying point for the insurgency. Their presence is actually feeding the insurgency they are being asked to put down. It is an impossible situation they are being put in. The administration should take the targets off our troops backs and offer Congress and the American people a concrete plan on how they will begin to clean up they mess they have made and bring our troops home quickly and safely.
“This administration has much to account for. They have made our nation and the world less safe in ways we are only beginning to measure. There have been too many blank checks, and not near enough accountability. I will vote against this emergency supplemental, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.
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