Lee, Woolsey and Waters Introduce Bill to Bring Troops Home from Iraq

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Lee, Woolsey and Waters Introduce Bill to Bring Troops Home from Iraq
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from the Oakland Tribune, January 18, 2007,
Area Dems Move to Cut Troop Surge Plan
By Josh Richman

The war in Iraq became a war of dueling legislation Wednesday on Capitol Hill, as two Bay Area lawmakers introduced a bill to choke off the war's funding even while Republicans introduced one to ensure that can't happen.

Congressional Progressive Caucus co-chairs Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, and Lynn Woolsey, D-Petaluma, were joined by Out Of Iraq Caucus chairwoman Maxine Waters, D-Los Angeles, to unveil their Bring the Troops Home and Iraq Sovereignty Restoration Act, meant as an alternative to President Bush's plan to send 21,000 more troops.

Their bill — which has 13 other original co-sponsors — would repeal the president's authorization to use force in Iraq and fully fund a six-month withdrawal of troops and military contractors, cutting off money after that.

It also would prohibit permanent U.S. military bases in Iraq, provide economic and political aid to the Iraqi government, fully fund the VA health care system, bar U.S. access to Iraqi oil production at least until the Iraqi government sets clear rules for foreign ownership and participation, and create a bipartisan joint committee to probe whether the United States was led into this war under false pretenses.

"The president said that critics of escalation have a responsibility to offer an alternative, and that is what we are here to do today," Lee said at a news conference. "We come here not out of a sense of obligation to the president, but out of a sense of obligation to the millions of Americans who went to the polls in November to register their rejection of the failed policy in Iraq, and to call for an end the occupation of that country and to bring our brave men and women home." The 33-page bill "does what the administration has refused to do — namely, recognize the situation on the ground for what it is, an occupation and a civil war," Lee added.

"The president insists on appealing to patriotic sentiments and fear with talk about victory and defeat in Iraq, but the truth is that you cannot win an occupation, no more than the U.S. can win an Iraqi civil war. The longer we stay there, the worse it gets."

Meanwhile, Republicans rallied around a three-page bill introduced Wednesday by Rep. Sam Johnson, R-Texas, to ensure Congress doesn't restrict or cut off funding for U.S. troops in Iraq or Afghanistan.

House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, issued a news release saying Johnson's bill "deserves the support of all my colleagues, Republicans and Democrats alike. I would urge all members to support our troops and oppose any effort to cut off or restrict funding for American troops in harm's way, whether in Iraq, Afghanistan, or elsewhere in the global war on terror.

"Our challenge in Iraq is a difficult one, but Republicans and Democrats must work together to help stabilize the country's democracy and bring our troops home," Boehner added. "Congress should take an open, honest and deliberative look at the president's plan. If Democrat leaders disagree with the president's proposal, it is their responsibility to put forward a plan of their own for ensuring regional stability and denying terrorists a safe haven in Iraq." Boehner is among 15 original co-sponsors of Johnson's bill.

- "The American people went to the polls in November and called on our government to end the occupation and bring our troops home, not to escalate a losing strategy." - Congresswoman Barbara Lee -


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