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-10 House Members unveil proposal during Thursday morning press conference-

 

Washington, DC - Calling on the Congress to “act boldly,” to end the war in Iraq, Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) was joined by 9 of her House colleagues this morning in presenting their plan to fully fund the withdrawal of US soldiers and military contractors from Iraq.  Their proposal would provide military commanders with the resources that they need to undertake a systematic withdrawal of all troops by December 31st 2007, by restricting the emergency supplemental funding to withdrawing the troops.  Woolsey was joined by: Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Congressman Steve Cohen, Congressman Keith Ellison, Congressman Lloyd Doggett, Congressman Dennis Kucinich, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, Congresswoman Diane Watson, and Congresswoman Maxine Waters.  Below are her remarks during Thursday morning’s press conference, as prepared for delivery:

“The occupation of Iraq has been an unmitigated disaster.

“Nearly 3,200 American dead and tens of thousands wounded…a bloody civil war ignited in Iraq…our national security jeopardized and diminished…the terrorism threat increased…American prestige around the world driven to an historic low.

“This nightmare must end, and this proposal would do just that - by mandating that any Iraq appropriations must be used to fully fund a safe, orderly withdrawal of American troops and military contractors by December 31st.  Actually, we want our troops home to their families by Christmas.

“We have no other choice but to act boldly.  A symbolic non-binding resolution on the escalation isn’t enough.  It’s certainly not enough to put restrictions on the President that he can easily waive.

“It’s time for Congress to prove itself worthy of the confidence Americans placed in it with their vote last November.  It’s time to honor the mandate and assert ourselves as a co-equal branch of government with legitimate constitutional war powers.

“It’s time Congress finally caught up to the people we represent, who recognized long ago that the Bush Iraq policy was a train wreck.

“The White House has shown nothing but contempt for public sentiment when it comes to Iraq; if we won’t stand up for Americans on this issue, who will?

“Ours is the mainstream position.  We deserve our place in this debate and our seat at the table.  We will not be marginalized, and we will be heard.

“We support our troops, and we always have.  And the best way to support them today is to get behind a fully-funded withdrawal that brings them home from Iraq.”