Don Young: “I rise today in support of 2764, which provides, among other things, $500 million for the Commanders Emergency Response…”

“I rise today in support of 2764, which provides, among other things, $500 million for the Commanders Emergency Response Program (CERP). Our continued support for this program is vital for winning the war on terror and ensuring stability in Iraq and Afghanistan. General Petraeus himself recently described it as ``a critical tool with which to prosecute the counterinsurgency campaign.'' Our continued support for CERP will be especially important for achieving long term success in Iraq. The Iraqi people must be convinced that their lives are getting better and that their future is one of peace and prosperity, rather than violence and sectarian strife. As David Ignatius pointed out this morning in the Washington Post, ``the success of the U.S. troop surge seems to be bolstering, ever so slightly, the advocates of conciliation and weakening the partisans of sectarian war.'' However, ``[t]he recent progress in Iraq has resulted from bottom-up efforts to build trust, neighborhood by neighborhood.'' CERP has proven to be one of the key tools in this effort. CERP allows our military commanders and civil affairs officers on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan to respond to urgent humanitarian relief and reconstruction requirements within their areas of responsibility by carrying out programs that will immediately assist the indigenous population.”