Barbara Boxer: “just this past April, I voted for the emergency supplemental appropriations bill authorizing $70 billion for our…”

“just this past April, I voted for the emergency supplemental appropriations bill authorizing $70 billion for our military operations in Iraq. I felt that funding was necessary at the time. But I expected that the administration would move us toward a multilateral approach, one that would take the burden off our troops and our taxpayers. Now the President is asking for $87 billion more for Iraq. While war inevitably carries great costs, both in terms of financial losses and losses in human life, the American people and the families of our troops should not be alone in shouldering those costs and burdens. We cannot afford to continue down this path without legitimate burden-sharing. Our troops are overstretched, our financial obligations are becoming more taxing by the day, needs at home are going unmet, and the Federal deficit is absolutely soaring. In Congress we have a responsibility to our constituents to debate and decide upon the path that is best for our country. We should not rubberstamp every proposal the administration puts forward, particularly when lives are being lost. The American people are not satisfied with the direction of this country. But all that the administration has offered so far is the status quo, another blank check for Congress to sign that offers no plan to genuinely decrease the strain on American resources. That is why I supported an alternative proposed by Senator Byrd.…”