Hilda L. Solis: “just a few weeks ago I visited our servicemen and women in Iraq. My visit confirmed my belief that we must support our…”

“just a few weeks ago I visited our servicemen and women in Iraq. My visit confirmed my belief that we must support our troops and redeploy them. That is why I will vote for the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Health and Iraq Accountability Act. When I met with the troops in Iraq, they told me that they lacked the basic equipment needed to do their job, like body armor, light bulbs for vehicles, and scissors for bandages and gauzes. In some cases, they told me that the equipment they use is unreliable due to excess use. Our troops are also concerned with the lengths of their tours in Iraq; they told me that they are not only demanding, but exhausting. Our troops are being overextended. For many of them, it is not their first tour, but their second or third. Many of them have missed the birth of their children or the death of their parents. It is time for a new direction in Iraq. The U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Health and Iraq Accountability Act does that--it gives the American people the first step in a new direction to what our troops properly deserve. A new direction, with benchmarks for success in Iraq, with benchmarks that ensure our troops have the equipment and training they need, and a benchmark that guarantees a fully funded deployment out of Iraq. This bill makes it clear, and sends the message that the majority of Americans want--an end to the war. In the last 4 years, we have spent close to $400 billion on the war in Iraq.”