Hilda L. Solis: “since the Iraqi War started, nine soldiers have died in my district, all under the age of 30, and I attended some of…”

“since the Iraqi War started, nine soldiers have died in my district, all under the age of 30, and I attended some of their funerals. As of to date, 1,051 servicemen and women have been killed in Iraq, and more than 7,500 have been injured. Our servicemen and women are serving this Nation with honor and demonstrating great courage beyond our belief. Yet the actions of our President are not helping to ensure their safety and security. While their job is to fight, ours is to protect them. The violence is not stopping. The streets are not safer. Our soldiers and Iraqi citizens continue to be at risk and are dying. The U.S. had a plan to topple Baghdad, but it did not have a plan to adequately win and secure the peace. We need to secure the Nation. We need to equip it with the tools to protect and defend itself. And we need to establish peace. What we need is new direction in Iraq. We need strong leadership and accountability, and we need to make sure that whatever this government provides in terms of funding is actually made available so that all our military on the ground has sufficient equipment and supplies that are needed.”