Chris Dodd: “our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines have performed valiantly in Iraq in the face of great adversity. The costs of…”

“our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines have performed valiantly in Iraq in the face of great adversity. The costs of this war have been great to them and our Nation. Over 3,300 brave American servicemembers have been killed in Iraq over 30 from my own State of Connecticut. To date, over $500 billion has been approved by Congress for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, not including the $95.5 billion included in the conference agreement being debated today or the $141.7 billion in additional funding already requested by the administration for fiscal year 2008. In addition, because of the war, our forces have been drained of critical combat gear and training time, adding another element to the costs of this war--our military's combat readiness. Two-thirds of the Army in the United States and 88 percent of our National Guard are reporting 'not ready' for duty, largely due to equipment and training shortfalls. Now, as we have entered the fifth year of the Iraq war, it is long past time for a course correction. Rather than continue abetting the administration's efforts to escalate our entanglement in Iraq's civil war, it is time for Congress to assert itself and heed the American people's call for change. The conference report before us today takes the first steps toward that change.”