Ileana Ros-Lehtinen: “Mr. Speaker, as has been said, this legislation cites the fact that the House of Representatives has passed six separate…”

“Mr. Speaker, as has been said, this legislation cites the fact that the House of Representatives has passed six separate bills prohibiting or expressing opposition to the establishment of permanent military bases in Iraq, including three which have been enacted into law by the President. In fact, the language contained in H.R. 2929, which is before us today, is nearly identical to the language adopted under a Republican-controlled Congress in section 1519 of the John Warner National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007. This is the law. The fiscal year 2007 bill states: ``No funds appropriated pursuant to an authorization of appropriations in this Act may be obligated or expended for a purpose as follows: (1) To establish any military installation or base for the purpose of providing for the permanent stationing of United States Armed Forces in Iraq. (2) To exercise United States economic control of the oil resources of Iraq.'' That is law. That has been passed a couple of times.”