María Elvira Salazar: “I think it is clear, with the figures that you have given us, that the $378 billion is not really a true reflection of…”

“I think it is clear, with the figures that you have given us, that the $378 billion is not really a true reflection of what the Iraqi war has cost us. And you are absolutely right, we as Blue Dogs, we as Democrats will stand strong with our troops making sure that they have the equipment that they need, and that is one of the things I wanted to talk about tonight was the Iraq war supplemental that our leadership has proposed includes making sure that we take care of our veterans; it includes money for devastated farmers and ranchers across this country due to weather problems and other issues. So I believe that this is the right thing to do. It is the right thing to do. But I would ask the administration to please look into trying some diplomatic efforts in the Middle East, and hopefully we can move this forward and bring our troops home as quickly and safely as possible. In the meantime, let us not forget the men and women in uniform who serve this country bravely.”