Chris Van Hollen: “Mr. Speaker, the President says send him the money. Let's be clear. This bill provides every penny the President asked…”

“Mr. Speaker, the President says send him the money. Let's be clear. This bill provides every penny the President asked for to fund the troops in Iraq. It also provides for something the President did not ask for: funds to help improve the treatment of our wounded soldiers at Walter Reed and other places around this country. It also provides something that the American people have now insisted on but the White House doesn't ask for, and that is accountability with respect to the war in Iraq. That is why the President doesn't like the bill before us. We know the White House has become an accountability-free zone. The White House got used to a Congress, the old Republican Congress, that gave the President a blank check, money without accountability. And this provides funding with accountability. That is why they don't like it. Let us be very clear. If the President vetoes this bill, he will be saying 'no' to ensuring that our troops have the training and equipment that they need.”