Elijah Cummings: “I rise this afternoon to begin the Congressional Black Caucus's Special Order to address the President's proposal to…”

“I rise this afternoon to begin the Congressional Black Caucus's Special Order to address the President's proposal to spend an additional $87 billion for the war in Iraq. Mr. Speaker, since the President addressed the Nation on September 7 regarding the war in Iraq, the Congressional Black Caucus has carefully evaluated the current state of where we are in Iraq and established a set of principles that we believe should be our guide as we move forward. Before I get into the substance of our principles, I want to recognize the diligent work of the Congressman from North Carolina (Mr. Watt) for his leadership in drafting these principles and working very carefully with other members of the caucus to come to consensus. He willingly took on the task of synthesizing and framing the views of 39 Members of Congress. That is not an easy task. The Congressman from North Carolina (Mr. Watt) handled it masterfully. I also want to thank all the members of the Congressional Black Caucus who helped us to get where we are today. It truly was a team effort.”