Frank Lautenberg: “I rise to support Senator Biden's amendment to provide that none of the funds being appropriated in this emergency…”

“I rise to support Senator Biden's amendment to provide that none of the funds being appropriated in this emergency supplemental appropriations bill may be used by the United States to establish permanent military bases in Iraq. If we are serious about finding ways to neutralize the insidious insurgency that has killed over 2,400 American service men and women in Iraq, we must state clearly, unequivocally, and without further delay that we do not intend to remain in Iraq indefinitely. Permanent U.S. military bases are a temptation for terrorists and would be a continuing symbol of U.S. occupation. The U.S. Ambassador in Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, said on March 24, 2006, that the United States ``has no goal of establishing permanent bases in Iraq.'' Senior-level officials regularly promise that the United States will not establish permanent bases in Iraq. But the facts tell a different story. General John Abizaid, the commander of U.S. troops in the Middle East, testified before Congress earlier this year that he couldn't rule out the possibility of permanent bases in Iraq. And according to the Congressional Research Service, the Bush administration has requested more than $1.1 billion for new military construction in Iraq, nearly double what the United States has spent in Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates combined. This very bill we are considering includes $348 million for more base construction. This begs the question, if the U.S.…”