Louise Slaughter: “3 months have gone by since the House last met to pass new funding for one of the greatest challenges our Nation faces…”

“3 months have gone by since the House last met to pass new funding for one of the greatest challenges our Nation faces today: the ongoing war in Iraq. It is clear that so long as our soldiers are in harm's way our financial support for them must continue. But writing checks is not enough. All the money in the world cannot produce a positive change if it is squandered and misappropriated. What our troops in the field and our citizens at home need is for this body to recommit itself to real oversight of our government and its actions. What we need is the return of accountability to the House, and it is that above all else which has yet to transpire here. I would ask my friends on the other side of the aisle to focus their gaze half a world away. The past 90 days has seen victories and defeats in Iraq, reasons for hope and reasons for grave concern, and the outcome is still far from certain. And yet the overwhelming majority of our troops routinely carry out acts of most remarkable personal courage. Their very existence is in constant danger, and yet they press onward. Contrast that courage, Mr. Speaker, with the lack of courage displayed by the majority of the House. It is a lack of courage that has proven as persistent as the problems it has perpetuated. I should first say that the very idea that we are once again funding the conflict through a supplemental spending bill is both dishonest and dishonorable.…”