Charles W. Stenholm: “I will vote for the legislation to approve the administration's request for $87 billion in additional funding for…”

“I will vote for the legislation to approve the administration's request for $87 billion in additional funding for operations in Iraq. We must provide our men and women in uniform in Iraq with the resources they need to complete their mission, as safely and securely as possible. They have performed brilliantly-- protecting civilians, maintaining order and promoting democracy while facing the threat of attacks each and every day. We are proud of them and we need to continue supporting them. I will vote to provide whatever resources our troops need to complete their mission. Unfortunately, the administration and leadership have brought this request before us under a process which forces us to approve $20 billion in spending for an ill-advised plan for Iraq reconstruction. Many of the items in the reconstruction are more appropriately the responsibility of the Iraqi provisional government or have extremely inflated costs. I commend the work of Chairman Young, Ranking Member Obey and the rest of the Appropriations Committee to scrub the administration's request and remove many questionable or low-priority items. Even with these improvements, many questions remain about how these funds will be used. Our constituents deserve to know that their tax dollars are being used in the most effective manner possible. The missteps of the past must not be compounded by wasteful spending now.”