David Obey: “Mr. Chairman, I stand behind our men and women in uniform who are sacrificing so much for their country in Iraq. Most…”

“Mr. Chairman, I stand behind our men and women in uniform who are sacrificing so much for their country in Iraq. Most importantly, I want to ensure that our troops receive the resources they need. In my view, this bill underfunds the immediate needs of the military, leaving the men and women serving there in a vulnerable position. This bill is a belated and a poorly-planned attempt to provide resources for a thinly-sketched occupation force and a laundry list of economic development projects that seem well beyond the scope of reconstruction. The administration needs to provide Congress with a more detailed and comprehensive reconstruction plan before we authorize an explosive increase in taxpayer dollars in Iraq. The military phase of the campaign has been over since May; yet the agencies formally charged with delivering foreign aid have taken a backseat to the Pentagon. Foreign aid is and should be the responsibility of the State Department. Their people are trained for it. It is time we let our men and women in the military focus on the security side of the effort and let them hand off efforts like getting water and electricity to the Iraqi people to the experts at the State Department and USAID. The Congress should not give the President a blank check. Congress needs specifics on important questions, the projected duration of the U.S.…”