Congress Needs to Pass Supplemental Conference Report

Floor Speech

CONGRESS NEEDS TO PASS SUPPLEMENTAL CONFERENCE REPORT

Mr. WALZ of Minnesota. Madam Speaker, the conference agreement reached between the House and the Senate on the Iraq accountability bill provides more funding than the President has asked for our troops, more for our veterans, while forging a new direction in Iraq. This bill will hold the President accountable for meeting his own military readiness standards. The Iraqi Government will also be held accountable for the first time for meeting political, economic, and security benchmarks that the administration itself has set.

This Congress must pass this legislation, because our troops have performed magnificently. The administration has failed. They have failed to hold the Iraqis accountable.

President Bush criticizes our time lines, while both Secretary Gates and General Petraeus admit there is no military solution, and Secretary Gates even called the time lines in the bill ``constructive'' and ``helpful'' in pushing the Iraqis to a solution.

Madam Speaker, this Congress has a constitutional responsibility to be accountable for war to the American public. The President will have the opportunity to sign this bill on the fourth-year anniversary of his declaration of ``mission accomplished.'' I and the vast majority of the American people urge him to do so.

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