Bush's choice on funding the troops

The funding bill Congress will deliver honors US troops and the will of the American people. Will Bush turn his back on the nation?

from the April 17, 2007 edition

Page 2 of 2

Page 1 | 2

Congress has responded to the people, crafting a new direction that will provide the Iraqi government with the necessary motivation to pursue real political reconciliation.

The American people have sent a clear message to Washington: It is time to begin bringing our troops home from Iraq. If Bush vetoes this bill, he will turn his back on the clearly expressed wishes of the nation.

Last week, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced that our troops in Iraq and those troops set to deploy will have their tours extended to 15 months. This comes on top of the White House's announcement that they were rushing thousands of troops back to Iraq for extended tours of duty, without providing sufficient time for rest, recovery, and retraining.

Such plans, political posturing, and veto threats have placed the safety of our troops in unnecessary jeopardy. It is simply unconscionable that the White House is now attempting to blame Congress for the failure to successfully prosecute the war.

The president has said on many occasions that the US commitment to Iraq is not open-ended. Now is the time for him to show the nation that those were not hollow words.

The president has also declared his commitment to improve the lives of our veterans. If the president chooses to work with Congress – the people's representatives – we can reach a bipartisan solution that unites the country rather than divides it, while meeting the expectations and needs of the American people.

• Sen. Robert Byrd (D) of West Virginia is chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Rep. David Obey (D) of Wisconsin is chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.

1 | Page 2