70 Congressmen tell Bush no cash without troop withdrawal

70 Congressmen tell Bush no cash without troop withdrawal
RAW STORY
Published: Thursday July 19, 2007


In a rare show of defiance, a large group of mostly House Democrats
sent a letter to the White House saying that they will not support any
military funding for Iraq unless it includes a complete withdrawal of
combat troops, reports Politico's "The Crypt" blog.

Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) was the only Republican to sign the letter.

"This is a big development," writes Josephine Hearn. "Earlier this
year, liberals grudgingly voted for Iraq funding bills because they
didn't want to give Nancy Pelosi a defeat. Now it seems that their
patience has run out."

It appears that the the showdown between Congress and President Bush
is scheduled for September at the next funding bill vote.

The full text of the letter is available below:

Dear Mr. President:

We are writing to inform you that we will only support appropriating
additional funds for U.S. military operations in Iraq during Fiscal
Year 2008 and beyond for the protection and safe redeployment of all
our troops out of Iraq before you leave office.

More than 3,600 of our brave soldiers have died in Iraq. More than
26,000 have been seriously wounded. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis
have been killed or injured in the hostilities and more than 4 million
have been displaced from their homes. Furthermore, this conflict has
degenerated into a sectarian civil war and U.S. taxpayers have paid
more than $500 billion, despite assurances that you and your key
advisors gave our nation at the time you ordered the invasion in
March, 2003 that this military intervention would cost far less and be
paid from Iraqi oil revenues.

We agree with a clear and growing majority of the American people who
are opposed to continued, open-ended U.S. military operations in Iraq,
and believe it is unwise and unacceptable for you to continue to
unilaterally impose these staggering costs and the soaring debt on
Americans currently and for generations to come.

Sincerely,

Rep. Lynn Woolsey (CA); Rep. Barbara Lee (CA); Rep. Maxine Waters
(CA); Rep. Ellen Tauscher (CA); Rep. Rush Holt (NJ); Rep. Maurice
Hinchey (NY); Rep. Diane Watson (CA); Rep. Ed Pastor (AZ); Rep. Barney
Frank (MA); Rep. Danny Davis (IL); Rep. John Conyers (MI); Rep. John
Hall (NY); Rep. Bob Filner (CA); Rep. Nydia Velazquez (NY); Rep. Bobby
Rush (IL); Rep. Charles Rangel (NY); Rep. Ed Towns (NY); Rep. Paul
Hodes (NH); Rep. William Lacy Clay (MO); Rep. Earl Blumenauer (OR);
Rep. Albert Wynn (MD); Rep. Bill Delahunt (MA); Rep. Eleanor Holmes
Norton (DC); Rep. G. K. Butterfield (NC); Rep. Hilda Solis (CA); Rep.
Carolyn Maloney (NY); Rep. Jerrold Nadler (NY); Rep. Michael Honda
(CA); Rep. Steve Cohen (TN); Rep. Phil Hare (IL); Rep. Grace Flores
Napolitano (CA); Rep. Alcee Hastings (FL); Rep. James McGovern (MA);
Rep. Marcy Kaptur (OH); Rep. Jan Schakowsky (IL); Rep. Julia Carson
(IN); Rep. Linda Sanchez (CA); Rep. Raul Grijalva (AZ); Rep. John
Olver (MA); Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (TX); Rep. Jim McDermott (WA);
Rep. Ed Markey (MA); Rep. Chaka Fattah (PA); Rep. Frank Pallone Jr.
(NJ); Rep. Rubin Hinojosa (TX); Rep. Pete Stark (CA); Rep. Bobby Scott
(VA); Rep. Jim Moran (VA); Rep. Betty McCollum (MN); Rep. Jim Oberstar
(MN); Rep. Diana DeGette (CO); Rep. Stephen Lynch (MA); Rep. Artur
Davis (AL); Rep. Hank Johnson (GA); Rep. Donald Payne (NJ); Rep.
Emanuel Cleaver (MO); Rep. John Lewis (GA); Rep. Yvette Clarke (NY);
Rep. Neil Abercrombie (HI); Rep. Gwen Moore (WI); Rep. Keith Ellison
(MN); Rep. Tammy Baldwin (WI); Rep. Donna Christensen (USVI); Rep.
David Scott (GA); Rep. Luis Gutierrez (IL); Lois Capps (CA); Steve
Rothman (NJ); Elijah Cummings (MD); and Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX).
.

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