THE WAR IN IRAQ

1 SWIFT AND RESPONSIBLE WITHDRAWAL FROM IRAQ (ROLL CALL #330)

Following the 2006 elections, Americans looked to Congress for concrete action to begin withdrawing US troops from Iraq. The first major effort was a supplemental funding bill that had a required beginning date for withdrawal and a “goal” for when it would end. The bill, which Bush vetoed, signified some progress. However, Peace Action called for a quicker withdrawal with a hard end date. HR 2237 would have required withdrawal of most troops and contractors to begin in 90 days and be completed within six months.

Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) sponsored this bill. Peace Action supported. Failed 171-255.

2 FUNDS–WITHOUT ACCOUNTABILITY–FOR THE WAR IN IRAQ (RC #425)

Congress took an important step in early 2007 by starting to exercise the power of the purse, mandating that funding for the war in Iraq be tied to a timetable for withdrawal of US troops.  The Bush administration used its bully pulpit to accuse members of Congress of not “supporting the troops.” Rather than aggressively reframing the debate by offering a new definition of “support,” Congress surrendered an opportunity to hold the Bush administration accountable and offered HR 2206, funding with only weak “benchmarks.”

Peace Action opposed. Passed 280-142.

3 RESPONSIBLE REDEPLOYMENT FROM IRAQ (RC #624)

Facing increasing pressure from the American public to continue to push for a withdrawal from Iraq, the House voted again in July on a plan that would have withdrawn most troops from Iraq by April 1, 2008, allowing some to remain behind for limited missions. This vote on HR 2956 indicated some momentum building toward withdrawal, passing by a higher margin than the first plan in March.

Rep. Ike Skelton (D-MO) sponsored the bill. Peace Action supported. Passed 223-201.
 
4 ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR THE WAR IN IRAQ WITHOUT A TIMELINE (RC #1186)
Following an outpouring of outrage after Congress passed war funding without a timeline for withdrawal in May, congressional leadership responded with another bill tying funding for the war in Iraq with a timeline, informing the president that if he did not accept the conditions, he would not receive any funding. After President Bush threatened to hold up the entire budget process for 2008, Congress once again caved to his demands and passed HR 2764 with an additional $70 billion to fund operations for the beginning of 2008.

Peace Action opposed. Passed 272-142.
 
5 ALLOWING PERMANENT U.S. MILITARY BASES IN IRAQ–AGAIN (RC #369)
In response to concerns that the Bush administration was preparing for a long-term presence in Iraq, the House of Representatives included a provision in the Fiscal Year 2008 Defense Authorization Bill prohibiting the construction of permanent military bases in Iraq.

Amendment 196 to HR 1585 was Rep. Steve King’s (R-IA) second failed attempt to repeal this provision on permanent bases. Peace Action opposed. Failed 201-219.

6 PROHIBITING FUNDS FOR PERMANENT BASES IN IRAQ (RC #717)

Following President Bush’s disturbing remarks that he envisions a “Korea model” for a long-term US presence in Iraq, the House went on the record once again to overwhelmingly oppose building permanent US military bases in Iraq. HR 2929 also included a prohibition on US control of Iraq’s oil resources.

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) sponsored this bill. Peace Action supported. Passed 399-24.

WAR POWERS: IRAN

7,8  NO FUNDS FOR MILITARY ACTION AGAINST IRAN (RC #364, #365)

The Bush administration’s aggressive rhetoric and refusal to engage Iran’s leadership raised widespread fear of the possibility of military action against the country. When asked by members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee whether President Bush might circumvent congressional authorization to attack Iran, Rice responded with “the president never takes any option off the table, and he shouldn’t.” Some members of Congress took the lead in trying to rein in the administration and reassert congressional oversight. 

7 Amendment 93 to HR 1585 would have prohibited any of the funds for Iraq and Afghanistan to be used to plan major contingency operations in Iran. Rep. Robert Andrews (D-NJ) sponsored the amendment. Peace Action supported. Failed 202-216.
 
8 Directly following the vote on the Andrews amendment, the House voted on a stronger amendment related to military action in Iran.  Amendment 31 to HR 1585 would have stated that no previous authorization for military action against Iran exists, and that no funds in this or any other act could be used for military action without congressional approval. Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR) sponsored the amendment. Peace Action supported. Failed 136-288.

WASTEFUL WEAPONS SPENDING

9 EXAMINING THE NEED FOR OUTDATED WEAPONRY (RC #366)
Baseline military spending has risen 30% under the Bush administration, bringing us to the highest proposed level of spending since World War II. Amendment 188 to HR 1585 would have worked to identify unnecessary spending by requiring the Secretary of Defense to issue a report on the continued use, need, relevance and cost of weapons systems designed to fight the Cold War and the former Soviet Union.

Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) sponsored the amendment. Peace Action supported. Failed 119-303.

10 CUTTING FUNDS FOR MISSILE DEFENSE (RC #367)
Missile Defense is the US’s largest single weapons expenditure, despite never having completed a successful test and being unsuited to the security threats we face. Amendment 193 to HR 1585 would have cut $1 billion of Missile Defense funding from the proposed $8 billion budgeted.

Rep. John Tierney (D-MA) sponsored this amendment. Peace Action Supported. Failed 127-299.

MILITARY AID

11 CLOSING CONTROVERSIAL MILITARY TRAINING CAMP (RC #536)

When Congress voted to close the School of the Americas (SOA) in 1999, they subsequently replaced it with the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC), a school with a nearly identical mission. Graduates of the school have been linked to infamous human rights abuses throughout Latin America. Amendment 378 to HR 2764, to prohibit funds for WHINSEC, had more congressional support than in previous years, but the amendment still lost by a narrow margin.

Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) sponsored this amendment. Peace Action supported. Failed 203-214.