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Cummings Urges Colleagues to Support Bridge Act
Bill would protect U.S. troops, require re-deployment
Washington, DC—Congressman Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, today encouraged his colleagues to support H.R. 4156, the Orderly and Responsible Iraq Redeployment Appropriations Act (Bridge Act), to change the direction of President Bush’s failed policy in Iraq. A vote is expected on the bill this evening.
“It is time for my colleagues in the House to stop rubber stamping the President’s poor policies with regard to this war while at the same time voting against funding health care for our nation’s children,” Congressman Cummings said. “American families have paid an average of over $46,000 each to fund this mismanaged war. This is unacceptable.”
The Bridge Act requires the responsible redeployment of American troops within thirty days of enactment with a set goal of completion by December 15, 2008. Moreover, it provides these troops with the resources needed for continued protection from improvised explosive devices (IED) and car bombs, the leading causes of more than 3,800 U.S. combat deaths and tens of thousands of injuries. Additionally, the bill prohibits the deployment of U.S. troops who are not fully trained and equipped.
“Our military is being stretched increasingly thin, resulting in the deployment of troops with insufficient training and equipment and putting their lives at risk,” Congressman Cummings said. “Our armed services are only as strong as their weakest links, and the Bridge Act makes critical repairs to our troop readiness to ensure these links are unbreakable.”
The Bridge Act comes on the heels of a report released yesterday by the Joint Economic Committee, on which Congressman Cummings sits, revealing high hidden costs of $1.6 trillion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan—a total that nearly doubles that requested directly by the Bush Administration. Additionally, the report forecasts an additional cost of $3.5 trillion if the course in Iraq is not changed.
“This ten-year, trillion dollar war has already cost Americans too much in terms of lives, dollars, and our reputation around the world,” Congressman Cummings said. “The Bridge Act sends a very clear message to the White House from the American people: enough is enough.”
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