Today, U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-CO) voted with a majority of the House of Representatives to responsibly redeploy U.S. Troops from by December 2009. The vote was part of the 2008 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act. Additionally, Perlmutter voted for critical outstanding appropriations to aid our returning veterans including paying for a new GI Bill and cleaning up the mess at Walter Reed Army Hospital .
“Today, I honor the brave men and women serving our country by voting to redeploy our troops from responsibly, safe and soon. We cannot ask our troops to bear this burden indefinitely. Enough is enough. The only leverage to motivate to take control of their country is to begin the responsible redeployment of US troops, focus on creating a true multi-national reconstruction effort and requiring the Iraqis to pay their fair share for reconstruction.
“Our operations in are costing us more than $10 billion per month. The instability in our economy is pushing us closer toward a recession. We need to focus our efforts on defeating Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and on investing in and rebuilding our own economy and jobs.
“Our brave troops are serving our nation honorably, and they and their families have sacrificed greatly. They deserve the best medical care and education available. By instituting a new GI Bill, we can restore full, four-year college scholarships and make the veterans of and part of our country’s economic recovery, just like the veterans of World War II were.
“Plain and simple, now is the time to hold the Iraqi government accountable to meet benchmarks the President created more than a year ago. Today’s vote was a resounding vote of no confidence in the President, and now is the time to support our troops and convince the President and his supporters to approve this measure. This bill is the exit strategy for which American has been waiting.”
