Iraq: Conferees Eliminate Ban on Permanent Bases

Legislative Action Message

Iraq: Conferees Eliminate Ban on Permanent Bases - FCNL Printer-friendly version of this alert Thwarting the will of the majority, a joint House and Senate conference committee this week decided to delete language barring permanent U.S. military bases in Iraq from legislation pending in Congress. Meeting behind closed doors, negotiators from the conference committee dropped language that would ban permanent U.S. military bases in Iraq, language that both chambers had approved in the emergency war supplemental spending bill. Disappointment Tempered by Hope and Rising Debate in Congress Our disappointment in the congressional leadership’s actions this week is tempered by the knowledge that, thanks in large part to your work, majorities in both chambers have determined the goal of U.S. policy is to remove all bases and, ultimately, to leave Iraq. Both the Senate and the House will begin new debates on U.S. policy toward Iraq next week that provide opportunities to persuade Congress to shift the debate about Iraq from how the U.S. wins to how the U.S. leaves. U.S. troops in Iraq are now part of the problem, not part of the solution. The perception that the U.S. intends to permanently occupy Iraq, bolstered by decisions such as this recent congressional action, is fueling the conflict. We at FCNL believe that three points should guide future U.S. policy in Iraq. We urge Congress to enact legislation that: States that it is the U.S. policy to remove all U.S. military troops and bases from Iraq; Requires the immediate withdrawal of all U.S. military troops and bases from Iraq; and Provides resources for reconstruction by the people of Iraq through appropriate multinational, national, and Iraqi agencies. Take Action Now Next week, the Senate is scheduled to consider several changes in U.S. policy in Iraq during a debate on military authorization legislation. Please contact your senators today to urge them to support legislation that will shift the focus of U.S. policy from how to win in Iraq to how to leave Iraq. Please also contact your representative. The House leadership has agreed to schedule an extended debate on U.S. policy in Iraq next week. This debate will be an opportunity for your representative to speak out publicly in favor of a change in U.S. policy in Iraq. You can find a sample message and contact your legislators directly through FCNL's online legislative action center. Background: How Did the Congress Reverse the Ban on Permanent Bases in Iraq? Thanks in large part to your work, both the House and the Senate recently voted to amend supplemental funding legislation (H.R. 4939) pending before Congress with specific language to prevent spending to establish permanent military bases. The supplemental funding legislation will provide additional funding for the war in Iraq as well as hurricane relief and other programs. Significant differences in the versions of the supplemental legislation approved by the two chambers required that negotiators from the House and the Senate meet in a conference committee to work out a single bill. Meeting behind closed doors this week, the conference committee quietly removed the provisions from this legislation that were intended to bar spending on building permanent military bases. The supplemental funding legislation is expected to win approval from both chambers in the next few days. President Bush has said he will sign the legislation. Although the ban on permanent bases will not become law in the supplemental bill, we at FCNL believe that both chambers of Congress passed an important milestone this spring when they approved a clear statement of policy that the U.S. does not seek permanent military bases in Iraq. In the next few months, FCNL will be continuing to work with Congress to bar permanent bases and also to change the focus of U.S. policy from how the U.S. wins in Iraq to how the U.S. leaves. The situation in Iraq is becoming progressively worse every day. As FCNL’s Colonel Dan Smith (USA Ret.) describes in his blog this week, the killing of Abu Masab al-Zarqawi in Iraq does not address the underlying problems in Iraq or provide the political solutions Iraq requires. U.S. policy has brought civil war to Iraq. If the U.S. continues along the current course, the result will be more violence and more deaths. The time has come for Congress to determine a new course in Iraq. War is Not the Answer. ________________________________________ The U.S. Can't Abandon Iraq, But the Troops Must Leave: Join FCNL's Iraq Campaign. Contact Congress and the administration. Order FCNL publications and "War is Not the Answer" campaign bumper stickers and yard signs. Contribute to FCNL. Subscribe or update your information to this list. To unsubscribe from this list, please see the end of this message. Subscribe to other FCNL legislative, policy, and action alert lists. ________________________________________ Friends Committee on National Legislation 245 Second St. NE, Washington, DC 20002-5795 fcnl@fcnl.org * http://www.fcnl.org phone: (202)547-6000 * toll-free: (800)630-1330 We seek a world free of war and the threat of war We seek a society with equity and justice for all We seek a community where every person's potential may be fulfilled We seek an earth restored.