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WASHINGTON, May 25, 2007--The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. is applauding Congress for the passage of a 2007 emergency war supplemental spending bill that funds the troops without setting artificial withdrawal timelines.
“Congress did the right thing by omitting the withdrawal language and retaining the benchmarks for the Iraqi government to reach,” said VFW National Commander Gary Kurpius, a Vietnam veteran from Anchorage, Alaska. “I also appreciate the additional funding for veterans, military construction and homeland security programs.”
The House and Senate approved the $120 billion package yesterday. The president had requested $103 billion, but Congress added additional spending requirements to increase veterans’ health care programs by $1.8 billion, military construction and realignment by almost $5 billion, and homeland security by more than $1 billion. Also tacked on was almost $5 billion in domestic spending programs, as well as $6 billion for FEMA, the Army Corps of Engineers, and for Gulf Coast recovery operations.
“Despite continued disagreement between and inside the parties, Congress did the right thing by removing their debate over the war from the emergency funding package that is keeping our troops in the field alive,” said Kurpius.
“The inclusion of the milestones sends a crystal clear message to the Maliki government that our presence in Iraq is not open-ended, and that message should be interpreted by the American people that this war, too, shall end.”
See related stories
VFW Critical of Split Funding in War Supplemental Bill
VFW: Troops Need Support, Not Political Rhetoric
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