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WASHINGTON, Nov. 28, 2007--The national commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. is deeply concerned that the reluctance by congressional leadership to reach a compromise on Iraq war funding is going to seriously damage military readiness and quality of life programs at home installations.
George Lisicki, a Vietnam combat veteran from Carteret, N.J., said the sticking point in the $196 billion war supplemental is the inclusion of troop withdrawal timelines that some in Congress insist as a condition of passage.
The Defense Department had asked for the additional funding to purchase 7,200 new mine-resistant vehicles, to repair or replace damaged equipment, enhance roadside bomb countermeasures, fund military construction projects, and to improve medical and rehabilitation programs for wounded Iraq and Afghanistan servicemen and women.
But without dedicated funding, the military services are saying they will be forced to take drastic measures to fund the war using installation operations and maintenance budgets. The Pentagon already announced that as many as 200,000 civilian employees and contractors could be temporarily laid off by mid-February. Also being examined is the closing of military installations and facilities to free up additional funds.
Some in Congress are dismissing DoD's plan of action as an idle threat, but the VFW national commander is taking it very seriously.
"The military's expertise is in planning and execution, not in bluffing Congress," said Lisicki. "They are charged with fighting two wars, and they are going to execute that mission either with supplemental funding or from out of their own hide. I believe them when they say drastic planning measures are afoot stateside.
"Imagine being a working spouse with your loved one deployed when half the child care center staff is laid off, or being a dedicated Civil Service employee who is suddenly furloughed, or having your entire installation put into caretaker status?" he emphasized.
"Our nation has real problems at home and abroad that are not being addressed because some in Washington would rather seek political gains for next year's elections instead of focusing on what's best for America now," said Lisicki, who urges the passage of the war supplemental without preset conditions.
"I have long stressed that any debate or troop withdrawal legislation be separate and distinct from the appropriations process," he said.
"This is not some game where there are do-overs. The world will remain a very dangerous and unpredictable place regardless of how Iraq plays out, so Congress and the administration need to focus on either winning it or ending it, because our troops and their families are tired of being used as political pawns."
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