The War in Iraq is one of the most difficult issues facing our nation. Over the past five years, the War in Iraq has claimed the lives of more than 4,100 U.S. military personnel and has left many more of our soldiers with permanent physical and mental injuries. It has drained nearly $660 billion from our Treasury. The war has also deteriorated the readiness of our armed forces. The stress and strain on our military and their families is immense. Most dangerously, the War in Iraq has distracted our country from locating, capturing, and killing terrorists like Osama Bin Laden. The case is clear: we need to bring our troops home from Iraq safely and responsibly.

While I believe we must begin to bring our troops home, I have been very clear that I would not cast a vote to de-fund our troops. I have made two trips to Iraq since 2007 to visit soldiers from Pennsylvania and meet with high-level officials like Ambassador Ryan Crocker and General David Petraeus. These visits have impressed on me the fact that we owe the men and women of the U.S. military our immense gratitude. And it is because of these visits and conversations with other veterans and my constituents that I believe that Congress has a responsibility to provide them with the equipment and materials to keep them safe for as long as they are deployed overseas. That is why I will continue voting to provide the troops with funding until every person is brought home safely.

However, it is time to bring our troops home. I have voted multiple times to begin withdrawing our soldiers from Iraq and I have led an effort that passed the House of Representatives to require the Secretary of Defense to report on the status of redeployment planning.

It is also important for Congress to hold President Bush accountable for his abysmal management of the war, including the use of taxpayer funds being awarded to private contractors. We must also continue to push the President to address the political and diplomatic issues within Iraq and the region. That is why I have voted to put many conditions on war funding including a prohibition on permanent bases, a requirement that the Iraqi government provide its fair share of the reconstruction funding, and a prohibition against the deployment of U.S. forces to Iraq that have not spent sufficient time at home.