Kucinich: Congress Must Not Continue To Pay For Bush’s War; Thousands of More Innocent Lives Are at Risk

Ohio Democratic congressman Dennis Kucinich's congressional website http://kucinich.house.gov/ posted the following press release.

Kucinich: Congress Must Not Continue To Pay For Bush’s War; Thousands of More Innocent Lives Are at Risk

Washington, Mar 22 - WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 22) — On the eve of the vote on the Iraq war supplemental that will provide $124 billion in additional funding for the war in Iraq, Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) issued an admonition to his colleagues in the House of Representatives.

“A vote for the supplemental is a vote to reauthorize the war all over again,” Kucinich said. “Congress has the sole constitutional authority to deny the President the authority to go to war and to cut off the funds and end this war. Each appropriations approval is a vote to continue the Iraq war.”

The emergency spending package is scheduled to be on the floor of the House tomorrow for a vote.

“There is a fundamental flaw in the debate: you cannot say you are against this war, and vote to fund it,” Kucinich said.

“Congress can debate and pass legislation for redeployment, phased redeployment, a resolution to end the war or a non-binding resolution disapproving of the troop surge. But none of this will have any legal effect. Each and every time Congress votes for a supplemental bill, they vote to reauthorize the war all over again.

“The America people clearly want our troops brought home. They made this crystal clear in November when they voted the Democrats into office.

“Funding the war will keep the troops there. Stopping the funding will enable us to bring them home.

“Tomorrow will be a test of whether Congress is a co-equal branch of government. Will my colleagues cut off the funding and bring an immediate end to this war, or will they continue to buy President Bush’s war?”