Congressional Resolution to Leave Iraq

The following 93 members of Congress signed the Lee-Jones letter on Iraq: Baldwin, Bass (CA-33), Boswell, Braley, Capps, Capuano, Chu, Cicilline, Clark (MI-13), Clarke (NY-11), Clay, Cleaver, Clyburn, Cohen, Conyers, Costello, Davis (IL-7), DeFazio, DeLauro, Deutch, Doggett, Doyle, Duncan (TN-2), Edwards, Ellison, Farr, Filner, Frank, Fudge, Garamendi, Grijalva, Gutierrez, Hahn, Hanabusa, Hastings (FL-23), Heinrich, Hirono, Holt, Honda, Jackson Jr. (IL-2), Jackson-Lee, Johnson (IL-15), Johnson (TX-30), Jones, Kaptur, Kucinich, Larson, Lee, Lewis (GA-5), Loebsack, Lofgren, Lujan, Maloney, Matsui, McCollum, McDermott, McGovern, Michaud, Miller (CA-7), Moore, Nadler, Napolitano, Norton, Olver, Paul, Payne, Pingree, Polis, Rangel, Richardson, Rush, Sanchez (CA-39), Sanchez (CA-47), Schakowsky, Schrader, Scott (VA-3), Serrano, Sewell, Slaughter, Speier, Stark, Thompson (CA-1), Thompson (MS-2), Tonko, Towns, Tsongas, Velazquez, Waters, Watt, Welch, Wilson (FL-17), Woolsey, Yarmuth

Press release and official letter to the President below:

 For Immediate Release  July 27, 2011

Contact:  

Ricci Graham, (510) 763-0370

Barbara Lee, 92 Members of Congress Call for Return of U.S. Troops and Military Contractors from Iraq by December 31, 2011

Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) released the following statement after sending a letter to President Barack Obama, along with 88 Democrats and 4 Republicans calling for compliance with the Status of Forces Agreement with Iraq and a full withdrawal by December 31, 2011:

“I am pleased that so many of my colleagues from both sides of the aisle joined me in sending a clear message that we must keep our commitment to ending the dangerous and misguided military occupation in Iraq this year.

“It has been over eight years since President Bush launched the disastrous war in Iraq. Now President Obama has the opportunity to finally end the war by adhering to the Status of Forces Agreement with Iraq which requires all 47,000 U.S. troops remaining in Iraq to depart before December 31, 2011.

“The American people are sick and tired of endless wars, and widely support the current plan to end our involvement in Iraq.  It is past time that we bring this war to an end.”

The text of the letter can be found below.

***

July 22, 2011

The Honorable Barack Obama

President of the United States

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear Mr. President:

We are writing to urge you to hold to our nation’s Status of Forces Agreement with the government of Iraq that commits our nation to bringing all of our troops and military contractors home at the end of this calendar year. 

The American people have made it clear that the war in Iraq must end.  By wide and overwhelming margins, Americans approve of your plan to remove all the troops from Iraq by the end of this year. 

We are deeply concerned to learn that your Administration is considering plans to keep potentially thousands of U.S. troops in Iraq beyond the end of this year.  Extending our presence in Iraq is counterproductive - the Iraqi people do not support our continued occupation.  Remaining in Iraq would only further strengthen the perception that we are an occupying force with no intention of leaving Iraq.

Leaving troops and military contractors in Iraq beyond the deadline is not in our nation’s security interests, it is not in our nation’s strategic interests, and it is not in our nation’s economic interests. 

Mr. President, we look forward to working with you in maintaining our nation’s Status of Forces Agreement with the government of Iraq and bringing all of our troops and military contractors home at the end of this year.

Sincerely,

Barbara Lee

Member of Congress

Walter B. Jones

Member of Congress

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