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Skriven 2007-04-04 23:33:02 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0704049) for Wed, 2007 Apr 4
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Fact Sheet: President Bush Meets with Military Personnel and Their Families
at Fort Irwin
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For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary April 4, 2007

Fact Sheet: President Bush Meets with Military Personnel and Their Families
at Fort Irwin According To Defense Department, Delay In Approving Funds
Will Affect Training

ÿÿWhite House News

ÿÿÿÿÿ President Bush Makes Remarks to the Troops at Fort Irwin, California

Today, President Bush Visited Fort Irwin, California, And Discussed The
Wars In Afghanistan And Iraq.ÿThe President honored the troops' service and
thanked the troops and their families for their commitment and patriotism.
ÿPrior to his remarks, the President had lunch with military personnel and
their families and viewed a training demonstration.ÿ In the afternoon, he
met with the families of fallen soldiers. ÿ
  þ Fort Irwin Is Home To The National Training Center.ÿ The Center is a
    U.S. Army training facility known for its excellent desert and
    counterinsurgency training, which helps our Nation's soldiers prepare
    for the challenges of the war in Iraq.ÿ
  þ On February 5 (58 Days Ago), The President Sent Congress His Urgent
    Request For Funds To Support The Troops On The Ground In Iraq And
    Afghanistan, But Democrats Have Not Yet Sent The President A Bill He
    Can Sign.ÿ Defense Secretary Bob Gates and Joint Chiefs of Staff
    Chairman Gen. Peter Pace have said that if Congress does not approve
    the emergency funding for our troops in April, our troops will begin to
    face significant disruptions.

Our Men And Women In Uniform Need These Emergency War Funds

Last Week, The Defense Department Notified Congress That In Order To Meet
The Force Protection Needs Of The Marine Corps And The Army, It Is
Borrowing Funds From Other Important Marine And Army Procurement
Programs.ÿThis borrowing means using funding intended for medium tactical
vehicle replacement, Humvees and Humvee equipment, the tactical
communications modernization program, and upgrades for other vehicles.ÿ
  þ This Reprogramming Of Funds Is Only Necessary Because Congress Has
    Failed To Act In A Timely Manner On The President's Emergency Funding
    Request.ÿ This underscores the need to get the President a bill he can
    sign that provides what the troops and military commanders need.ÿ
  þ Chairman Of The Joint Chiefs Of Staff Gen.Peter Pace: After mid-April,
    "the Army has told us that they will have to begin curtailing some
    training here at home for Guard, Reserve, and for units, which means
    that the baseline for those units will be reduced as far as their
    capability, and when they're called, it will take them longer to be
    ready and could, over time, delay their availability to go back into
    combat." ÿ(Committee On Appropriations, Defense Subcommittee, U.S.
    House Of Representatives, Hearing, 3/29/07)
  þ Army Chief Of Staff Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker, Chief Of Naval Operations
    Adm. Michael G. Mullen, Air Force Chief Of Staff Gen. T. Michael
    Moseley, And Commandant Of The Marine Corps Gen. James T. Conway:
    "Without approval of the supplemental funds in April, the Armed
    Services will be forced to take increasingly disruptive measures in
    order to sustain combat operations.ÿ The impacts on readiness and
    quality of life could be profound. _ Reprogramming is a short-term,
    cost-inefficient solution that wastes our limited resources.ÿ Spending
    restrictions will delay and disrupt our follow-on forces as they
    prepare for war, possibly compromising future readiness and strategic
    agility."ÿ (Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker, Adm. Michael G. Mullen, Gen. T.
    Michael Moseley, and Gen. James T. Conway, Letter To House
    Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey (D-WI), 4/2/07)
  þ Army Chief Of Staff Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker And Acting Secretary Of
    The Army Pete Geren: "We are particularly concerned as Congress is set
    to recess until mid-April without enacting this essential legislation.ÿ
    Without approval of the supplemental funds in April, we will be forced
    to take increasingly draconian measures which will impact Army
    readiness and impose hardships on our soldiers and their families."ÿ
    (Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker and Pete Geren, Letter To Senate Republican
    Leader Mitch McConnell, 3/28/07)
      þ Defense Secretary Robert Gates: "This kind of disruption to key
        programs will have a genuinely adverse effect on the readiness of
        the Army and the quality of life for soldiers and their families.
        ÿI urge the Congress to pass the supplemental as quickly as
        possible."ÿ (Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Press Briefing,
        Arlington, VA, 3/22/07)

Congress Should Send The President A Clean Bill That Funds The Troopsÿ

In January, President Bush Announced A New Strategy For Iraq.ÿ Implementing
this strategy will require sustained action over many months, but we have
already seen progress.
  þ Just As This New Strategy Is Starting To Have An Impact, A Slim
    Majority In Congress Voted For A Timeline To Withdraw.ÿÿHouse and
    Senate Democrats narrowly passed emergency war supplemental funding
    bills that:
 1. Force a retreat from Iraq without regard to conditions on the ground,
    which would be disastrous for our national security.
 2. Substitute the judgment of politicians in Congress for that of generals
    in Iraq, handcuffing our commanders.
 3. Contain billions of dollars in non-emergency domestic spending that has
    nothing to do with winning the War on Terror.
  þ The President Has Made Clear For Weeks If Either The House Or The
    Senate Version Of The Emergency War Spending Bill Comes To His Desk, He
    Will Veto It.ÿ If Congress fails to pass a bill to fund our troops, the
    American people will know who to hold responsible.ÿ

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