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Skriven 2007-04-07 23:31:22 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (070407) for Sat, 2007 Apr 7
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President's Radio Address
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For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary April 7, 2007

President's Radio Address

˙˙President's Radio Address
˙ Audio ˙˙En Espa_

˙˙˙˙˙ In Focus: Defense

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This week, people around the world celebrate
Passover and Easter. These holy days remind us of the presence of a loving
God who delivers His people from oppression, and offers a love more
powerful than death. We take joy in spending this special time with family
and friends, and we give thanks for the many blessings in our lives.

One of our greatest blessings as Americans is that we have brave citizens
who step forward to defend us. Every man or woman who wears our Nation's
uniform is a volunteer, a patriot who has made the noble decision to serve
a cause larger than self. This weekend, many of our service men and women
are celebrating the holidays far from home. They are separated from their
families by great distances, but they are always close in our thoughts. And
this Passover and Easter, I ask you to keep them in your prayers.

Archives

Radio Address: 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001

Radio Interviews: 2006 2005 2004 Our men and women in uniform deserve the
gratitude of every American. And from their elected leaders, they deserve
something more: the funds, resources, and equipment they need to do their
jobs.

Sixty-one days have passed since I sent Congress an emergency war spending
bill to provide the funds our troops urgently need. But instead of
approving that vital funding, Democrats in Congress have spent the past 61
days working to pass legislation that would substitute the judgment of
politicians in Washington for the judgment of our generals in the field.

In both the House and Senate, Democratic majorities have passed bills that
would impose restrictions on our military commanders, set an arbitrary date
for withdrawal from Iraq, and fund domestic spending that has nothing to do
with the war. The Democrats who passed these bills know that I will veto
either version if it reaches my desk, and they know my veto will be
sustained. Yet they continue to pursue the legislation. And now the process
is on hold for two weeks, until the full Congress returns to session.

I recognize that Democrats are trying to show their current opposition to
the war in Iraq. They see the emergency war spending bill as a chance to
make that statement. Yet for our men and women in uniform, this emergency
war spending bill is not a political statement, it is a source of critical
funding that has a direct impact on their daily lives.

When Congress does not fund our troops on the front lines, our military is
forced to make cuts in other areas to cover the shortfall. Military leaders
have warned Congress about this problem. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs
of Staff, General Pete Pace, recently testified that if Congress fails to
pass a bill I can sign by mid-April, the Army will be forced to consider
cutting back on training, equipment repair, and quality of life initiatives
for our Guard and Reserve forces. In a letter to Congress, Army Chief of
Staff Pete Schoomaker put it this way: "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."

If Congress fails to pass a bill I can sign by mid-May, the problems grow
even more acute. The Army will be forced to consider slowing or even
freezing funding for depots where pivotal equipment is repaired, delaying
or curtailing the training of some active duty forces, and delaying the
formation of new brigade combat teams. The bottom line is that Congress's
failure to fund our troops will mean that some of our military families
could wait longer for their loved ones to return from the front lines. And
others could see their loved ones headed back to war sooner than they need
to. That is unacceptable to me, and I believe it is unacceptable to the
American people.

The full Congress will not be back from spring vacation until the week of
April 16th. That means the soonest the House and Senate could get a bill to
my desk will be sometime late this month, after the adverse consequences
for our troops and their families have already begun. For our troops, the
clock is ticking. If the Democrats continue to insist on making a political
statement, they should send me their bill as soon as possible. I will veto
it, and then Congress can go to work on a good bill that gives our troops
the funds they need, without strings and without further delay.

We have our differences in Washington, D.C., but our troops should not be
caught in the middle. All who serve in elected office have a solemn
responsibility to provide for our men and women in uniform. We need to put
partisan politics aside, and do our duty to those who defend us.

Thank you for listening.

END

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