House Republicans Vote to Support a Clean Troop Funding Bill

“I remember, when I was in Vietnam -- if you don’t remember, look up your history -- in the '70s, this Congress did the same thing. They de-funded our operation over there, and I remember leaving guys hanging from helicopters. Marines lost their lives. State Department people lost their lives. Civilians lost their lives, and our friends, the Vietnamese, are Communist today because of it. We don't need that to happen in this Congress today, and that's why we did what we did.”

“The fact it they were going to use the troops to carry all of this nonsense on this bill before they abused them by doing everything they could to prevent them from winning and having success in Iraq and Afghanistan and adding all of this domestic spending to it.”

“The Democrats knew that this would not be a bill signed into law. It was designed to be a package that used the troops to do other spending that they know they can't get done without the troops.”

“Everyone knows that Republicans support our soldiers in the field, they support the war in Iraq. Today, the Democrats showed their true colors: defeating a bill that funded our troops, while passing legislation that micromanaged our commanders in the field, added billions in domestic spending, and increased taxes. I think what came into high relief today is the truth. And the truth is that the Democrat leadership in the Congress never wanted to fund our troops in the field. The truth is, the Democrats in Congress simply want to grow government, and micromanage our soldiers, and raise taxes.”

“It was a process the likes of which this country has never seen. In our 219-year history, never before on a war-funding supplemental have we had the minority denied an opportunity to have a motion to recommit. It was an outrageous, atrocious, unprecedented process that was never, ever going to succeed.”

“We are outraged that, yet again, the Democrats are expecting our fighting men and women to carry their spending programs and their tax increases. Yesterday, it was peanuts and shrimp. Today, it's the census, unemployment insurance, and yet another tax increase on hard-working American families in small businesses.”

“This was a bill done by her Speaker outside of the regular process and then, when put forward on the floor, a majority of her own party voted to cut the rug out from under our troops in the field, to tie the hands of our commanders-in-chief, and to raise taxes and increase domestic spending, and, I would add, at the expense of people who are unemployed, by tying them and holding them hostage to this bill, as well, instead of running it with their majority.”