Thirty-nine U.S. senators voted Thursday for a change of course in Iraq and urged the president to begin withdrawing U.S. troops this year. The Senate vote today demonstrates the growing core of support for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. Six months ago only a single senator, Russ Feingold (WI), was willing to challenge the direction of U.S. policy in Iraq with by calling for a withdrawal of U.S. forces.
At the same time, we at FCNL are disappointed that the Senate defeated two separate amendments to the Defense Authorization Bill that would have challenged the direction of U.S. policy. As a result, the Senate this week will approved another $50 billion in funding for the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Senators Carl Levin (MI), Jack Reed (RI), Dianne Feinstein (CA), and Ken Salazar (CO) offered the first challenge to the U.S. policy in Iraq with an amendment urging the president to begin the phased redeployment of U.S. military troops in 2006. That amendment was defeated 39 - 60. See a breakdown of the vote here.
Senators John Kerry (MA), Russ Feingold (WI), and Barbara Boxer (CA) then proposed an amendment to the Defense Authorization Bill that would require the redeployment of combat troops out of Iraq by July 1, 2007. That amendment was defeated 13 – 86. See a breakdown of the vote here.
FCNL was unable to learn Thursday evening whether the amendment by Sen. Joe Biden (DE) banning the use of funds to establish permanent U.S. military bases in Iraq was successfully attached to the military authorization bill. But we do know that members of the House of Representatives have attached language barring the U.S. from establishing permanent bases in Iraq to legislation funding the Pentagon and the Department of State.
FCNL will be working in the coming months to persuade Congress to enact legislation that states that:
* it is the U.S. policy to remove all U.S. military troops and bases from Iraq;
* requires an immediate timetable for the complete withdrawal of all U.S. military troops and bases from Iraq no later than December 2007;
* and provides resources for reconstruction by the people of Iraq through appropriate multinational, national, and Iraqi agencies.
